DOWNRIVER UTILITY WASTEWATER AUTHORITY
April 11, 2024 Meeting Minutes (Revised)
CITY OF TAYLOR COUNCIL CHAMBERS

 

1. ROLL CALL AND INTRODUCTIONS
DUWA Chair Gail McLeod (Allen Park) called the meeting to order at 9:00 AM and asked for roll call to be taken. At the time of roll call, voting representatives were in attendance from 11 communities: Allen Park, Brownstown Township, Dearborn Heights, Ecorse, Riverview, River Rouge, Romulus, Southgate, Taylor, Van Buren Township, and Wyandotte. A quorum (at least 7 members) was present.

 

2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Copies of the Agenda were made available prior to the meeting (Attachment 1). Motion by Mayor Joseph Kuspa (Southgate) and supported by Jeff Dobek (Riverview) to approve the Agenda. The motion passed unanimously by all attending members.

 

3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM MARCH 14, 2024 BOARD MEETING

Copies of the meeting minutes from the March 14, 2024 Board meeting were included in the pre-meeting Board packet (Attachment 2). Motion by Mayor Bill Bazzi (Dearborn Heights) and supported by Roxie Fairchild (Brownstown Township) to approve the minutes. The motion passed unanimously by all attending members.

Following approval of the Board Meeting Minutes, Rick Rutherford (Belleville) arrived.

 

4. LEGAL UPDATE
Attorney Jim Fausone, of Fausone & Grysko, provided the Legal Update.

a. General Counsel Monthly Report
Attorney Fausone stated that a written summary of the monthly legal update was provided in the pre-meeting Board packet (Attachment 3). Attorney Fausone stated that it was a typical month of activities as the legal team supported the System Manager on matters regarding the Biosolids Dryer project and the UV project and participated in virtual Technical Committee and Board Officer meetings over the past month. The legal team has also been working with Kruger to develop an agreement to create a Joint Technical Committee that would work to resolve the technical issues associated with the Biosolids Dryer project.

 

5. SYSTEM MANAGER UPDATE
System Manager Mackenzie Chamberlain, of OHM Advisors, provided a verbal summary of activities since the last meeting. A written summary was provided in the pre-meeting Board packet for the System Manager Report (Attachment 4).

a. System Manager Monthly Report
System Manager Chamberlain noted the following highlights from the System Manager Report:

• • • DUWA is still pending EGLE’s response to the NPDES Permit renewal response letter that was submitted in January 2024.
    • A significant length of pipe along the Eureka Interceptor is showing degradation due to apparent hydrogen sulfide attack. Veolia and HRC will begin reviewing the inspection videos to quantify the full extent of pipe with degradation in order to identify next steps and determine a schedule to initiate a potential pipe rehab project.
    • Van Buren Township has begun a temporary flow metering study which involves installing four temporary flow meters in DUWA’s interceptor. The meters will be in place between April and October of this year, and the meter data will be used to update Van Buren Township’s sanitary sewer model as well as assess their system’s hydraulic capacity to accommodate a potential new industrial user.
    • The DWTF has experienced increased mercury concentrations since December 2022. Veolia is investigating potential causes and is in the process of sampling industrial users’ effluent to further assess mercury contributions to the DWTF.
    • PFOS local limits sampling is complete, and Veolia is now performing the data analysis and local limit calculations, which will be reviewed with OHM’s IPP subject matter expert. Once the team agrees on proposed limits, the analysis and limits will be shared with DUWA’s committees before submitting to EGLE.
    • The draft Rate Package is in development and will be presented to the Finance Committee at their meeting on April 15th. As this is the second year of integration of the new rate methodology, the rate package will be developed using 60% of the old rate methodology and 40% of the new rate methodology.
    • Plante Moran will soon begin their annual audit of DUWA’s financial statements, and request for authorization for them to perform the single audit as it relates to WIFIA financing will be brought forward to the Board later in the agenda.
    • Allen Park submitted a request for reimbursement of about $160k for overpayments made between January and May 2023 due to a reporting error. This reimbursement request was reviewed by DUWA’s financial professionals and will also be reviewed with the Finance Committee at their meeting on April 15th. The review and payback procedure will follow DUWA’s Overpayment Policy.

b. UV Disinfection Replacement Project Update
System Manager Chamberlain provided an update on the UV Disinfection Replacement Project to the Board (Attachment 5). The 100% design set was issued for bid on February 27th for solicitation of General Contractors to perform the work. A mandatory pre-bid meeting was held at the DWTF on March 5th, and four General Contractors were in attendance, including some potential subcontractors. Bids were due on March 27th and a single bid was received from Commercial Contracting Corporation (CCC) in the amount of $8,895,000. The bid received was less than Black & Veatch’s engineer’s opinion of probable construction cost range of $10.6M – $13.6M.

Black & Veatch as well as the UV Project Subcommittee reviewed the bid and Black & Veatch developed a letter recommending to proceed with CCC as the General Contractor. This recommendation was also reviewed with the Technical Committee and the UV Project Subcommittee. Recommendation of General Contractor will be presented to the Board later in the agenda.

The UV project is planned to be funded in part by the $10M earmark from the State. These funds will be disbursed via reimbursements, and EGLE has indicated that reimbursements can likely be paid within a few weeks once approved. To date, about $638k has been spent on the UV project for engineering services and forced account support, and UV project expenses incurred since March 3, 2021 are eligible for reimbursement. Since the construction bid value is less than the $10M grant, the need for and size of bonding is being further reviewed with DUWA’s Officers and Financial Professionals.

Mayor Tim Woolley (Taylor) asked if unspent funds from the $10M earmark from the State must be returned or if they can be used for other projects around the DWTF. System Manager Chamberlain responded that the total UV project cost will exceed the $10M so there will not be unused funds. Jeff Dobek (Riverview) asked if the difference between the bid price and Black & Veatch’s cost estimate was reconciled. System Manager Chamberlain responded that Black & Veatch’s opinion of cost included a conservative value for maintenance of plant operations, a markup for post-pandemic impacts, and owner’s contingency. Black & Veatch was asked to re-review their opinion of cost to assess if the bid aligned with work requirements. Black & Veatch updated their opinion of cost based on current market pricing and removal of owner’s contingency. Their cost estimate then aligned with CCC’s bid price.

c. Biosolids Dryer Facility Project Update
As Jason Nash (Veolia CPM) was unavailable to attend this month’s Board meeting, System Manager Lambrina Tercala, of OHM Advisors, and Travis Tuma, Veolia’s Project Manager at the DWTF, provided an update on the Biosolids Dryer Facility project to the Board (Attachment 6). Both dryers were offline for a period in March for cake pump and dosing pump replacements as well as for cleaning and preventative maintenance work. The dryers were shut down again on March 29th due to a gear box failure on a cake pump. The gear box was sent to the pump manufacturer for inspection, and the pump manufacturer provided a spare cake pump allowing the dryers to be started back up on April 7th.

When the dryers were started back up, they were operating at 60% cake pump speed, but bucket tests showed that the overall dryer throughput was less than the expected capacity even with the brand new stators on the cake pumps and dosing pumps. The speed of the dosing pumps was then increased to 100% speed, but the dryers were only operating at about 60% of their design throughput capacity based on bucket tests. Additionally, the South Dryer was outperforming the North Dryer based on its throughput capacity. The increased speed on the dosing pumps also reduced the fill time of each truckload to about 22 hours per fill. A pressure gauge was installed on one dosing pump to evaluate whether the pump was being sufficiently fed with sludge. The pressure gauge indicated that the inlet pressure on the dosing pump was between 20-30 psi, which was twice as high as Kruger’s recommended pressure of 10-15 psi. It was thought that a wetter cake (26% dried solids instead of 28-30% dried solids) might reduce pumping issues and increase throughput, but there is not currently a precise way to add water to the cake from the centrifuges nor ability for centrifuges to produce a wetter cake. In November 2023, the dried solids content was between 26-27%, but the dryers were still not operating at their expected capacity.

Centrifuge 3 was shut down on March 20th due to a bearing failure. The centrifuge manufacturer was onsite this week to replace the bearings, and the centrifuge manufacturer agreed to extend the warranty on the centrifuge for another year. The centrifuge is planned to be started up today.

The fan inside the dryer experienced a belt failure. The fan is the size of a small car, so the fan manufacturer came onsite to remove the fan, replace the belt, and rebuild and reinstall the fan in the dryer. The cause for the belt failure is unknown. Veolia OM performed preventative maintenance required by Kruger.

The temporary clean-in-place (CIP) system for the condensing towers is operational. This CIP system utilizes hydrogen peroxide to reduce the rate of biofouling of the media in the condensing towers and reduces dryer downtime due to condensing tower cleaning. Additionally, very few clogs in the dosing pump nozzles have been reported in recent weeks. The crusher is used to crush the dried product before it is dropped into the truck to increase the volume of each truckload. The crusher had been experiencing clogs as the grinder pushes product through the orifice holes (extrudes rather than crushes), so a crusher plate with a larger orifice was ordered by Kruger for trial. Per Kruger’s request, Veolia OM will also adjust the distance between the grinder and the crusher plate to assess if that minimizes clogging. While additional loads are necessary for proper benchmark, when the crusher is used, the truckload weights are 30-40%. This is the point of the crusher – to maximize the volume hauled in each truckload.

Mayor Tim Woolley (Taylor) asked which pumps have had failures and need larger motors. System Manager Lambrina Tercala, of OHM Advisors, responded that the cake pumps in the basement of the DWTF currently have 5 horsepower (hp) motors, which will be replaced with 7.5 hp motors allowing for higher amperage. The pumps currently operate above the full load amps of the 5 hp motors. Attorney Fausone added that there is concern that the pumps may still not deliver the expected amount of product into the dryer even with the larger motors. Kruger is aware that the increased motor size may not be the permanent solution, and they continue to point to the sludge characteristics as the reason for the pumping throughput issues. The 7.5 hp motors are expected to be installed near the end of April.

Jeff Dobek (Riverview) asked if the dryer system could be redesigned to use gravity to convey product into the dryers from a tank on the roof as opposed to pumping up to the dryers. System Manager Tercala responded the Dryer system makes use of the existing building’s configuration. For the system to make use of gravity, the centrifuges would likely need to be as high as the roof of the building, the cake pumps would be below the centrifuges, and the dryers would be below the cake pumps. Pumping is still required to push the cake through the Dryer nozzles. Mayor Tim Woolley (Taylor) asked if other wastewater treatment facilities use gravity to convey their solids into the dryers. Travis Tuma responded that most facilities pump up into the dryers, but the DWTF dosing pump headers are higher than the typical dosing pump headers at other facilities. The DWTF cake is pumped to a higher elevation than at other facilities.

Mayor Bill Bazzi (Dearborn Heights) commented that trial and error is being used to attempt to resolve the dryer issues as opposed to using modeling prior to implementation of a proposed resolution. He added that the use of trial and error costs DUWA money and noted that each component should have a preventative maintenance plan, an expected useful life, and failures should be documented. Travis Tuma responded that Veolia OM has an Asset Management Program and a Preventative Maintenance Program that allows management to review the labor hours necessary to maintain operation of the system. Jim Taylor (Van Buren Township) asked if other plant maintenance tasks are falling behind because Veolia OM staff is focused on the dryer issues. Travis Tuma responded that work orders show two additional employees are needed each month to maintain system operation. Veolia OM began offering overtime hours to the maintenance team to work on other preventative maintenance tasks around the DWTF. Jason Tapp added that the two FTEs relates to maintenance only, not operations. Jason Tapp also stated Veolia OM works with outside contractors, such as the pump manufacturer, to help with certain dryer system issues to allow Veolia OM staff to focus on other plant maintenance tasks.

Mayor Joseph Kuspa (Southgate) asked for the updated dryer operation pie charts to be provided. He also asked for a report on the volume of solids hauled to the landfill versus the beneficial reuse facility. These pie charts were not provided by Veolia CPM in time for the Board pre-meeting packet or meeting date. OHM and Veolia OM will follow up with Veolia CPM on status of documents.

 

6. REQUESTS FOR AUTHORIZATIONS AND APPROVALS
System Manager Mackenzie Chamberlain, of OHM Advisors, presented the following requests to the Board.

a. UV Disinfection Project: Recommendation of CCC for General Contractor
The 100% design set was issued for bid on February 27th for solicitation of General Contractors. A mandatory pre-bid meeting was held at the DWTF on March 5th, and bids were due on March 27th. A single bid was received from Commercial Contracting Corporation (CCC), based out of Auburn Hills, in the amount of $8,895,000. The bid price received was less than Black & Veatch’s initial cost estimate of $10.6M – $13.6M.

While the bid received is less than the cost estimate, it should be noted that the cost estimate included several market adjustment factors based on post-pandemic impacts as well as a conservative allowance for maintenance of plant operations. With these items removed from the cost estimate, the cost estimate more closely aligns with CCC’s bid price, which appears to be reasonable. Black & Veatch also followed up with CCC to confirm that they have a firm grasp of the project scope, and CCC indicated that they had thoroughly reviewed the bid documents in developing their bid. Black & Veatch also reached out to CCC’s multiple references, all of which indicated that CCC is a respectable and quality company, and they had no concerns with CCC’s ability to complete the work. Trojan Technologies, who is the equipment manufacturer, also stated that they have worked with CCC on multiple projects, and all have been successful. Trojan is currently working with CCC on a similar UV replacement project at the Ann Arbor Wastewater Treatment Plant as well.

Black & Veatch presented their recommendation of CCC to OHM, Veolia, the UV Project Subcommittee, as well as the Technical Committee, and addressed the various questions that were raised (Attachment 7). There was also a question regarding Black & Veatch’s confidence in the subcontractors that CCC has proposed to use. Upon further discussion earlier this week with Black & Veatch, Veolia, and the UV Project Subcommittee, there were no concerns with the proposed subcontractors based on the group’s previous experiences with these companies, but Black & Veatch is in the process of further reviewing the proposed electrical subcontractors as they will perform the very critical project work. The UV Project Subcommittee and Technical Committee had no further concerns with Black & Veatch’s recommendation of CCC.

Mayor Joseph Kuspa (Southgate) asked if CCC will manage the work of the equipment manufacturer, or if that work will be managed by DUWA. System Manager Chamberlain responded that there will be one contract in place with the General Contractor who will oversee the work. The equipment manufacturer will be a vendor to the General Contractor. Mayor Bill Bazzi (Dearborn Heights) asked if Black & Veatch confirmed that CCC has performed similar projects for similar-sized systems. System Manager Tercala responded that Black & Veatch can ask CCC for their experience on similar projects of similar size. Roberto Scappaticci (Romulus) asked how much control DUWA has on the allowances listed in the bid. System Manager Tercala responded that the largest allowance is for the UV equipment and that pricing has been locked in. The remaining allowances are mostly for permits and crack repair. The extent of crack repairs will be better understood during construction.

Mayor Bill Bazzi (Dearborn Heights) suggested that Black & Veatch carefully review the proposed concrete that will be used as several communities have used concrete that creates heavy dust. The State of Michigan is reviewing this concrete material.

Some concerns were expressed about the contractor’s experience with this type of project.

Motion by Mayor Joseph Kuspa (Southgate) and supported by Greg Mayhew (Wyandotte) to approve Commercial Contracting Corporation as the selected General Contractor for the UV Disinfection Replacement Project for a not-to-exceed fee of $8,895,000, pending negotiation and approval of contract terms, pending electrical subcontractor selection, and contingent upon the sale of bonds, if necessary. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion passed unanimously with 87.86% of the vote (affirmative vote by all attending members).

b. Raftelis Contract Amendment for Alternate Rate Method Integration
Raftelis has been engaged to support development and implementation of the new rate methodology. The new rate methodology was authorized to be implemented via a five-year phase-in process. As this is the second year of implementation, this year’s rates will be developed using 60% of the old rate methodology and 40% of the new rate methodology. Raftelis had previously been authorized for up to $194,720 for their rate consultant services and their support of development of the new rate methodology. Approximately $6,700 remains in that existing contract. Services beyond Raftelis’ previous authorizations are now necessary to support development of this year’s rate package. This work has been requested by DUWA’s Accountant as this will be the first year DUWA’s Accountant prepares the new rate methodology rate package.

To perform these services, Raftelis requests an extension of the completion date of the contract to August 31, 2024 as well as an increase in the maximum not-to-exceed contract amount from $194,720 to $210,000 (Attachment 8). With $6,700 remaining in the current contract, the increased not-to-exceed amount will provide approximately $22,000 for Raftelis to assist with development of this year’s rate package.

Greg Mayhew (Wyandotte) asked whether another contract amendment is expected to be needed for development of next year’s rate package. System Manager Chamberlain responded that the contract amendment is expected to be needed for this year only as this is the first year that Accountant Doug Drysdale (DNS Financial Services; Southgate) will be preparing the rate package using the new rate methodology. After Raftelis’ support this year, Accountant Drysdale does not expect to need Raftelis’ assistance with development of the rate package in future years. This was confirmed by Accountant Drysdale during the meeting.

Mayor Joseph Kuspa (Southgate) suggested to revise the motion to include the value of the additional amount that will be authorized under this contract amendment to clarify that the contract amendment involves an extension of the contract expiration date as well as an increase to the authorized fee by $15,280.

Motion by Mayor Bill Bazzi (Dearborn Heights) and supported by Mayor Joseph Kuspa (Southgate) to approve Raftelis’ contract amendment to extend the contract completion date to August 31, 2024 and increase the maximum not-to-exceed fee by $15,280 from $194,720 to $210,000 to accommodate their additional services related to development of the FY2024-25 rate package utilizing the new rate methodology. This work will be paid from DUWA’s Accounting Services section of the budget. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion passed unanimously with 87.86% of the vote (affirmative vote by all attending members).

c. Plante Moran Single Audit Contract
Plante Moran, DUWA’s Financial Consultant, performs an audit of DUWA’s financial statements each year. Plante Moran will perform the audit of DUWA’s 2023 financial statements for a fee of $23,075 per their previously authorized contract from 2021. DUWA is also required to complete a single audit for funds received through the federal WIFIA program since the projects are not yet closed out. The effort to complete the single audit was not included in Plante Moran’s previously authorized contract, as the extension of time to complete the WIFIA projects was not expected. Plante Moran proposes to perform the single audit for a not-to-exceed fee of $15,000, and this amount was accounted for in this year’s budget (Attachment 9).

Motion by Rick Rutherford (Belleville) and supported by Mayor Bill Bazzi (Dearborn Heights) to authorize Plante Moran to perform the single audit for a not-to-exceed fee of $15,000 in accordance with WIFIA requirements. The 2023 financial statement audit and single audit efforts will be paid from DUWA’s Audit Fees line item of the budget. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion passed unanimously with 87.86% of the vote (affirmative vote by all attending members).

 

7. CONTRACT OPERATOR UPDATE
Travis Tuma, of Veolia, provided the Contract Operator update.

a. Plant Performance
Travis Tuma, of Veolia, stated that Veolia currently utilizes a couple landfills in Ohio for disposal of DUWA’s dewatered solids. Veolia is now working to finalize a contract with another landfill in Michigan that will accept DUWA’s biosolids. This landfill would be much closer than the Ohio landfills, thereby reducing the hauling cost. This landfill previously denied acceptance of DUWA’s biosolids citing PFAS concerns, but DUWA’s biosolids have very low PFOS and PFOA levels and this landfill indicated that DUWA’s biosolids would be placed in a treatment cell that would treat the leachate for PFAS.

Veolia will continue to maintain its contract with another hauler that has other landfill space, as needed, but their price is higher and they use smaller trailers.

Maximization of dried solids production is desired for the Class A product loaded out from the DWTF as a surcharge fee is applied if fewer than 20 truckloads of dried solids are delivered to the beneficial reuse facility each month. Attorney Fausone added that twice the amount of product was sent to the beneficial reuse facility in February compared to January, which is an improvement. A chart comparing the volume of solids sent to the landfill versus the beneficial reuse facility each month will be developed for tracking purposes.

Travis Tuma stated that there have been no recent odor complaints. Veolia OM continues to track hydrogen sulfide levels at the DWTF, and doses hydrogen peroxide as needed. Hydrogen sulfide levels tend to decrease following rain events when the system is wet as the stormwater dilutes the wastewater and reduces odors, so peroxide is not currently being dosed.

b. February 2024 MOR
The February 2024 Monthly Operating Report (MOR) was provided in the Board’s pre-meeting packet (Attachment 10). Highlights from the summary and other updates included the following:

• • • • The DWTF remained in compliance in the month of February and there were no violations.
      • No bypass events occurred in February.
      • Veolia continues to dose between 0.2 – 0.3 gpm of ferric chloride for odor control, and dosing is stopped when hydrogen sulfide levels are low.
      • Veolia staff completed several maintenance items including the following:
        •  
        • Performed several intensive repairs on the primary tanks.
        • Installed new bearings on the large drag conveyor in the Solids Handling Building, which required a complete shutdown of the solids facility while the conveyor was out of service.
        • Installed a larger orifice plate on the crusher to increase the dried solids volume in each truckload.

• • • • The centrifuge manufacturer is onsite today to replace the bearings on Centrifuge #3.
      • Veolia’s electronic technician built rechargeable battery packs for the Ayyeka flow meters and rain gauges. These devices are installed in remote locations under manhole lids with no power and thus rely on their battery systems. The batteries that came with the flow meter and rain gauge devices were not rechargeable, cost about $150 each, and lasted about two to three months. The rechargeable battery packs cost about $7 each and last almost twice as long on one charge. The collection team still performs routine maintenance checks on the flow meters and rain gauges but now does not have to recharge the batteries as frequently.
      • Several communities reported locations of surcharging during recent wet weather events, and collection system staff investigated these areas for signs of surcharging.
      • Veolia currently has one maintenance position and one operator position open.
      • Veolia continues to perform monthly safety trainings.
      • Veolia received 163 Miss Dig tickets in December, of which 21 were emergency tickets. The number of tickets is increasing with the warmer weather.

Chairperson McLeod (Allen Park) asked if the three Triton batteries that were replaced were under warranty. Travis Tuma responded that these batteries were built in-house by Veolia so they were not under warranty. Chairperson McLeod (Allen Park) asked how the PA-1 sensor mounting ring was ripped out of the pipe. Travis Tuma responded that he would follow up with Veolia’s collection system team for a response to this question.

Travis Tuma added that Veolia’s regional Vice President, Cletus Ketter, has resigned and his last day was yesterday. It is not yet known who will be Veolia’s new regional Vice President.

c. Chemical & Sludge Price Updates
Travis Tuma presented the summary of commodity unit price changes to the Board (Attachment 11). There have been no recent significant increases on chemical unit pricing, and no chemical price increases are currently expected going into 2024. It should be noted that there is an error on the Utility Invoice Reconciliation table in the MOR, as DUWA pays up to $58,964.97 for monthly ferric chloride/PACl costs, and Veolia pays costs in excess of that amount.

d. Existing Disinfection System Remaining Life Update
No additional updates were presented on the status of the existing UV system. Veolia will continue to stockpile spare parts as needed. The existing UV system is currently working well as the DWTF is achieving its required fecal disinfection.

 

8. TREASURER’S REPORT

a. Community Self-Reporting Status Log
Accountant Doug Drysdale (DNS Financial Services/Southgate) presented the Community Self-Reporting Status Log (Attachment 12). Most communities have reported their flows at least through December 2023. Self-reported flows are needed through February 2024 in order to develop the FY2024-25 rate package. Dearborn Heights has not reported their flows since February 2023 and River Rouge has not reported their flows since September 2023. Dearborn Heights has a new interim controller, and Accountant Drysdale met with the interim controller a couple weeks ago to review the information that is needed. There was also some confusion on how to fill out the self-reporting worksheet, so Accountant Drysdale will work with Dearborn Heights’ staff on this next week.

Accountant Drysdale has been unable to make positive contact with River Rouge’s Finance Department so he reached out to the City attorney and will work with him to address River Rouge’s outstanding self-reporting worksheets.

b. Aging AR
Accountant Doug Drysdale (DNS Financial Services/Southgate) presented the Aging Accounts Receivable report (Attachment 13). Accountant Drysdale stated that the total amount in the Accounts Receivable is approximately $4M of which $3.1M is current. He noted that payments recently received from the communities are not reflected in this report as the report was generated last week. Belleville had multiple outstanding payments over 120 days because their server had crashed last year and they have been working to correct errors. This AR report now reflects the actual amounts due, and payment is expected to be received from Belleville shortly. Accountant Drysdale added that he has also been in contact with the various IPP customers to address their outstanding payments noting that some of his IPP contacts are no longer employed at those companies. He has been working to make contact with the appropriate financial personnel to get their invoices paid.

c. Pending Invoices
Treasurer Jason Couture (Taylor) presented the invoice register for a request for payment (Attachment 14). The invoice register included 15 invoices due for a total of $2,933,746.32. The largest invoices included those to Veolia for two months of operation and maintenance services and unit cost reconciliations and Black & Veatch for engineering design of the UV project.

Mayor Joseph Kuspa (Southgate) asked if it would make sense to align the rate year calendar (July – June) with the budget year calendar (January – December) as it can make budgeting difficult when the financial calendars do not align. Accountant Drysdale agreed that it would be easier if the financial calendars aligned noting that the July – June rate year was carried over from the way it was set up under Wayne County ownership. Attorney Fausone added he believed DUWA’s bylaws, which were set several years before the system transfer, set a calendar year basis for the budget year and the July – June rate year was carried over from Wayne County as it aligned with most communities’ rate years. DUWA could consider converting its budget year to a July – June budget year to align with the rate year as well as GLWA’s and most communities’ rate years. Follow up on this will be brought to the Board at a future meeting.

Motion by Mayor Bill Bazzi (Dearborn Heights) and supported by Roberto Scappaticci (Romulus) to pay the invoice register. The motion passed unanimously by all attending members.

 

9. PUBLIC COMMENT
There was no public comment.

 

10. OTHER BUSINESS
Mayor Joseph Kuspa (Southgate) asked if there are any new updates on PFAS regulations that could impact DUWA. System Manager Tercala responded that there are multiple PFAS analytes to which EGLE could assign limits for wastewater discharge and biosolids land application. EGLE’s PFAS limits are more restrictive on drinking water than wastewater. DUWA works with its industrial users to minimize PFAS at the source. GLWA has preliminary local limits for PFAS. DUWA is in the process of developing its own PFAS local limits for industrial users. DUWA seeks to align its local limits with those set by GLWA, if possible, as we have shared industrial users.

Mayor Joseph Kuspa (Southgate) asked if the local communities should reach out to their local representatives regarding PFAS. System Manager Tercala responded that OHM works with the Michigan Water Environment Association (MWEA) that closely follows PFAS regulations. MWEA has worked with Representative Debbie Dingell to make sure legislators are aware of the impacts that proposed PFAS regulations would have on wastewater authorities and treatment plants. MWEA also has an IPP committee and industrial affairs committee that works with lobbyists and regulators on these issues.

Mayor Bill Bazzi (Dearborn Heights) stated that he will be attending the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative annual conference in Quebec on May 15^th. The Cities Initiative is working to receive federal funding to ensure clean water in the region and to address the negative impacts of the Asian Carp invasive species on the recreational industry. The Cities Initiative is encouraging communities within the Great Lakes Basin to adopt a resolution to work closely with the Cities Initiative and its members to guide the Mayors Commission and advance its mission of economic transformation. Mayor Bill Bazzi (Dearborn Heights) requested that the DUWA member communities provide him with their signed resolutions by May 13^th so that he can take the signed resolutions with him to share at the conference.

 

11. NEXT BOARD MEETING DATE: Thursday | May 9, 2024 (9:00 AM; In-Person)
Chairperson McLeod (Allen Park) reminded the Board that the next meeting would take place on Thursday, May 9, 2024 at 9:00 AM in-person at Taylor City Hall.

 

12. ADJOURNMENT
There being no other business, Chairperson McLeod (Allen Park) announced that a motion to adjourn would be in order. Motion by Mayor Bill Bazzi (Dearborn Heights) and supported by Roxie Fairchild (Brownstown Township) to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed unanimously at 10:49 AM.

 

Meeting Minutes Prepared by:
Mackenzie Chamberlain, DUWA System Manager  |  OHM Advisors

Meeting Minutes Reviewed by:
Lambrina Tercala, DUWA System Manager  |  OHM Advisors

 

ATTACHMENTS

1. Meeting Agenda
2. March 14, 2024 DUWA Board Meeting Minutes
3. Monthly Legal Update (by Fausone & Grysko)
4. System Manager Report for April 2024 (by OHM Advisors)
5. UV Disinfection Replacement Project Update (by OHM Advisors)
6. Biosolids Dryer Facility Project March 2024 Monthly Progress Summary (by Veolia CPM)
7. General Contractor Recommendation for UV Project (by Black & Veatch)
8. Raftelis Contract Amendment (by Raftelis)
9. Plante Moran Single Audit Services Contract (by Plante Moran)
10. Monthly Operating Report for February 2024 (by Veolia)
11. DWTF Unit Price Changes Summary (by Veolia)
12. Community Self-Reporting Status Log (by Doug Drysdale)
13. Aged Accounts Receivable Report, dated April 3, 2024 (by Doug Drysdale)
14. Invoice Register, dated April 3, 2024 (by Doug Drysdale)