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BOARD MEETING DATE: May 14, 1999 AGENDA NO. 10

PROPOSAL:

Purchase of an Upper-Air Wind Profiler

SYNOPSIS:

To partially fulfill the Board’s Inland Empire Initiative No. 6, there is a need to purchase one upper-air radar wind profiler. The wind profiler will provide valuable information to further characterize the meteorological conditions that lead to high ozone and fine particulates in the Inland Empire. This action is to purchase the upper-air profiler at a cost not to exceed $238,377. Sufficient funds have been identified in the FY 1998-99 Budget from grants awarded by the U.S. EPA for the PAMS program.

COMMITTEE:

Mobile Source, April 16, 1999, Less than a quorum was present; those Committee members present communicated their concurrence.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

1. Approve the transfer, within the FY 1998-99 Planning, Rule Development and Area Sources Budget, of $212,377 from the Services and Supplies Major Object (Maintenance of Equipment $28,277 and Professional and Special Services $184,100) to the Fixed Assets Major Object and the reallocation of $26,000 (Asset Items #41 and #45) within the Fixed Asset Major Object for the purchase of an Upper-Air Wind Profiler system as a cost not to exceed $238,377.

2. Authorize the Chairman to execute a contract with Radian International for the purchase of a radar wind profiler and radio acoustic sounding system (RASS) at a total cost not to exceed $238,377.

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer

Background

As part of the Board’s Inland Empire Initiatives, Initiative No. 6 was to identify funds for the purchase of two upper-air wind profilers for the San Bernardino/Riverside counties portion of the South Coast Air Basin. Upper air wind and temperature monitoring is critical to the determination of daily transport patterns and the capacity to disperse regional smog. Accurate and timely measurements of the vertical wind and temperature structure of the atmospheric boundary layer are essential to the meteorological and air quality modeling necessary for air quality management planning, as well as to meet ongoing air quality forecasting requirements. The AQMD currently maintains two upper air monitoring sites: one at Los Angeles International Airport and the other at Ontario International Airport. The instrumentation used to monitor the upper air winds is a 915 MHz radar wind profiler (RWP). Profiles of vertical temperature are determined using the radar and a radio acoustic sounding system (RASS). The radar-based profilers collect hourly data in near real time, at favorable accuracy and cost compared to alternative techniques such as balloon-borne sounding releases.

During the 1997 Southern California Ozone Study (SCOS97), the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was contracted by ARB to provide supplemental upper-air wind and temperature monitoring services for the Basin. Nine additional profiler sites were established by NOAA under the terms of the contact. These nine sites in conjunction with the existing network and six additional upper air monitoring sites provided by ARB resources comprised the most extensive upper air characterization of Southern California to date. The data obtained from this network was of high quality and clearly met the objectives outlined in EPA’s guideline requirements for regional modeling analyses.

Following SCOS97, the AQMD and ARB jointly funded NOAA to maintain a limited network of RWP and RASS sites in the Basin through the fall of 1999. ARB also provided instrumentation for two additional sites for a period to coincide with the NOAA monitoring. Data from these sites has provided information critical to the fine particulate monitoring program and the MATES-II study. The completion of the NOAA contract and the necessity of ARB to relocate their profilers to support other statewide field measurement programs will create a void in the upper-air meteorological monitoring network, primarily in the eastern portion of the Basin.

Proposal

Staff has identified sufficient funds in the FY 1998-99 Budget for the purchase of one upper-air profiler (RASS) system. Upon approval by the Governing Board, installation of the system is expected to take place in the fall of 1999. The proposed site for the RWP/RASS unit is the Metropolitan Water District's Henry J. Mills Filtration Plant in Riverside County, near March Air Force Base. The MWD has graciously provided this site for SCOS97 and the current ARB profiler, and have expressed a willingness to continue this arrangement for the AQMD's instrumentation.

The total project cost of $238,377 would be funded with grant monies awarded from the U.S. EPA PAMS program. The purchase of the upper-air wind profiler (RASS) system includes a new Radian 915 MHz radar wind profiler with a radio acoustic sounding system and covers shipping, installation, 1-year warranty, and sales taxes.

Sufficient funds have been identified in the FY 1998-99 Budget from grant monies awarded from U.S. EPA for the PAMS program. Specifically, uncommitted funds for PAMS data analysis and upgrades to the existing profilers, that are not currently required, will be redirected for the purchase. Staff has received U.S. EPA agreement to redirect funds as identified in the Resource Impacts section below.

Sole Source Justification

Section VIII(B) of the Procurement Policy Procedure identifies four major provisions under which a sole source award may be justified. This request for sole source award is made under provision B.2.d(6): Other circumstances exist which in the determination of the Executive Officer require such waiver in the best interests of the AQMD; specifically, B.2.d(6) projects involving compatibility with existing specialized equipment.

The profiler purchase will be with Radian International, the manufacturer of the AQMD's two existing upper-air RASS profilers. Instrument maintenance as well as data processing and validation are critical components in the operation of the upper-air profiler. Instrument compatibility is essential for timely, accurate data processing and analysis. In addition, Radian is the sole U.S. manufacturer of the upper-air profiler system. A copy of the cost quotation is provided in the Attachment.

Resource Impacts

Cost to the AQMD for the purchase of the upper-air wind profiler system will not exceed $238,377. Sufficient funds are available in the FY 1998-99 Planning, Rule Development and Area Sources Budget from U.S. EPA grants awarded to the AQMD as part of the PAMS program. The profiler purchase will require the redirection of funds within the PAMS program as approved by the Governing Board at its August 1998 meeting. Specifically, the budgeted items (provided in Table 1) in the PAMS program would be redirected to the Upper-Air Profiler Purchase at a cost not to exceed $238,377. U.S. EPA has approved the grant monies to be redirected as proposed here.

Table 1. Proposed PAMS Budgeted Items to be Redirected
for the Fixed Asset Upper-Air Profiler Purchase

ATTACHMENT

Cost Proposal for the Purchase of an
Upper-Air Radar Wind Profiler and Radio Acoustic Sounding System

From
Radian International

Radian Electronic Systems 15705 Long Vista Drive Austin TX 78728 (512) 989-4308 Fax: (512) 251-4804 e-mail: George_Frederick@radian.com

Fax

Joe, reference our recent telephone conversations, this updates our Oct 98 and Mar 99 quotes with the latest prices and taxes. Other than a small inflationary increase, nothing else has changed. We are providing a budgetary estimate in this fax for purchase of radar profilers for the Inland Empire. The costs below are based on our 1999 list price.

Purchase Option

If we employ the used antennas/clutter fences returned in Nov 98 from Alaska (new spring 1997 and used on SCOS97) we can apply a discount of 10% to the equipment cost ($20,820) for a total installed price of $217,557. (Also, if we installed two systems on the same trip we could probably do both for about $12,000 vice two times $8,000 for $16,000.)

Lease Option

We could also lease these systems to you on a lease-to-buy arrangement as we did before. Our standard lease rate for an extended lease of 1 year is 8% of the purchase price per month. In the case of the partially used system quoted above this would amount to $16,656 per month or $199,872 per year plus tax ($1,374 per month or $16,489 per year). We would apply 60% of this toward the ultimate purchase of the system which would buy it out in a little less than 2 years. Shipping and installation costs would be the same as above.

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