ITEM:		GENERAL MANAGER’S REPORT
11.	Report on Emergency Procurement of 30-Horsepower Motor for the Cooling Tower at Sleepy Hollow Steelhead Rearing Facility
Meeting Date:			August 20, 2007	Budgeted:	Yes
From:			David A. Berger,	Program/	2-3-1 (A)
			General Manager	Line Item No.:
Prepared By:			Kevan Urquhart	Cost Estimate:	$5,150
General Counsel Approval: N/A
Committee Recommendation: N/A
CEQA Compliance: N/A

SUMMARY: On July 18, 2007, the fan motor for the intake water cooling tower at the District’s Sleepy Hollow Steelhead Rearing Facility (SHSRF or facility) malfunctioned. The motor was the original motor and was seven years old. Without the cooling tower in operation, the temperature of the intake water in the facility reached as high as 71.5 °F in the afternoons. Water temperatures over 58 °F are considered sub-optimal for steelhead rearing and temperatures above 64 °F frequently result in outbreaks of disease and parasitic infestations. To correct the problem as expeditiously as possible, District staff retained the facility’s designer, David Dettman, to confirm staff’s diagnosis and assist with the installation of a new fan motor. In addition, staff contacted a local vendor and ordered a new 30-horsepower motor for immediate delivery. Lastly, because of the weight of the motor and height the motor needed to be raised during installation, an articulating crane truck was rented, with an operating crew. The motor was installed, tested, and back in operation on July 27, 2007. During this period, water temperatures in the river were moderated by low air temperatures and cloud cover such that significant steelhead mortalities did not occur at the facility due to excessively high water temperatures.

COST: The total cost to diagnose the fan motor problem, procure a replacement motor, and install and test the motor was approximately $5,147. Of this total, $1,591 was paid to David Dettman, $1,350 was paid to the crane truck operators, and $2,206 was paid for the replacement motor. This expenditure, although not foreseen in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 budget, is within the amount budgeted for “general operations and maintenance” at the facility, i.e., $41,400. See line item 2-3-1 (A) on page 17 of the FY 2008 budget.

EMERGENCY AUTHORIZATION AND REPORTING: District Resolution 2002-08 delegates to the General Manager authority to expend up to $20,000 in emergency situations without prior Board approval. Failure of the fan motor for the intake water cooling tower at the District’s SHSRF is considered an emergency situation because of the increased risk of mortality to public trust resources, i.e., steelhead juveniles. Whenever the General Manager exercises this delegated authority to approve emergency expenditures, he must report these expenditures to the board at its next regular meeting. This report meets this requirement.

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