Recommend approval to procure thickener parts from the TDH Company in the amount of $140,000.00. The thickener parts will be used by the Public Works and Water Resources Department to replace the thickener at the President Street Water Reclamation Facility. After the first thickener catastrophically failed last year, it was determined that the second thickener must be replaced to prevent another emergency. 

The thickener is a large tank that is used to thicken wasted sludge from the system prior to dewatering. Inside this tank there is a mechanism that is used to move the thickened sludge to the center of the tank for withdrawal. The mechanism also has pickets that release gas that has accumulated in the wasted sludge. Staff has performed maintenance on the drive components since 1974, when this tank went into service. 

This is a sole source because Walker Process Equipment manufactured the original thickener in 1974. The gravity thickener was designed and constructed with Walker Process Equipment parts and cannot be readily retrofitted to incorporate different manufacturers' equipment. Walker Process Equipment does not sell parts directly, but has authorized regional representatives throughout the county. The TDH Company is the only authorized seller of these parts for this region.

Approval