(May 20)  The county board of supervisors this week approved nine separate contracts for an aggregate total of $1.9 million for water well and pump repair services within the county’s various service areas.
According to Jeff Rigney, the director of the county’s special districts department, the county’s “board governed county service areas and their zones provide for the maintenance and operation of domestic water and wastewater systems throughout the county that includes ground water wells, distribution booster pumps, pump stations, wastewater treatment facilities, wastewater lift stations and various in-line pumps. These wells, pumps and other equipment periodically break or malfunction, which requires specialized tools and equipment to affect the repairs or replacement. The special districts department does not have the equipment required to remove, repair or replace some of these facilities and therefore requires contracted services.”
Rigney noted that in July 2011 the board of supervisors approved three-year agreements with 10 contractors to provide on-call and emergency water well, booster pumps and waste water pumps maintenance and repair services. One of the contractors, Independent Well Drilling of Lucerne Valley, is no longer in business. It was excluded from the contract extension Rigney brought to the board this week.
In accordance with Rigney’s recommendation, the board approved:  a contract extension with Tri County Pump Company of San Bernardino in an annual not-to-exceed amount of $400,000, for a total aggregate amount of $1,600,000; a contract extension with  Best Drilling and Pump Company of Colton in an annual not-to-exceed amount of $350,000, for a total aggregate amount of $1,400,000;  a contract extension with General Pump Company of San Dimas in an annual not-to-exceed  amount of $200,000, for a total aggregate amount of $800,000;   a contract extension with Well Tec Services, Inc. of Beaumont in an annual not-to-exceed amount of $200,000, for a total aggregate amount of $800,000; a contract extension with Apple Valley Construction Company, Inc., of Apple Valley in an annual not-to-exceed amount of $200,000, for a total aggregate amount of $800,000;  South West Pump and Drilling Inc., of Coachella in an annual not-to-exceed amount of $200,000, for a total aggregate amount of $800,000; a contract extension with Layne Christensen Company, of Fontana in an annual not-to-exceed amount of $150,000, for a total aggregate amount of $600,000.; a contract extension with JIMNI Systems Inc., of Irvine in an annual not-to-exceed amount of $100,000, for a total aggregate amount of $400,000; and a contract extension with Pyramid Building and Engineering, Inc. of Hesperia in an annual not-to-exceed amount of $100,000 per year, for a total aggregate amount of $400,000.