SUPERVISORS OK CONTRACT WITH FIRM FOR LANDFILL EXPANSION

Pittsburgh-based engineering company hired without other bids

The Board of Supervisors on June 21 approved a $119,375 contract with an engineering services company to assist the Riverside County Department of Waste Resources with a large-scale expansion project at the Badlands Landfill that will require state and federal permits.

In a 5-0 vote without comment, the board authorized DWR General Manager Hans Kernkamp to secure the agreement with Pittsburgh, Pa.-based Michael Baker International Inc. that will be in effect between fiscal years 2022-23 and 2026-27.

It was awarded as a sole-source contract without seeking competitive bids, which the DWR justified in documents by referencing the company’s unique “expertise and technical abilities navigating a complicated permitting structure at the state and federal levels.”

“The Department of Waste Resources is under significant time constraints and needs to have these permits in hand as soon as possible to seamlessly transition into our next phase of development at the Badlands,” according to an agency statement.

The board in April signed off on plans for a multi-year expansion at the 1,168-acre dump site northeast of Moreno Valley.

“The project will provide longterm countywide and regional waste disposal capacity by adding roughly 40 years of additional capacity, as well as developing enhanced organics processing operations and continued household hazards waste and other recycling services,” the DWR stated.

Expansion is not only intended to accommodate growing needs within Riverside County, but waste diversion from Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and San Bernardino counties, officials said.

The build-out at the Badlands Landfill will necessitate environmental assessments, water quality analyses and habitat conservation studies as part of the permitting process.

The DWR said the contractor’s personnel will be paid anywhere from $70 to $300 per hour, depending on the tasks.