Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Public Works

TO:	David P. Cronin, P.E., City Engineer
FROM:	Matt Bond, P.E., Stormwater Engineer/Farmland Project Manager
CC:	Charles Soules, P.E., Director of Public Works
Date:	July 10, 2014
RE:	Agenda Item - Project PW1330 - Construction of Regional Detention Basin & Interceptor Trench for Lawrence VenturePark

Please include the following item on the City Commission Agenda for consideration at the July 22, 2014 meeting.

Project Description

With the acquisition of the former Farmland Industries Nitrogen Plant site, now known as Lawrence VenturePark, the City is bound by consent order (Case No. 10-E-94 BER) to follow the environmental remediation procedures outlined in the Corrective Action Decision (CAD) authored by the Kansas Department of Health & Environment (KDHE) signed March 3, 2010. The CAD outlines the plan to reconfigure three of the existing ponds on the northeast corner of the site into a regional detention basin with an approximate size of 14 acres. By providing regional detention, parcels developed in the future will not have to detain stormwater runoff within each individual parcel. Regional detention provides a more efficient mechanism to handle not only the volume of stormwater runoff but will also aid in improving its water quality.

Another requirement outlined in the CAD is the remediation of nitrogen impacted ground water seeping from the sandstone hill in the north central part of the site known as the Central Ponds.  When the site was still operating as Farmland Industries this location included open air settlement ponds.  Some of the contents of these ponds leached into the sandstone hill and are now surfacing downstream.  The construction of an interceptor trench is the procedure outlined within the CAD to remediate this situation. 

Project Funding

The estimated project cost according to the CAD is $1,599,812.00.  The project is being funded with the environmental remediation fund obtained with the acquisition of the site and has been approved by the Kansas Department of Health & Environment.

Project Schedule

Advertise for bids: July 23, 2014	Anticipated Start Date: Late August 2014
Bid date: August 5, 2014	Project Completion Date: Summer 2015

Action Request

Set bid date of August 5, 2014 for PW1330 - Construction of Regional Detention Basin & Interceptor Trench for Lawrence VenturePark.

Attachments: Project Location Map