TO: Indian River County Board of County Commissioners
THROUGH: John A. Titkanich, Jr., County Administrator
Sean C. Lieske, Director of Utility Services
Howard G. Richards, PE, Manager - Capital Projects
FROM: Paola Talavera, Associate Engineer
DATE: January 29, 2026
SUBJECT: Approval for Process Waste Drain Line Replacement at Headworks Project at Gifford Water Reclamation Facility, IRCDUS Project ID 22.25.508
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BACKGROUND
Indian River County Department of Utility Services (IRCDUS) owns and operates the Gifford Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) located at 3550 49th Street. The WRF includes an internal process drain line that supports daily operations and maintenance activities throughout the facility by conveying wastewater from equipment drains, tank draining, and washdown activities back into the treatment process. The drain line serves as a critical function in plant operations. Recent inspection has determined that the existing drain line is in poor structural condition.
ANALYSIS
The WRF drain line was originally scheduled for rehabilitation using cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) lining. Funding for this task was incumbered in Purchase Order (PO) 101876 to Hinterland Group, Inc. (Hinterland) for $56,530.00 under an existing continuing services agreement. The scope of service was based on assumption that the existing pipe was structurally sound enough to support lining.
During the inspection and pre-construction evaluation, Hinterland determined that the condition of the drain line has significantly deteriorated beyond earlier assumptions. Multiple sections exhibit advanced corrosion and material loss, including areas where the pipe wall has worn completely through. Due to this level of degradation, CIPP lining is no longer a viable or safe option, and full replacement of the affected segments is required to restore system integrity and maintain reliable plant operations. Continued deterioration presents increasing risks, including:
• Uncontrolled leakage within plant facilities,
• Potential damage to adjacent infrastructure,
• Increased maintenance costs and emergency repair risk, and
• Possible regulatory and operational impacts if a failure disrupts treatment processes.
Staff desires to proceed with the Process Waste Drain Line Replacement at Headworks project (IRCDUS Project ID 22.25.508) to do a full replacement. This will require engineering services to design the pipe replacement which was not included in the Hinterland PO. To that end, Hinterland will be providing a final invoice for the services rendered under the PO and the remaining PO budget will be released. The project is not budgeted, nor included on the current Capital Improvement Element (CIE)
Separately, the Gifford WRF ABW Filters 3 & 4 Capital Renewal project (Project ID 22.23.529) currently has funding of $577,300 allocated in the proposed CIE. Staff obtained quotes from industry vendors to initiate the project. Vendor quotes and procurement discussions indicate lead times exceeding 40 weeks for the required equipment. As a result, construction of the filter project cannot reasonably begin within the current fiscal year and is proposed to be deferred to the next fiscal year. Although this makes funding in the current year available, this will ultimately raise the Utilities overall 5-year CIE total. These additional costs will be accounted for in the next scheduled rate study.
Given the urgency of the failing drain line, staff is requesting approval to proceed with the Drain Line Replacement Project, rather than the Filter Renewal Project. The rough order of magnitude (ROM) estimate for the Process Waste Drain Line Replacement at Headworks project is $532,875.00 including engineering, design, and construction. To fully fund this drain line project, staff is proposing to leverage the unused funds from PO 101876 and deferred spending from the Gifford WRF ABW Filters 3 & 4 Capital Renewal project.
Staff will bring a work order for engineering design necessary to the Drain Line Replacement Project to the Board for consideration at a future meeting.
BUDGETARY IMPACT
Expenses, in the amount of $532,875.00, for this project will be recorded in the Utilities/WIP/Gifford WRF Process Waste Drain Line Replacement account, number 471-169000-25508. Since this is an operating capital project, the funds will come from fund balance. Operating funds are derived from water and sewer sales.
POTENTIAL FUTURE BOARD ACTIONS
• Approval of Engineering Services Scope
• Approval of Construction Services
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT
Infrastructure: Planning, constructing, managing, and maintaining critical public infrastructure in response to our current needs, future demands, and the expectations of our community; embracing innovation, technology, and resiliency.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the Indian River County Board of County Commissioners approve the Department of Utility Services to undertake the Process Waste Drain Line Replacement at Headworks project (Project ID 22.25.508) at Gifford Water Reclamation Facility outside of the proposed Capital Improvement Element, for the estimated cost of $532,875.00.