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RESOLUTION RATIFYING EMERGENCY CONTRACT NO.EC-298173, EMERGENCY WORK TO ESTABLISH FLOW INTO CONTACT BASIN #4 AT ALEXANDER ORR WATER TREATMENT PLANT, TO INDUSTRIAL DIVERS CORP. INC. IN THE AMOUNT OF $268,298.00 FOR THE WATER AND SEWER DEPARTMENT; AND AUTHORIZING THE COUNTY MAYOR OR COUNTY MAYOR'S DESIGNEE TO EXERCISE ALL PROVISIONS OF THE CONTRACT PURSUANT TO SECTION 2-8.1 OF THE COUNTY CODE AND IMPLEMENTING ORDER 3-38

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WHEREAS, this Board desires to accomplish the purposes outlined in the accompanying memorandum, a copy of which is incorporated herein by reference,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that:

Section 1. This Board finds it is in the best interest of Miami-Dade County to ratify an emergency contract, Contract No. EC-298173, Emergency Work to Establish Flow into Contact Basin #4 at Alexander Orr Water Treatment Plant, to Industrial Divers Corp. Inc. in the amount of $268,298.00 for the Water and Sewer Department.

Section 2. This Board authorizes the County Mayor or County Mayor s designee to exercise all provisions of the contract pursuant to section 2-8.1 of the Code of Miami-Dade County, Florida and Implementing Order 3-38. A copy of the contract is on file with and available upon request from the Water and Sewer Department.

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Date:
To: Honorable Chairman Anthony Rodriguez
and Members, Board of County Commissioners

From: Daniella Levine Cava
Mayor

Subject: Recommendation for Ratification of an Emergency Contract for the Emergency Work to establish Flow into Contact Basin #4 at the Alexander Orr Water
Treatment Plant

STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Executive Summary
This item ratifies an emergency contract award for the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (WASD) that was needed to perform critical work at the Alexander Orr Water Treatment Plant (Alex Orr WTP). While returning Contact Basin #4 to service after routine maintenance, staff discovered an unexpected underwater obstruction in the common channel that supplies water to the basins. Specialized divers were needed to inspect the area and complete repairs. During the inspection, the divers found that the blockage was caused by a significant buildup of calcium carbonate, which was restricting water flow to Tanks #2 and #4. This reduced the Plant’s full hydraulic capacity and could have affected its ability to meet water quality standards.

As the cleaning work continued, divers identified more settlement in the tanks than originally expected. Because this issue threatened normal plant operations and treatment capacity, WASD declared an emergency to initiate immediate repairs and restore the Plant to full service. The Contact Basins provide an important settling buffer between the Plant’s lime softening process and filtration system. Keeping these tanks clean helps maintain full treatment capacity and prevents excess solids from entering the filtration system. Without these emergency repairs, the Plant’s ability to treat water during peak demand periods would have been reduced, creating potential risks to regulatory compliance, drinking water quality, and public health. Divers were necessary to complete the work without taking additional tanks offline and further limiting plant operations.

Recommendation
It is recommended that the Board of County Commissioners (the Board) ratify an emergency contract award, Contract No. EC-298173, for Emergency Work to Establish Flow into Contact Basin #4 at the Alex Orr WTP, to Industrial Divers Corp. Inc. in the amount of $268,298.00 for WASD.

Background
As part of its preventative maintenance program, WASD periodically performs cleaning of treatment plant basins and tanks. In November, Contact Basin #4 at the Alex Orr WTP was taken out of service for routine cleaning. When staff attempted to return the basin to service, it was identified that no flow was being received at the unit. Further investigation found that accumulation of calcium carbonate was impeding adequate flow near the isolation gate in the common channel, which was severely impacting flow velocities into Contact Basins #2 and #4 and, consequently, the Plant’s ability to maintain compliance with combined filter effluent turbidity requirements. If the gate had been opened without removing the buildup, the sediment could have entered the filtration system and potentially affected the quality of finished drinking water.

Because the affected area is underwater, specialized commercial divers were required to safely inspect and clean the channel and surrounding structures. An emergency was declared to allow the divers to enter the common influent channel serving the contact basins and remove the accumulated material blocking the isolation gate. While performing the work, the divers identified additional buildup that required cleaning to prevent the sediment from entering the treatment system. This condition could not have been identified until the divers were able to safely access and inspect the underwater channels. As a result, the scope of work for the emergency was expanded to include additional cleaning of the influent channel. Immediate procurement was necessary to restore normal Plant operations in order to ensure that the Plant could continue operating safely, maintain compliance with regulatory requirements, and protect the life, health, safety, and welfare of Miami-Dade County residents in accordance with Implementing Order 3-38.

Scope
WASD’s Alex Orr WTP is located within District 10, which is represented by Chairman Anthony Rodriguez; however, the scope of this item is countywide in nature.

Fiscal Impact/Funding Source
The fiscal impact for the emergency contract is $268,298 for a one-time purchase.
Department

Ratification Amount Funding Source

Budget information Contract Manager


WASD $268,298.00 Water Renewal and Replacement Fund
FY2025-26 Adopted Budget and Multi-Year Capital Plan, Program Water Treatment Plant – Replacement and Renovations, Program# 9650161, Page# 125 Fredrick Taylor
Total $268,298.00

Track Record/Monitor
WASD’s Fredrick Taylor is the Procurement Contracting Manager.

Delegated Authority
The County Mayor or the County Mayor’s designee will have the authority to exercise all provisions of the contract, including any extension or cancellation provisions, pursuant to Section 2-8.1 of the County Code and Implementing Order 3-38.

Vendor Recommended for Ratification
Vendor Principal Address Local Address Number of Employee Residents Principal
1) Miami-Dade
2) Percentage*
Industrial Divers Corp. Inc. 2901 SW 3rd Avenue Unit 5, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315 None None Frances Galletta
0%
*Provided pursuant to Resolution No. R-1011-15. Percentage of employee residents is the percentage of Vendor’s employees who reside in Miami-Dade County as compared to the Vendor’s total workforce.

Due Diligence
Pursuant to Resolution No. R-187-12, due diligence was conducted in accordance with SPD’s Procurement Guidelines to determine contractor responsibility, including verifying corporate status and that there are no performance and compliance issues. The lists that were referenced included: convicted vendors, debarred vendors, delinquent contractors, suspended vendors, and federal excluded parties. There were no adverse findings relating to vendor responsibility.



Applicable Ordinances and Contract Measures
• The two percent User Access Program applies.
• The Small Business Enterprise measures and Local Preference do not apply.
• The Living Wage Ordinance does not apply.





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Roy Coley
Chief Utilities and Regulatory Services Officer