Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The Contained Research Facility (CRF) at the University of California Davis is a Biosafety Level 3-Plant (BSL3-P) quarantine facility. It provides an environmentally-safe space to conduct mission-critical research on emerging and invasive California and US plant pests and pest plants. The CRF is one of six BSL3-P quarantines in the U.S. and the only multi-commodity BSL3-P quarantine on the West Coast of the U.S. The economic cost of invasive pests in North America between 1960 and 2017 was conservatively estimated at $1.26 trillion (Crystal-Ornela et al. 2021). Similarly, the economic cost of invasive pests for the world totaled $1.29 trillion over the last 50 years (Zenni et al. 2021). There is a great need for facilities such as the CRF at UC-Davis where research to reduce the economic costs of the invasive pests can be conducted with minimal risk of release to the environment where significant economic and environmental damage could occur. The CRF has been providing this space continuously since 2008 when USDA certification was achieved.The CRF autoclave system, originally installed in 2002, is indispensable to maintaining USDA certification because the pests and associated materials must be autoclaved for final destruction. This project will replace and modernize the autoclave system, which is reaching its end of life. The replacement of the autoclave system is absolutely necessary for the CRF to maintain BSL3-P facility certification and allow researchers to continue critical studies of these emerging pest issues to advance the sustainability of agriculture and natural systems. Finally, in additiion to directly serving researchers and agricultural stakeholders, this project also indirectly contributes to the long-term goals for food and agricultural research by providing unique educational opportunities for students, staff, and faculty. To conduct research in the CRF requires training in BSL3-P protocols and demonstration of proficiency of these protocols. There is no other space on the West coast of the U.S. where researchers can perform their mission-critical research and simultaneously enhance UCD student education.
Animal Health Component
40%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
40%
Applied
40%
Developmental
20%
Goals / Objectives
The overall goal of this project is to purchase and install two large pass-through autoclaves to replace and modernize mission-critical building system of the Contained Research Facility at the University of California Davis. The Contained Research Facility (CRF), a Biosafety Level 3-Plant (BSL3-P) quarantine, directly contributes to research on sustainable agriculture and food systems by providing an environmentally secure space to conduct research on emerging and invasive plant pests and pest plants from around the world while limiting the risk of accidental release into the environment. The research includes projects to improve methods of pest identification, improve or develop novel methods of detection of invasive pests in commodities or in the field, develop novel pest management tactics to improve sustainability of agricultural production, or develop phytosanitary protocols that can be used to facilitate trade and other domestic post-harvest movement of commodities.Autoclaves at the CRF are used to terminate viability of the quarantined invasive pests before final disposal and are necessary to satisfy the requirements for pest permits and BSL3-P protocols. The two large pass-through autoclaves (Amsco Eagle 3000 series) currently located at the CRF were purchased in 2002 and have been in continuous use since 2008. The manufacturer no longer supports the electronics and replacement parts are no longer available. The steam for the autoclaves comes from natural gas fueled boilers that were also purchased in 2002. On-demand electric steam generation devices are now available; replacing the old boilers will significantly improve the overall energy efficiency of the CRF. If this critical building system fails and cannot be repaired, the CRF will lose its USDA certification, and pest material used for research in quarantine will be destroyed as per conditions in pest permits. Loss of the quarantine space means that mission-critical research on food system sustainability and phytosanitary methods needed for domestic and international (trade) movement of commodities cannot be conducted.
Project Methods
The project plan includes the following activities. First, Dr. Kristine Godfrey will contact the USDA-APHIS-PPQ officer who oversees the CRF to inform him of the project. She will also arrange for a meeting with Facilities and a site visit if needed, to ensure that during deinstallation and installation of the autoclaves, there is no violation of BSL3-P protocols. Dr. Godfrey has worked with this officer in the past on critical maintenance and/or repair work in the BSL3-P quarantine while maintaining quarantine and minimizing the impact of the repairs to researchers. While working with USDA, the autoclaves and electric generators will be ordered from Steris Corporation. It will take approximately 8 weeks for the purchasing paperwork to be completed at UC-Davis, prior to placing the order at Steris Corporation. Steris Corporation indicated that it will take about 42 weeks from the time the order is placed to complete the manufacture and shipping of the autoclaves and electric generators. While waiting for the autoclaves and generators, UC-Davis Facilities Management will construct new equipment pads for the on- demand electric generators. The generators will be housed in the mezzanine of the CRF directly above the autoclaves. Once the pads are in place, they will be fitted with sheet metal pans containing drains. The electrical system (wiring and appropriate switches) needed to run the generators will also be installed. All plumbing lines to the new generators for steam generation and the steam pipes needed to send the steam to the new autoclaves will be installed. Once the generators and autoclaves arrive at the CRF, Dr. Godfrey and Mr. Daniel Goodwin will coordinate with Steris Corporation to deinstall the existing autoclaves and install the new autoclaves and generators. UC-Davis Facilities Management will assist in disconnecting the steam, plumbing, and electrical systems from the existing autoclaves. Once Steris Corporation installs the new generators and autoclaves, Facilities Management will assist by connecting the necessary physical systems to the new generators and autoclaves. Once in place, Steris Corporation can conduct any necessary testing. The USDA officer will also be informed of each step in the deinstall and install process and be invited to visit the site at any time. Once installed, Dr. Godfrey will invite the USDA officer to inspect the new autoclaves. The location of the steam generators was chosen because it would allow for running plumbing and steam pipes and conduit for electrical wires without breaching walls or ceilings in BSL3-P parts of the building. The autoclave doors to access the new autoclaves on the quarantine side will fit into the autoclave existing wall without the need of piercing a BSL3-P wall, thereby maintaining quarantine. PI Dr. Joanna Chiu will oversee the execution of the project, while Dr. Godfrey and Mr. Daniel Goodwin will supervise the day-to-day operations on site.