Description
Privatization of Gas Distribution, Water and Wastewater Utility Systems at Fort Bragg, NC Description The Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), in conjunction with the United States Army, plans to offer the privatization of Gas Distribution, Water and Wastewater Utility Systems at Fort Bragg, NC. Privatization is defined as the transfer of ownership and responsibility for the operation, maintenance, repair, future upgrades, and future utility systems replacement. As a result of this solicitation, the firm(s) will be selected to assume ownership of the system(s) to meet future needs of the government. The Contractor shall manage the maintenance, repairs, replacement, etc. of the systems to assure continuous, adequate, and dependable service for each Government or tenant connection within the service area. Real property interests will be conveyed in the form of an Easement. The utility systems will be conveyed via a Bill of Sale. The Installation and utility systems being privatized are described as follows: OVERVIEW The Fort Bragg/Pope Air Force Base complex is not a typical DoD installation. First it is a very large complex, encompassing over 160,000 acres. It is true that much of this area consists of range area with minimal utilities, but it still remains an exceptionally large installation. Perhaps the most important distinguishing characteristic is the dynamic nature of the complex, particularly on Fort Bragg and satellite Camp MacKall. The missions of this Installation, described in subsequent paragraphs, have been receiving priority funding for the past several years and that trend is projected to continue for the foreseeable future. Robust MILCON and OMA funding have transformed and will continue to radically change the real property facilities and infrastructure of Fort Bragg. This ongoing massive construction program obviously drives changes to Fort Bragg’s utility infrastructure. Generally, the new system owner must be flexible and willing to make necessary adjustments to keep pace with Fort Bragg changes. Another important general requirement is that the new owner must be able to “spin up” very quickly; a slow-paced transition will not be possible. Fort Bragg is located in the Sandhills Region of the south-central portion of North Carolina, 10 miles northwest of downtown Fayetteville and 90 miles northwest of the Atlantic Ocean. The nearest neighboring major cities include Raleigh, 50 miles to the northeast; Charlotte, 100 miles to the west; and Columbia, South Carolina, 142 miles to the southwest. The Cape Fear River is six miles to the east and Interstate 95 is approximately 12 miles southeast of the Cantonment. The northern boundary of the Cantonment borders Pope Air Force Base. Fort Bragg’s reservation extends across portions of four North Carolina counties: Cumberland, Hoke, Moore and Harnett. The Cantonment is located in Cumberland County, while the Range and Training Area is located primarily in Hoke, Moore and Harnett counties. Camp MacKall, consisting of an airfield and training areas on 7,917 acres, is located approximately 6.6 miles (30 miles from the Cantonment area) west of Fort Bragg in Moore, Richmond and Scotland counties. The Cantonment is the urbanized portion of Fort Bragg. The primary routes to Fort Bragg from Fayetteville include the All American Freeway, Bragg Boulevard (Route 24/87) and Murchison Road (Route 210/87). Bordering the Cantonment to the west and south is the crescent-shaped Greenbelt, a forested area that supplies habitat for the red cockaded woodpecker, a federally-listed endangered species. Fort Bragg has 13 named family housing neighborhoods consisting of more than 4,700 homes located throughout the Cantonment. In the center of the Cantonment is the Old Post Historic District, a planned environment of buildings, roads and open spaces characterized by the formal geometry of the Beaux Arts style of urban design. Fort Bragg’s real property inventory reflects more than 4,900 buildings that provide more than 29 million square feet of space. Pope Air Force Base, located on the north side of Fort Bragg, is integrally associated with Fort Bragg. Pope AFB has 580 buildings encompassing approximately 3.3 million square feet of space. Though Pope covers 2,157 acres, only 263 acres are fee-owned by the Air Force. The remaining 1,894 acres are actually owned by Fort Bragg and permitted to the Air Force. Pertinent planning criteria associated with Pope AFB will be discussed in subsequent paragraphs. There will be no effort to segregate or separately identify these Pope AFB utility components from Fort Bragg’s. All utility components included in the package should be considered Fort Bragg assets. Satellite Locations: Extraterritorial Lands Although its land area encompasses more than 250 square miles, Fort Bragg cannot accommodate within its boundaries all of the training required by its assigned units. As a result, training frequently is conducted on extraterritorial lands, which are public and private lands located off the Installation proper. These lands total approximately 1.3 million acres. There are no utility components to be considered for privatization on these extraterritorial lands. Fort Bragg Housing In May 2002, the Army selected Picerne Military Housing, LLC (Picerne) to privatize the family housing estate at Fort Bragg. As Fort Bragg’s selected partner, Picerne manages all family housing neighborhoods for the duration of a 50-year lease. Prior to commencing the partnership, Picerne and Fort Bragg staff prepared the Post’s Community Development and Management Plan (CDMP). Picerne has projected that all construction in the initial phase of reconstruction will be completed by 2013. The second and third phases of reconstruction will take place during the ensuing 40 years of the lease. The Army/Picerne Partnership was formally established through the corporate entity, “Bragg Communities, LLC.” Bragg Communities, LLC took over the housing estate on 1 August 2003. The initiative privatized 4,746 family housing units. The project includes the demolition of 1,568 existing homes and construction of 2,652 new homes. The remaining inventory of 2,928 dwelling units, which includes 209 historic homes, will be renovated and maintained as needed. At the end of the 10-year development period (Phase I), the inventory will be 5,578 units. The privatization eliminates 1,526 inadequate units and a deficit of 834 four-bedroom units. Three new neighborhoods will be developed in the northern portion of Northern Training Area IV (NTA IV). The RCI parcel consists of approximately 1,064 acres of mostly wooded land located adjacent to North Carolina Highway 24/87. A total of 1,538 new homes will be constructed. The housing privatization contractor, Bragg Communities, LLC will construct the natural gas distribution system which will serve new family housing construction on the Installation. Bragg Communities, LLC will connect this new natural gas distribution system to the existing Fort Bragg natural gas system. All of this construction and tie-in to the existing Fort Bragg distribution system will be at the expense of Bragg Communities, LLC. Bragg Communities, LLC will construct this distribution system to accepted utility standards. At the completion of construction, Bragg Communities, LLC, will convey the newly constructed distribution system to the appropriate natural gas system privatization contractor for ownership, operation and maintenance, and repair consistent with points of demarcation described in RFP. Army family housing utility mains and service laterals generally have been retained by the Government and are, therefore, part of the UP package. Points of demarcation are covered in subsequent paragraphs for both utility components privatized under the RCI process and those retained by the Government which are included in the privatization package Pope AFB Housing Pope AFB has its own family housing complex with a total of 627 dwelling units. Unlike Fort Bragg, Pope AFB has no current plans to privatize the housing complex which is currently under a contractor-performed maintenance contract. Utility mains and laterals are included in the overall UP package and points of demarcation will be as described in RFP Gas Distribution System Description The system may include, but is not limited to, regulating stations, pipelines, valves, regulators, and meters. The actual inventory of items sold will be conveyed to the Contractor using the Bill of Sale (sample shown in RFP) at the time the system is transferred. System Description Natural gas is delivered by NCNG to Fort Bragg via a 12-inch main at a location behind the Knox Street warehouses. Pope AFB obtains its natural gas through Fort Bragg. The 12-inch main operates at 150 pounds per square inch gauge (psig). This pressure is regulated down to 25 psi at 32 separate delivery points that serve various areas. The majority of the distribution system components located within Fort Bragg are owned by the Government and operated by Fort Bragg personnel. There are sections of pipe owned and operated by NCNG and Honeywell. NCNG owns, operates and maintains the gas line from the delivery point (behind the Knox Street warehouses) north to Longstreet Road, as well as the majority of gas line along Longstreet Road and Reilly Street. Honeywell owns, operates and maintains gas lines that serve the following: Simmons AAF, the Soldier Support Center, Ardennes Street, buildings along 775TH SFG Way, and the H-Area (i.e., Smoke Bomb Hill). Fort Bragg and Honeywell have an existing contract under which Honeywell installs, owns, operates and maintains gas lines and meters for a fixed period (14 years) from the date of installation. Honeywell-owned lines will not transfer to the new owner via privatization until September 2015 or until completion of the contractual period for each portion of the line. Potable Water System Description The Fort Bragg potable water system consists of all appurtenances physically connected to on-base wells, pumping stations, water treatment and distribution components and, for off-base sources, the distribution system. The system includes, but is not limited to, pumps, water treatment components, pipelines, valves, fire hydrants, post indicating valves, storage facilities, backflow prevention devices, and meters. This water treatment and distribution system privatization package also includes the Pope AFB water system and the water system at Camp MacKall. All water rights (pumping or purchased) will remain with the Government. Specifically excluded from the water treatment and distribution system privatization package: Non-potable fire protection system, including deluge tanks, pipe, pumps, altitude valves, etc. Irrigation systems Swimming pool facilities Range water wells and small system-dedicated wells Wash Rack Facility System Description This section describes the water systems at Fort Bragg, Pope AFB and Camp MacKall. Fort Bragg has a standby potable water purchase agreement with the City of Fayetteville and is connected to the City’s 16-inch water main at the intersection of Gruber and Murchison Roads. FORT BRAGG WATER TREATMENT SYSTEM Raw Water Fort Bragg is located within the boundaries of the Cape Fear River Basin. Raw water is withdrawn from the Little River, which flows eastward along the northern boundary of the Installation. The state of North Carolina classifies the water source as surface water. The Little River is a tributary of the Cape Fear River and has an estimated safe yield of 16 million gallons per day (MGD). Flow in the Little River primarily originates from Crystal Lake and the James River. Fort Bragg owns 25 miles upstream of its withdrawal point and owns nearly the entire watershed except a few tributaries. The watershed consists of approximately 326,000 acres of sandy long-leaf pine forests. Two raw water intakes can be utilized to withdraw water from the Little River. The primary intake is located adjacent to the raw water pumping station. A secondary intake is located one mile upstream from which water flows by gravity through a 30-inch pipeline to the raw water pumping station (when the 30-inch valve is open). A small dam diverts flow from the river through a traveling mesh screen and then into the wet well located underneath the pump house. The raw water pumping station located on Little River’s south bank houses a traveling screen assembly and raw water pumps. There are 10 pumps which move water from the wet well to the facility headworks through two 16-inch transmission lines which combine into one 20-inch pipeline. The pump types and rated capacities are listed in the following table. The pumps are of varying capacity ranging from 1,000 to 4,900 gallons per minute (GPM) with a total rated capacity of 30,400 GPM or 43.8 MGD. A diesel-powered backup pump is also available which is rated at 5,600 GPM (8.1 MGD). The electric raw water pumps withdraw water through intake lines submerged into the wet well at a depth of one foot from the bottom. Damage has occurred to these pumps in the past due to inoperable travel screen and the accumulation of sand and debris in the wet well, and also from drought conditions experienced in the Summer of 2002. The Fort Bragg Water Treatment Plant has a rated treatment capacity of 10.6 MGD. Calculated on a monthly basis between Jan 2002 and Dec 2002, actual daily production varied from a low of 3.34 MGD during the winter to a high of 13.27 MGD during the summer. Instantaneous operating flow (i.e., not sustained over an entire day) was 16.0 MGD. Average daily consumption, again calculated on a monthly basis, ranged from 5 MGD during the winter to 9 MGD during the summer. Distribution System The high service pumps move water from the treatment facility into the treated water distribution system. The distribution system was originally constructed in 1918. The current system is comprised of approximately 370 miles of pipe and associated appurtenances serving about 5,200 service connections. The water service mains range in size from 2-inch to 24-inch diameter pipe. Distribution system pipe material includes asbestos cement, cast iron, ductile iron, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic. There are no known lead lines. The system operates on two pressure zones with pressure reducing valves on the four interconnections between the high and low service areas. Distribution system pressures are adequate ranging from 50-110 psi with most of the installation at a pressure of about 75-psi. There is no cathodic protection system for the metal water pipes. A Drinking Water Study in progress at Pope AFB has identified pressures as high as 150 psi in hydrants on the industrial side of the Base (the closest points to the FBWTP); normal pressures recorded in the industrial side during this study were in the range of 95 to 130 psi. In the housing areas, the hydrant pressures ranged from 75 to 103 psi. The distribution system has six potable water storage facilities not considering the clearwells. The combined water storage volume is 4.75 million gallons. There are two tanks at Simmons AAF for fire suppression tanks (total storage volume of 0.376 million gallons), excluded from the water system privatization package. The Old and New Division tanks, SOCOM tank, and Tank Hill standpipe all serve the high-pressure zone of the distribution system. Level transmission signals from Main Post, New Division, Old Division, COSCOM, Tank Hill, and SOCOM are transmitted via radio signal to a chart recorder and SCADA in the control room at the water treatment facility. Booster Pumping Stations There are seven booster pumping stations within the water system.. Each pump has a rated capacity of 1,750 gpm for a combined capacity of 5,250 gpm. Supplemental Source of Potable Water The Fort Bragg potable water system was connected to a 16-inch Fayetteville municipal water main at Murchison Road and Gruber Road in 1982. CAMP MACKALL Camp MacKall water system is an independent system and is supplied with metered potable water by the City of Southern Pines. Potable water is supplied through an 8-inch water main from the water treatment plant in Southern Pines. The Southern Pines water treatment plant is located near the intersection of Route 1 and Thunder Road, approximately two miles north of the Rowe Training Facility. Potable water from the water treatment plant is supplied through an 8-inch water main along Route 1, which then connects to an 8-inch water main along Special Forces Way. The Army owns the 8-inch water line that is approximately 3 miles long. The point of demarcation between the City of Southern Pines and the U.S. Army is where the 8-inch water line connects with the 8-inch water main that leaves the water plant. A network of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), cast iron and galvanized steel mains distribute potable water around the RTF. According to Fire Department personnel, the water distribution network has adequate water pressure for fire protection, but does not produce the required fire flow of 1,000 gallons per minute. The Camp MacKall water system consists of approximately 26,000 feet of water mains ranging from less than 4” to 8”, five main valves, and 3 fire hydrants. Wastewater Collection and Treatment System Description The Fort Bragg wastewater system consists of all appurtenances physically connected to the collection system as defined by the points of demarcation beginning at the connection to the treatment provider and ending at each end use facility. The system may include, but is not limited to, sewage mains, manholes, lift stations, valves, controls, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), and meters. The actual inventory of items sold will be conveyed to the Contractor using the Bill of Sale shown in RFP at the time the system is transferred. If the Contractor proposes to use an alternative source of wastewater treatment, the proposal shall include provisions for demolition of the existing plant. System Description The wastewater system consists of pumping stations, mains, laterals, valves, ejector pumps, and a treatment plant. Specifically excluded from privatization of the wastewater collection and treatment system are: Storm water systems Oil/water separators, except those integral to the lift stations Grease traps Septic tank systems Centralized vehicle wash facility and the associated pond Camp MacKall: The lift station and force main that is owned and operated by Moore Water and Sewer Authority. FORT BRAGG WASTEWATER SYSTEM The wastewater system at Fort Bragg includes service laterals, manholes, collection mains, lift stations, force mains, and a treatment plant. The wastewater collection system located inside the fence of Pope AFB is included in this privatization action. Most of Fort Bragg’s existing wastewater collection pipes are constructed of vitrified clay, concrete, or reinforced concrete. Minor quantities of PVC and acrylonitrile butadine styrene plastic pipe also are used. The force mains are constructed primarily of ductile iron, cast iron or asbestos cement. Minor quantities of PVC and ABS also are used in the force mains. There are various small lift stations or ejector pumps, and eleven major lift stations. All the major lift stations have emergency power and are monitored at the wastewater treatment plant, Utilities Distribution, Environment Compliance Branch, and Pope AFB Operations by telemetry SCADA. The collection system handles domestic and some minimal non-domestic wastewater. Non-domestic wastewater is generated in fabrication shops, repair shops, overhaul shops, depot facilities, printing shops, food services and medical services. Industrial wastewater is discharged to the sanitary sewer system. Vehicle maintenance and refueling areas are equipped with oil/water separators, which are the only means used to pre-treat industrial wastewater. The current treatment facilities are able to adequately treat industrial wastewater with respect to NPDES permit limits. Wastewater flows generally in a northerly direction to Fort Bragg Wastewater Treatment Plant, including 11 major lift stations FORT BRAGG WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT Fort Bragg Wastewater Treatment Plant (FBWWTP) treats domestic and a portion of non-domestic wastewater. Industrial flows (motor pools, replate shop, hospital, medical clinics, dental clinics, on-post laundry, wash racks) are estimated by post personnel as accounting for five to ten percent of the average daily flow recorded at the wastewater treatment plant. The FBWWTP is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Wastewater is treated in an activated sludge, extended aeration and secondary treatment system (clarifiers only). The wastewater treatment plant was constructed in 1941, upgraded in 1981, and rebuilt in 1991. The current plant was designed with a capacity of 8 million gallons per day (mgd) with a maximum hydraulic capacity of 13 mgd. The average daily flow is 5 mgd during dry weather; however, during wet weather flows near its maximum hydraulic capacity have been recorded. The North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources conducted a study in 2000 that concluded the plant was at 68 percent capacity. The plant’s NPDES permit (No. NC0003964, Outfall 001), limits the daily maximum and monthly average concentrations of specified pollutants. WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT OPERATION GENERAL DESCRIPTION/CONSIDERATIONS The WWTP receives mostly domestic sewage and some non-domestic flow from vehicle and aircraft maintenance and washing facilities, and photography, x-ray, medical, and dining facilities. The following permits are in existence at this time: • NPDES at WWTP (NC2300647) • Sludge Production and Disposal (WQ001965) • WW Collection System and Lift Stations (WQS00029) Influent entering the WWTP receives preliminary treatment consisting of a mechanically cleaned bar screen, followed by a vortex grit chamber. The flow from this chamber is split and sent to two parallel, semi-circular oxidation ditches for extended aeration. Secondary treatment is continued in clarifiers, which provide sludge-liquid separation. Secondary effluent disinfection by chlorine gas is provided in secondary clarifiers (Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) 42, FTBR-042) and inoperable ultraviolet disinfection tanks (Chlorine Contact Tank (SWMU 44, FTBR-044). De-chlorination of final effluent is enhanced by stepped cascade (SWMU 46, FTBR-046) aeration prior to discharge into the Lower Little River.