TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: James V. Capparelli, City Manager
SUBJECT:
title
Emergency Purchase of Sodium Permanganate from Hawkins Water Treatment Group in an amount not to exceed $100,620.00
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BACKGROUND:
Sodium Permanganate solution is used in the production of Hydrous Manganese Oxide, a key component in the radium removal process, at the City's water treatment facilities. The chemicals must meet the requirements of NSF Standard 60 - Drinking Water Treatment Chemicals. The Public Service Committee reviewed this matter at the April 3, 2023 meeting and recommended for approval by full Council.
CONCLUSION:
On January 3, 2023, the Mayor and City Council awarded a contract in the amount of $401,011.00 to Carus Corporation for the purchase of Sodium Permanganate. On January 12, 2023, the Carus Corporation manufacturing plant located in LaSalle, Illinois experienced a catastrophic fire that caused the production of sodium permanganate to halt. Initially Carus Corporation estimated the outage would last a few weeks but soon after they sent force majeure letters to all customers retracting the estimated return to production date. Carus Corporation has since projected a date in May, but it may be longer before the availability of product returns to normal. Since sodium permanganate is a critical chemical needed to treat the City's drinking water, City staff concluded an alternate source of product needed to be found.
City staff contacted multiple vendors in an effort to purchase sodium permanganate but all vendors with the exception of Hawkins Water Treatment Group declined to sell the City chemical due to the increased demand in the market created by the fire at the Carus Corporation facility. Hawkins Water Treatment Group has agreed to source chemical for the City of Joliet from alternate manufacturers and certify it for use in drinking water. It is estimated 6,500 gallons of chemical will be needed until Carus Corporation can resume production...
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