OC San to cut outsourced engineering contracts, plans 23 in-house hires and industrial permitting push

OC San to cut outsourced engineering contracts, plans 23 in-house hires and industrial permitting pushThe Orange County Sanitation District is restructuring its workforce, moving base-loaded design work away from major consultants like Jacobs and AECOM while launching a new industrial waste survey to bring up to 300 commercial dischargers into compliance.

OC San will request 23 new in-house engineering positions over the next two years to replace supplemental engineering service contracts.

The utility is launching a new industrial waste survey program to address an EPA NPDES permit audit finding, targeting up to 300 commercial dischargers for Class 1 permits.

The board approved a $3.08 million contract with Big Sky Electric for VFD replacements and a $254,280 cost of service rate study with HDR Engineering.

A 10-year, $18 million solid waste disposal agreement was authorized with Orange County Waste and Recycling.

The Orange County Sanitation District (OC San) is preparing for a significant workforce restructuring that will move long-term engineering work away from private consultants and back in-house. During the utility’s March 25 board meeting, General Manager Rob Thompson outlined an upcoming budget request to add 23 in-house engineering positions over the next two years. The new hires will replace supplemental engineering service contracts currently held by firms including Jacobs and AECOM. Thompson stated that taking the base-loaded work back internally will serve as a cost-saving measure while improving project ownership and retaining institutional knowledge as the district builds new facilities. Alongside the engineering restructuring, OC San is expanding its regulatory workforce to address findings from a recent US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) audit. The audit, which reviewed the district's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit compliance, found that the utility needed to improve its oversight of commercial dischargers. In response, OC San has initiated an industrial waste survey program. Initial software outreach has identified up to 300 commercial participants within the service area that should be operating under a Class 1 permit, the district’s most stringent permitting vehicle. Thompson noted that the district will add staff to handle the increased permitting, inspections, and public interaction required for the enforcement push. The additional compliance staffing is expected to be cost-neutral, as the effort will be fully funded by the new permit fees rather than residential ratepayers. In other business, the board approved several infrastructure and planning contracts via its consent calendar. These included a $3.08 million construction contract to Big Sky Electric for secondary treatment variable frequency drive (VFD) replacements at Plant No. 1 and Plant No. 2, and a $254,280 professional services agreement with HDR Engineering for a comprehensive cost of service rate study. The board also approved a 10-year, $18 million agreement with Orange County Waste and Recycling for the disposal of grit, screenings, and other solid waste.