The 2021 Water & Sewer Operating budget includes funding for professional services to perform a leak detection survey of the 285 miles of water mains located throughout the Village of Arlington Heights. This survey will help minimize emergency water main repairs by locating the leaks in the distribution system via acoustic detection before catastrophic failure. Leak detection is performed by installing sophisticated sounding equipment to all of the valves and hydrants in the system. Any leak in a pressurized system creates a specific acoustic signature. Computers can correlate the sound between these listening points, or nodes, to pin-point a leak underground. As the leak survey is performed and leaks are detected, Village staff will be alerted so that rapid repairs can be scheduled based on the severity of  the leak. This survey will also help reduce unaccounted water loss.

The Public Works Department has participated in the Municipal Partnering Initiative (MPI) Program for a Leak Detection Survey. The MPI is a working group of sixteen Chicagoland suburban municipalities which have been working together on group bids since the fall of 2010. Combining multiple municipal bids allows for lower pricing through greater quantities. The Village of Arlington Heights led a group of municipalities this year on a bid for a leak detection survey of the Village’s entire water distribution system. Bids were duly advertised and publicly opened by the Village on behalf of the Municipal Partnering Initiative on April 15, 2021.

This service is professional by nature and very specific with regard to the highly technical acoustic equipment used for the duration of the survey. Four vendors submitted bids:

Consulting Engineers: Year 1 - $30,940; Year 2 - $30,940; Year 3 - $30,940. Total Contract Value = $92,820
ADS: Year 1 $34,320; Year 2 - $35,178; Year 3 - $36,036. Total Contract Value = $105,534
Utilis: Year 1 $45,035; Year 2 - $41,035; Year 3 - $41,035. Total Contract Value = $127,105
M.E. Simpson: Year 1 $65,780; Year 2 - $67,210; Year 3 - $70,070. Total Contract Value = $203,060

Staff has not previously worked with Consulting Engineers in the past, but all references have been thoroughly checked and the feedback received was favorable. 

Funds for the services are available in Account Number 505-7201-561.20-05. 

RECOMMENDATION

It is recommended that the Village Board award the three-year contract for the Leak Detection Survey of the water distribution system to Consulting Engineers for the not-to-exceed annual amount of $30,940 and authorize Staff to execute the necessary documents.