The Fallbrook Public Utility District board voted 5-0 Dec. 10 to award a $343,000 valve replacement contract to CCL Contracting, Inc.

"The valve replacement is a high priority on our capital programs," said FPUD general manager Brian Brady. "We’ve developed a multi-year program of replacing critical valves."

FPUD developed the valve replacement program to limit the extent of shutdowns due to leaks and repairs. The number of broken valves has been increasing as the distribution system and the valves themselves age, and if a valve is not working FPUD staff must go further into the system to find a valve which can be turned off.

FPUD staff has not been able Advertisement

[ Metalography ] to keep up with valve replacement needs, and the use of an outside contractor will allow focus on replacing the valves rather than taking FPUD employees off of the valve projects for regular or emergency work. "The contractor will be full-time," Brady said. "It will be a lot more efficient."

FPUD staff prepared a design package for the valve replacement project and received three bids. CCL Contracting, Inc., submitted the lowest bid at $343,000.  

FPUD’s capital improvement program budgets $250,000 for each of the next five fiscal years for valve replacement, and the future valve replacement budgets will be adjusted due to the cost of the current project.