14-Specifications and Requirements - OPN2130649B1 - Mooring Buoy.pdf

SPECIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

Mooring Buoy System Maintenance

1. INTRODUCTION

This contract is to provide for the routine inspection and maintenance of the Broward County Mooring Buoy System. The Vendor is required to provide all materials, equipment, and labor necessary to assemble, inspect, and repair or replace all components of the mooring buoy system to ensure that it is maintained in optimum condition.

Background: The Broward County Mooring Buoy System was established to protect Broward County's coral reefs from damage caused by boat anchors. Currently, there are 122 mooring buoys in service at 8 different sites located throughout the County (map Figure 1, p. 9), and water depth at each site ranges from 15 to 37 feet (Table 1). Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates for each individual mooring are listed in Table 2 (p. 10), and depths for each buoy are listed in Table 3 (p. 11).

Table 1. The total number of mooring buoys and average water depth at each site, listed north to south by nearest municipality area and offshore site location.

2. QUALIFICATIONS OF VENDORS

The Scope of Work for this contract involves commercial diving services that take place in coral reef habitats. The Federal and State permits for the mooring buoy program, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers No. SAJ-2005-01086 (SP-KHN) and Florida Department of Environmental Protection No. 06- 0242949-001 and No. 06-0242949-002, require that a vendor experienced with working in coral reef environments perform the mooring buoy anchor installation tasks. Therefore, the Vendor must have completed equivalent permitted work in coral reef environments and/or have verifiable experience installing mooring buoy anchors in coral reef areas, or in completing equivalent work in coral reef environments.

The Vendor shall be able to provide and operate underwater power tools necessary for the installation of mooring buoy anchors (specifically including hydraulic coring drills), and if necessary, to remove or cut off broken anchors from the seafloor.

The qualified Vendor shall complete all diving operations according to applicable commercial diving regulations and standards. This includes compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Commercial Diving Standards, 29 CFR 1910 Subpart T, the U.S Coast Guard

Municipality Location Number of Moorings Average Depth (ft) Deerfield Beach Deerfield/Hillsboro 10 37 Pompano Beach Pompano Drop-off North 11 15 Pompano Beach Pompano Drop-off South 31 17 Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Hall of Fame 9 27 Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Anglin's Ledge 11 20 Fort Lauderdale Oakland Ridges 15 25 Fort Lauderdale The Caves 10 27 Dania Beach Barracuda Reef 25 24

Total: 122 Average: 24

Commercial Diving Regulations Subchapter V- Marine Occupational Safety, and Title 46 CFR 197, Subpart B - Commercial Diving Operations.

3. MOORING BUOY COMPONENTS

The typical configuration of the mooring buoy assembly used in the Broward County Mooring Buoy System is shown in Figures 2 and 3 (p. 12 and 13). This configuration is designed to accommodate vessels up to 60 feet in length.

3.1 ANCHOR

The Broward County Mooring Buoy System utilizes 2 types of anchors to secure the mooring buoy assemblies to the seafloor: stainless-steel eyebolt anchors and U-shaped anchors. All new anchors that will be installed through this contract will be U-shaped anchors exclusively. These anchors are made from ¾ inch diameter, 316 grade stainless-steel. The U, or bend in the anchor, has a 12-inch interior diameter and each of the shanks has a crossbar that is welded at the bottom (Figure 4, p. 14). Two 2-inch by 24-inch holes are drilled into the seafloor to install the U-shaped anchor, and Portland Type II cement mixed with seawater (with no aggregate or sand) is used to fill the holes and secure the anchor to the substrate.

The orientation of the anchor shall be to the northwest/southeast with the open face oriented to the northeast/southwest. When properly set with full 24-inch embedment, the clearance from the sea floor to the top of the bend in the anchor is 6 inches. Newly installed anchors should be left to cure for a period of no less than 1 month before attaching a mooring buoy.

3.2 SHACKLE

A 5/8-inch diameter self-locking stainless-steel bow shackle (Wichard #1246 or approved equivalent) is used to attach the mooring buoy assembly to the anchor. The shackle must have a minimum working load limit (WLL) of 2,645 lbs. A 316 stainless steel cable-tie or annealed stainless steel seizing wire (0.041” diameter gauge or stronger) is also used to further secure the pin to the shackle body to prevent it from loosening and backing out.

3.3 MOORING LINE

The mooring line is made of three separate line sections: the down-line, the buoy through-line, and the pick-up line. These lines are joined together by interlocking eyes spliced into the ends of the three line sections. The eye splices are made with a minimum of six tucks for each line strand. When joined correctly the interlocked splices form a square knot (Figure 5, p. 15).

3.3.1 DOWN-LINE

The down-line is 1-inch three-strand, monofilament fiber, 14,000 lbs. tensile strength, UV treated/resistant, yellow heavy-duty polypropylene line (or approved equivalent). The length of the down-line is site and depth dependent and should be approximately 10 feet greater than the water depth when measured from the ends of the loops. The eye splice at the upper end of the down-line interlocks with the eye splice of the buoy through-line and should be approximately 8-10 inches in length. The bottom eye splice should be approximately 12-15 inches in length and is reinforced with an 18-inch piece of 1 1/8-inch to 1 1/4-inch ID (or best fit) PVC multipurpose air/water hose, 200-250 psi rated working pressure (Goodyear or Continental Blue Pliovic Plus or approved equivalent), which prevents the line from chaffing on the stainless-steel shackle. The length of the hose must encase at least ¾ of the eye splice for it to remain inside the shackle, and the hose must be added to the loop when the bottom eye is spliced together (i.e., the hose cannot be split open and secured with cable ties after splicing).

3.3.2 BUOY THROUGH-LINE

The buoy through-line is 1-1/4-inch three-strand, 36,680 lbs. or greater tensile strength, UV treated/resistant, composite blend of polyester and polypropylene fibers, white line (Polydac/Poly Plus or approved equivalent). The length of the through-line should be 6 to 8 feet when measured from the ends of the loops. The line passes through the buoy center pipe. The eye spliced at the bottom of the through-line interlocks with the down-line and the top splice interlocks with the pick-up line. Figure-eight knots are tied between the mooring buoy and eye splices. The figure-eight knots should be tied as close to the buoy as possible to secure the buoy in place and prevent excess movement and wear on the through-line.

3.3.3 PICK-UP LINE

The pick-up line is made of 7/8-inch to 1-inch three-strand, monofilament fiber, 11,500 to 14,000 lbs.

tensile strength, UV treated/resistant, yellow heavy-duty polypropylene (or approved equivalent) and measures 12 to 15 feet in length when measured from the ends of the loops. One end of the pick-up line attaches to the top loop of the buoy through-line and the other end floats free. The eye splice that connects the pick-up line to the through-line is made large enough so that it can be attached or detached from the through-line without removing the buoy assembly from the water (approximately 8-10 inches in length).

The eye splice in the free end of the pick-up line should also be of sufficient size to encourage boaters to add their own mooring line (bridle) to provide extra scope when using the mooring, yet small enough to discourage boaters from using the loop to attach the pick-up line directly onto their boat cleat (approximately 6-8 inches in length). During routine monthly inspections, the pick-up line should be cleared of obvious entanglement or debris (e.g., fishhooks/lures and fishing line, additional mooring lines) and excessive fouling by encrusting marine organisms (e.g., barnacles, oysters, fleshy algae).

3.4 MOORING BUOY

The mooring buoys utilized are round, white, 18-inch diameter, 90-100 lbs. buoyancy, marine grade foam-filled, polyethylene buoys with a reflective blue stripe around the circumference. The buoys have a center pipe or channel to thread the line through, rather than galvanized or stainless-steel attachment hardware.

Mooring buoys manufactured by Carolina Waterworks Inc. (Item #F1380410) (or an approved equivalent) shall be used. The upper hemisphere of each buoy shall be marked with 1-inch to 2-inch black lettering (one or two custom printed vinyl decals/stickers) that reads: "USE AT YOUR OWN RISK”.

Mooring buoys that have been damaged (i.e., cracked or crushed) are considered out-of-service for compliance scoring calculations and should be replaced, even if still floating.

4. MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTION TASKS

4.1 The Vendor will be responsible for providing or purchasing all materials, equipment, storage space, preparatory workspace, and labor required to assemble, inspect, and maintain all components of the Broward County Mooring Buoy System. Each month the Vendor is required to make a complete surface and underwater inspection of every mooring buoy assembly and mooring buoy anchor that are in service. The Vendor will carefully inspect all pick-up lines, buoys, buoy through-lines, down-lines, hoses, shackles, and anchors for damage and wear. The Vendor shall inspect for any signs of movement between the anchor and the reef substrate. Anchors that are unable to hold a buoy (i.e., are loose, broken, or missing) will be considered out-of-service. Buoy assemblies that are discovered to be attached to a loose or broken anchor should be immediately removed from service and noted in the inspection report. Out-of-service anchors will be removed from the compliance scoring calculations until they can be replaced.

The Vendor will replace worn or damaged shackles, hoses, down-lines, mooring buoys, buoy through-lines, and pick-up lines as needed. The stainless-steel shackle pin and/or shackle body will be replaced when ≥25% wear is observed on either component. In addition, the Vendor will remove excessive growth of encrusting marine organisms (i.e., large clusters of barnacles, oysters, etc. that are large enough to affect buoyancy and orientation of the buoy or lines) from the assemblies as needed to extend their functional lifespan while in service. This may be accomplished in-situ with simple tools (e.g., hammer and chisel) and without detaching the buoy from the rest of the assembly or removing it from the water.

4.2 The Vendor will be responsible for replacing broken or missing mooring buoy anchors, cut off and remove broken anchors from the reef that are being replaced, and cut off or remove any broken or damaged shackles attached to anchors, if required. The Vendor shall receive prior approval from the Contract Administrator before installing replacement anchors and before removing broken anchors from the reef.

The Vendor will be responsible for acquiring or manufacturing new stainless-steel anchors. The Vendor will be responsible for completing installation of new anchors within 60 days of receiving notification to proceed from the Contract Administrator. Furthermore, all new anchors and associated new buoy assemblies must be installed and the work approved by the Contract Administrator prior to the beginning of the last month of the contract. Extenuating circumstances (i.e., hurricanes, extended periods of bad weather, etc.) may justify a 30-day weather extension for anchor installation, pending approval by the Contract Administrator.

4.3 The agreement provides for a maximum of 12 monthly inspections, but the number of inspections may be reduced at the discretion of the County. Weather permitting, the maintenance inspections will be conducted within the first 2 weeks of each month, unless otherwise coordinated by the Contract Administrator. The Vendor shall contact the Contract Administrator either by phone or e-mail to provide updates on when the inspections and maintenance work are scheduled to take place. Failure to do so may be considered an issue of non-compliance. If the inspection frequency is reduced by the County, the Contract Administrator will notify the Vendor at least 2 months in advance of the next normally scheduled inspection that will be affected.

4.4 If extended periods of inclement weather and/or marine conditions (e.g. when conditions offshore present unsafe working conditions as determined by the Vendor) prevent the Vendor from meeting the monthly maintenance and inspection schedule for any given month, then no extensions will be given for that month’s inspection and maintenance effort, the month will be considered as ‘missed/service unable to be provided’, and buoys that would have been repaired or replaced during the ‘no service’ month will be attended to during the inspection and maintenance effort for the next month of service.

4.5 The Vendor may request assistance from the Contract Administrator in the form of a ‘ride along’ on the Vendor’s vessel, or alternatively by coordinating a time and location to meet the Broward County vessel offshore.

CONTACT INFORMATION for Contract Administrator Name: Kirk Kilfoyle Email: KKilfoyle@Broward.org

Office Phone: (954) 519-1452 Work Cell: (954) 914-1853

5. PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

5.1 The Contract Administrator (or his or her designee) will conduct a complete surface and sub-surface inspection of the Broward County Mooring Buoy system no less than biannually to verify the status of the array and vendor performance. Performance shall be considered satisfactory when ≥90% of the full complement of 122 buoys are in service and all mooring buoy components are in good condition.

The moorings will be considered in good condition when the following criteria are observed:

A. The mooring buoy is in place and is not damaged.

B. The mooring lines are not chafed, abraded, or frayed.

C. The shackle bow and pin wear are less than 25%.

D. The anchor is not loose or broken.

E. The chaffing hose is not worn through to expose the mooring line.

F. The shackle is secured with a cable tie or seizing wire.

5.2 Every month the Vendor will be reimbursed for the installation and/or replacement of full mooring buoy assemblies as needed, provided the annual total does not exceed 150 full buoy assemblies. In the event a hurricane or other severe weather system adversely impacts the Broward County Mooring Buoy System to such a degree that the annual replacement rate exceeds the normal range of expectation and maximum allowable amount, the Vendor may be eligible for reimbursement for additional full mooring buoy assemblies as needed to maintain the 90% compliance level, pending prior approval by the Contract Administrator. The Broward County Mooring Buoy System has historically experienced an average replacement rate of approximately 9 buoys per month in performing the maintenance tasks. This mainly includes the replacement of missing buoys and the proactive replacement of buoys with worn or damaged components before they fail but may also include installation of new mooring assemblies on newly installed anchors.

5.3 During the agreement period (including extensions), the County may obtain the supplies (e.g.

buoys, lines, shackles etc. as described in Section 3 above) needed to create full buoy assemblies through an external grant that can be used to maintain a minor portion of the mooring buoy array. If this grant is awarded, the Vendor will be responsible for storage of these supplies in sufficient quantities to provide enough material to create an estimated 20-30 full assemblies. The County-provided supplies would be used to create new assemblies through a separate line item (see Task 3 of the Cost Sheet on p. 16, below) until they are expended.

6. REPORTING TASKS

6.1 The Vendor will prepare and submit a maintenance report within 7 days after completing the monthly inspection and maintenance tasks. The report shall list each buoy at each site and include information about:

A. Date(s) of inspection and maintenance.

B. Weather and marine conditions during the inspection.

C. Condition of the buoy.

D. Condition of the pick-up line, buoy through-line, and down-line.

E. Condition of the shackle and pin.

F. Presence of cable-tie or seizing wire on the shackle.

G. Condition of the chaffing hose.

H. Condition of the anchor.

I. Description of repairs and maintenance performed.

J. Reason for buoy damage or loss, if known.

K. Condition of installed/replaced buoys: new or refurbished.

L. Type and approximate size of vessels using the buoys at time of inspection.

M. Digital photographs of all materials removed from the buoy system.

N. Copies of invoices for any mooring buoy supplies purchased.

6.2 The monthly reports and all associated supporting documentation (invoices and photos) will be e-mailed to the Contract Administrator and formatted to be read using Microsoft Excel or Adobe software. A copy of the monthly report template is available from the Contract Administrator upon request.

7. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Background information about mooring buoy programs can be found in the PADI Project AWARE document, “Mooring Buoy Planning Guide” (1996) and the Coral Reef Alliance guide, “Mooring Buoy Installation and Maintenance” (2004). Copies of these documents are available from the Contract Administrator upon request.

Figure 1. Mooring buoy locations throughout Broward County and the number of buoys in service at each site (N).

Table 2. Mooring buoy GPS Coordinates for each site, listed south to north.

Table 3. Water depth at each mooring buoy, listed by site south to north.

Site Buoy # Depth Site Buoy # Depth Barracuda Reef 1 27 Hall of Fame 1 36 Barracuda Reef 2 25 Hall of Fame 2 32 Barracuda Reef 3 23 Hall of Fame 3 30 Barracuda Reef 4 25 Hall of Fame 4 23 Barracuda Reef 5 24 Hall of Fame 5 22 Barracuda Reef 6 24 Hall of Fame 6 24 Barracuda Reef 7 25 Hall of Fame 7 26 Barracuda Reef 8 23 Hall of Fame 8 24 Barracuda Reef 9 22 Hall of Fame 9 23 Barracuda Reef 10 21 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 1 17 Barracuda Reef 11 23 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 2 17 Barracuda Reef 12 27 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 3 17 Barracuda Reef 13 24 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 4 17 Barracuda Reef 14 26 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 5 17 Barracuda Reef 15 25 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 6 17 Barracuda Reef 16 24 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 7 17 Barracuda Reef 17 24 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 8 17 Barracuda Reef 18 22 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 9 17 Barracuda Reef 19 23 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 10 17 Barracuda Reef 20 30 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 11 17 Barracuda Reef 21 22 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 12 17 Barracuda Reef 22 21 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 13 17 Barracuda Reef 23 26 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 14 17 Barracuda Reef 24 25 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 15 17 Barracuda Reef 25 27 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 16 17

Caves 1 27 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 17 17 Caves 2 27 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 18 17 Caves 3 23 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 19 17 Caves 4 23 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 20 17 Caves 5 24 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 21 17 Caves 6 33 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 22 17 Caves 7 30 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 23 17 Caves 8 26 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 24 17 Caves 9 23 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 25 17 Caves 10 34 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 26 17

Oakland Ridges 1 26 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 27 17 Oakland Ridges 2 22 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 28 18 Oakland Ridges 3 21 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 29 18 Oakland Ridges 4 24 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 30 18 Oakland Ridges 5 29 Pompano Drop-Off (South) 31 21 Oakland Ridges 6 28 Pompano Drop-Off (North) 1 16 Oakland Ridges 7 22 Pompano Drop-Off (North) 3 16 Oakland Ridges 8 23 Pompano Drop-Off (North) 5 15 Oakland Ridges 9 31 Pompano Drop-Off (North) 7 16 Oakland Ridges 10 27 Pompano Drop-Off (North) 9 15 Oakland Ridges 11 23 Pompano Drop-Off (North) 11 15 Oakland Ridges 12 23 Pompano Drop-Off (North) 13 15 Oakland Ridges 13 21 Pompano Drop-Off (North) 15 15 Oakland Ridges 14 25 Pompano Drop-Off (North) 17 15 Oakland Ridges 15 24 Pompano Drop-Off (North) 19 15 Anglin's Ledge 2 (1) 15 Pompano Drop-Off (North) 21 15 Anglin's Ledge 3 (2) 23 Deerfield Beach 1 37 Anglin's Ledge 5 (3) 19 Deerfield Beach 2 35 Anglin's Ledge 7 (4) 20 Deerfield Beach 3 37 Anglin's Ledge 9 (5) 18 Deerfield Beach 4 38 Anglin's Ledge 11 (6) 21 Deerfield Beach 5 38 Anglin's Ledge 13 (7) 18 Deerfield Beach 6 37 Anglin's Ledge 15 (8) 18 Deerfield Beach 7 38 Anglin's Ledge 17 (9) 19 Deerfield Beach 8 38 Anglin's Ledge 19 (10) 24 Deerfield Beach 9 37 Anglin's Ledge 20 (11) 24 Deerfield Beach 10 39

Figure 2. Standard eyebolt anchor installation.

Figure 3. Large U-shaped anchor installation.

Figure 4. Large U-shaped anchor specifications. Note: The crossbar at the foot of each shank is oriented 90o from what is depicted in this drawing (i.e., perpendicular to the axis of the anchor).

Figure 5. The square knot configuration is used to join the eye splices together.

FY26 Broward County Mooring Buoy Inspection and Maintenance

Task 1 - Mooring Buoy Monthly Inspections and Maintenance

Description: Perform up to twelve (12) monthly mooring buoy inspections and maintenance tasks, as per the specifications and requirements.

Task 2 - Replace Full Mooring Buoy Assembly – Vendor Supplies Used

Description: All labor, materials, and equipment to build and install a full buoy assembly consisting of the stainless-steel shackle, chaffing hose, down-line, buoy through-line, mooring buoy, and pick-up line, as per the specifications and requirements. The Vendor will be reimbursed for full buoy assemblies as needed for every month of the contract, provided the annual total does not exceed 150 buoy assemblies (* when combined with the total from Task 3).

Task 3 - Replace Full Mooring Buoy Assembly – County Supplies Used

Description: All labor and equipment to build and install a full buoy assembly consisting of the stainless-steel shackle, chaffing hose, down-line, buoy through-line, mooring buoy, and pick-up line, as per the specifications and requirements. The Vendor will be reimbursed for full buoy assemblies as needed for every month of the contract, and these assemblies will be included as part of the annual maximum total of 150 (* when combined with the total from Task 2).

Task 4 - Replace U-Shaped Mooring Buoy Anchors

Description: All labor, materials, and equipment to replace five (5) U-shaped mooring buoy anchors, if and when necessary, as per the specifications and requirements.