Request for Qualifications for
Engineering Services
Response Due Date: October 30th, 2015 @ 12:00 pm
PROJECT
OWNER
Evaluation of Water Corrosivity, Pipe Corrosion
Assessment and Recommendations for Repair and
Preventative Maintenance
City of Reidsville
230 West Morehead Street
Reidsville, NC 27320
I.
Introduction
The City of Reidsville Public Works Department is issuing this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for
assistance with the investigation of a potential corrosion problem within the City’s distribution system.
The City of Reidsville invites qualified engineering firms to submit qualifications and a letter of interest
to be considered to be selected as Consultant for this project. It is anticipated that the selection process
be accomplished by November 30th 2015, a recommendation and request for approval made to Council
on January 13, 2016 and that a contract with the successful firm be entered into shortly afterwards.
II.
Background
General
The City of Reidsville is a mid-sized town located in North Carolina approximately 20 miles north of
Greensboro. The population of Reidsville is 15,000 and the City’s water distribution system consists of
approximately 116 miles of water lines and a 9 MGD surface water plant.
The City is home to a variety of important industry whose on-going operations are critical to the health
and well-being of the community. While not a complete list, several of these industries; Albaad
(disposable wipes), Keystone Foods (chicken nuggets), Ball (aluminum cans), Dystar (automotive dye
products) and Unifi (textiles) are very sensitive to the water quality as it affects the products which they
make.
Description of Distribution System
The City of Reidsville was incorporated in 1873 and subsequently has a water system composed of
various types, ages and sizes of pipe. The following table describes the estimated quantities of pipe
material in the system:
Pipe Type
Asbestos Cement
Cast Iron
Ductile Iron
Galvanized Iron
Polyvinyl Chloride
Size Range
6” – 8”
4” – 12”
6” – 30”
2”
2”
Percentage
15%
50%
30%
1%
4%
As with many communities of the age and size as the City, the water system contains substantial
quantities of unlined cast iron pipe.
Included in the figures above is the Reidsville to Greensboro transmission main. This is a 30” lined
ductile iron pipe constructed approximately 15 years ago to allow Reidsville to wholesale water to the
City of Greensboro.
Description of Water Treatment Plant
The City of Reidsville’s water treatment plant is a 9 mgd surface water plant located at the terminus of
Reid Lake Road in Reidsville. The City’s source water is Lake Reidsville, an impoundment of Little
Troublesome Creek, tributary to the Haw River. The plant was placed into operations in 1981 and is a
multistage treatment conventional facility. It is designed to treat 9 million gallons of water per day and
stores 3 million gallons of water on-site. Raw water is pumped from Lake Reidsville to the city’s water
treatment plant where aluminum sulfate and potassium permanganate are added to control taste and
odor and to promote flocculation. The City switched from free chlorine to the chloramines method of
disinfection in July 2011.
III. Genesis of Study
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Various separate, but believed to be related, events have occurred that has led the City to
believe that an in-depth investigation of the issues is warranted. A summary of those events and
observations is provided below.
The City of Reidsville has historically experienced recurring issues with water discoloration
resulting in complaints by both residential and commercial customers. The standard response to
the issues has been selective flushing of the hydrants in the area of complaint.
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In April 2010 the City met with Albaad to discuss concerns regarding the fouling of their RO
system. They indicated they were seeing excessive fouling due primarily to aluminum,
phosphorus, silicon and calcium and to a lesser extent; manganese, iron and zinc.
In 2011 the City arranged to have its 3 MG clearwell, located at the City’s WTP, inspected. The
inspection revealed substantial accumulations of aluminum sulfate floc. This material was
subsequently removed.
The City retained CDM Smith to evaluate the cause of the sediment in the clearwell and offer
recommendations for improvement. Essentially the problem was found to be inadequate
process control.
Due to the accumulations of sediment in the water system, the City continued to receive
discolored water complaints. Discolored water tended to be either light tan in color or dark
brown/black. The light tan discoloration was empirically attributed to alum and the dark brown
to manganese/iron.
The City executed a Unidirectional Flushing Program in the spring of 2013. Since that time,
general discolored water complaints have decreased significantly. Unidirectional flushing isn’t an
effective technique on lines greater than about 12”, therefor the City began searching for a
method to clean the larger lines in the system which are located in the southern portion of
Reidsville, serve as the main transmission mains into the City and are located in close proximity
to several major industries.
The City became aware of the new technique for pipe cleaning of ice pigging. After comparing it
with conventional pigging, the City performed a pilot and initiated a project to clean several
thousand feet of 16” and 24” transmission main with the process. An analysis of the material
removed indicated relative high levels of iron and silica as contaminants.
Simultaneously, during the time period of the ice pigging project, NCDOT was in the process of
upgrading Freeway Drive, in which the 16” transmission main is located. As part of their utility
work, portions of the existing 16” pipe were removed in order to relocate it beneath new storm
drains installed with the project. The interior of the removed pipe segments were observed to
coated with a thick layer of dark brown/black deposits. In addition, the cement mortar lining of
the pipe had the consistency of wet cardboard and could easily be sloughed off by hand. These
segments of pipe are no longer available for inspection, having been disposed of.
An inquiry by the project engineer, requesting institutional knowledge of the problem, elicited a
response from one of their field offices that:
o “First thing I would check is the water chemistry. If water is too soft (corrosive toward
cement), then the cement lining can become porous/flaky. Water quality parameters of
major concern are calcium, alkalinity, and pH – you need to have a positive Calcium
Carbonate Precipitation Potential (CCPP).”
A review of the water plants finished raw water chemistry shows final alkalinity to be in the 20
mg/l range. Based on the Baylis Curve, it appears that the water is very corrosive, at all pH levels
typical to treated water.
The City uses orthophosphate for corrosion control. In discussions with plant operators, it
appears that the levels of orthophosphate found in distribution water are essentially the same
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IV.
as the water leaving the plant. That, and samples of pipe, seem to indicate that no/little
passivation is occurring.
Due to concerns about the integrity of the pipe lining in the 16” and 24” transmission mains, the
proposed ice pigging of the 24” portion of transmission line from the WTP to the city system has
been postponed.
Preliminary Project Deliverables
It is anticipated that the final list of project deliverables will be developed in the negotiation stage of the
project. The major expectation of the project is summarized below:
1. Review of academic and professional literature of similar problems in other
system with an emphasis on determining an ultimate solution.
2. Evaluation of Potential and Extent of Pipe Corrosion
a. Evaluation of the City’s water chemistry
i. Prior to July 2011
ii. July 2011 – December 2013
iii. January 2014 – Present
iv. Industry participation?
b. Evacuation of the extent of pipe corrosion
i. Evaluation of pipe samples
ii. Nondestructive testing?
iii. System pH analysis.
3. Recommendation for process improvements
a. Evaluation of alternative chemical dosing options
i. Calcium Carbonate Precipitation Potential (CCPP)
ii. Langelier Index (LI)
b. Corrosion inhibitors
c. Alkalinity supplements
d. Determination of negative impacts of proposed solutions.
V.
Items Initially Provided by the Owner
The Owner will provide the following information to the successful Consultant to assist him in the
performance of his work:
1. Copies of the Albaad filter analysis and ice pig analysis.
2. Access to the City’s collection of ARC Shapefiles as necessary to facilitate the Consultants work.
3. The City will provide access to water plant operation records, as available, as they relate to the
study areas.
4. Access to City facilities and infrastructure.
IV.
Items Provided by the Engineering Consultant for RFQ
The Owner is interested in partnering with a Consultant who can demonstrate past success in the
development of similar programs for a municipality. Please provide 3 copies of your proposal to include
the following information:
1. Provide a brief summary of your firm in regards to your work in the field of water treatment and
distribution chemistry, pipe corrosion and development of solutions.
2. Provide a resume(s) of the engineers to be involved in the project.
3. Provide at least three references of municipal clients of whom you have worked with on similar
projects.
4. Provide a narrative of the individual projects, your methodology used to address the project, a
description of the implementation and an assessment of the project’s success.
5. A description of your proposed approach for the City of Reidsville
6. An estimated timeline for your proposed approach, once the NTP has been issued.
V.
Products Expected from the Engineer
The Engineer will provide the following deliverables:
1.
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VI.
A site visit to gain familiarity with the City, establish contact with the client and to interview the
client’s personnel as to their background knowledge of the issues.
Review of records, coordination with the City for the acquisition of data to be used for the
project.
Conducting all authorized research, interviews, field testing and sampling necessary to
understand and quantify the issues faced by the City.
A meeting with City officials to review the recommendations and provide guidance on future
direction.
Provide the City with a final report.
Selection Process
Selection of Engineer
Following the City’s review of all qualifications submitted, the Public Works Department will recommend
the award of a Professional Services Contract. The City will then attempt to negotiate a professional
services contract detailing the final scope and fee arrangements. It is anticipated that a selection will be
made on or prior to November 13, 2015. Following negotiation the Engineer will submit a proposal to
the City to be considered at Council’s January 13, 2016 meeting. If approved, the City will execute the
Contract to be prepared by the Consultant. The Consultant will deliver three (3) copies of the Contract
to the City for signing.
This proposal will be made a part of the contract and shall be referenced, attached, and labeled as
“Appendix A”.
Once the Public Works Department executes the Contract, a purchase order shall be issued for the work
and the Engineer will receive the official Notice to Proceed by mail.
The Engineer, if not already listed in the City’s financial system as a Vendor, will have to submit their W4 forms showing their federal tax ID information as well as completing an E-Verify form in order to be
setup as a Vendor for pay purposes.
Billing Arrangements
Monthly billing for the project shall be submitted directly to Kevin Eason, PE at the City of Reidsville, 230
W. Morehead Street, Reidsville, NC 27320. Billing should indicate hours worked by labor classification,
hourly rate, overhead multipliers used, and cumulative total billed and paid to date. Upon receipt of a
properly completed pay request, payment is generally made within 10 working days.
Questions
Written questions concerning this RFQ, or any arrangements made to review the Owner provided items
may be directed to Kevin Eason, PE, City of Reidsville Public Works Department, (336) 349-1070. Please
email your contact information to keason@ci.reidsville.nc.us so that we can establish a group contact in
the event revisions to the RFQ are made. As email confirmations are received, the City will issue the
referenced reports above by return email.
Solicitation List
Kevin C. Irby, PE
CDM Smith
5400 Glenwood Ave, Suite 300
Raleigh, NC 27612
Michael Koser, PE
Withers and Ravenel
7011 Albert Pick Road, Suite G
Greensboro, NC 27409
Jeff Cruickshank, PE
Hazen and Sawyer
629 Green Valley Road, Suite 200,
Greensboro, NC 27408
Erica Van-Tassel Carter, PE
Kimley Horn and Associates
2000 South Blvd, Suite 440
Charlotte, NC 28203
Julie Taylor, PE
ARCADIS U.S., Inc.
One Centerview Drive, Suite 208
Greensboro, NC, 27407
Chad D. Easter, PE
The Wooten Company
350 N Cox St Ste 26
Asheboro, NC 27203
Mike Stocks, PE
Stocks Engineering P.A
1100 Eastern Avenue
Nashville, North Carolina 27856
Jana Stewart, PE
Stantec
301 North Main Street, Suite 2452
Winston-Salem NC 27101-3844