DEPARTMENT: Parks and Recreation
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Xavier D. Urrutia
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
Edwards Aquifer Protection Program - Demonstration Projects
SUMMARY:
This ordinance authorizes funding agreements with Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance (GEAA) in an amount not to exceed $351,474.00, and the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) in an amount not to exceed $692,452.00, for water quality demonstration projects under the Proposition 1 Edwards Aquifer Protection Program for a period of three (3) years. This ordinance also authorizes the execution of necessary documents by the Director of Parks and Recreation.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
In May 2015, voters renewed for the third time the Proposition 1 Edwards Aquifer Protection Program, funded through a portion of a 1/8-cent sales tax in the amount of $100 million. Previous elections set the initiative at $90 million and included Edwards Aquifer protection efforts beyond Bexar County. The current voter-approved program includes $10 million dedicated for aquifer water quality projects within urbanized areas of Bexar County over the recharge and contributing zones of the Edwards Aquifer. These projects have come to be known as “demonstration projects” which the City is pioneering in coordination with San Antonio River Authority, Edwards Aquifer Authority and San Antonio Water System. A solicitation ran from January through March 2017 and yielded four (4) demonstration project submissions. The two highest ranking projects were considered under two categories: New Construction/Retrofit (Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance) and Research/Data (University of Texas at San Antonio) and were selected and endorsed for recommendation to City Council by the Conservation Advisory Board on May 31, 2017.
The Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance (GEAA) demonstration project was selected for the New Construction/Retrofit category. GEAA will construct a Stormwater Control Measure (SCM) on privately owned property within a northern San Antonio neighborhood which will remove pollutants from stormwater runoff and improve the quality of water recharging into the Edwards Aquifer via Lorence Creek. Collected monitoring data will characterize pollutant loads from the adjacent residential neighborhood and the SCM feature will educate homeowners, students and other volunteers which will participate in the project.
The GEAA agreement will be executed in compliance with the Small Business Economic Development Advocacy (SBEDA) Program, which requires contracts be reviewed by a Goal Setting Committee to establish a requirement and/or incentive unique to the particular contract in an effort to maximize the amount of small, minority, and women-owned business participation on the contract. The Goal Setting Committee set a 29% Minority/Women Business Enterprise (M/WBE) subcontracting goal to the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance contract. Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance has committed to 29% Minority, Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) subcontractor participation.
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) demonstration project was selected for the New Research/Data category. This project will collect samples at the microbial level from locations over the recharge and contributing zones, report out on the sources of fecal pollution, and recommend best management practices to mitigate the sources of fecal pollution. In partnership with Cibolo Nature Center, UTSA will facilitate education and public outreach activities regarding pollution sources as well as offer homeowner education modules and UTSA Civil & Environmental Education Department course work on the impact of septic tanks, domestic pet waste, urban wildlife populations and household wells on aquifer water quality.
The Small Business Economic Development Advocacy (SBEDA) Ordinance requirements for UTSA were waived due to the lack of small, minority, and/or women businesses available to provide these goods and services.
In April 2016, the City entered into an interlocal agreement (ILA) with the San Antonio River Authority (SARA) to serve as project manager for the $10 million “demonstration project” component of the Edwards Aquifer Protection Program. As project manager SARA convened stakeholder meetings to assess demonstration project needs and define its scope. Through this process SARA created a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), comprised of key industry experts, City staff, and representatives from both the development and conservation communities. Once convened, the TAC created the scoring tool used to assess project submissions. An eligible project includes those projects that address and improve water quality in developed areas that do not meet current Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) standards. Funding for projects will cover only the cost of implementing Best Management Practices (BMPs) for storm water analysis that exceeds minimum TCEQ permit requirements. Projects must accommodate collection of pre- and post-construction storm water monitoring (SWM) data. Projects may also be research based and should assess major threats to groundwater quality; develop specific BMP long-term performance and life cycle costs; forecast regional impacts of urban development on groundwater quality; and/or evaluate the effectiveness of BMP innovations in preventing pollution of groundwater.
ISSUE:
This ordinance authorizes the execution of these funding agreements in amounts not to exceed $351,474.00 to GEAA and $692,452.00 to UTSA for water quality demonstration projects for the Edwards Aquifer Protection Program, a Proposition 1 Edwards Aquifer Protection Venue funded Project as approved by voters in May 2015.
ALTERNATIVES:
City Council could choose not to authorize the execution of these agreements in lieu of considering future project submissions through SARA’s open solicitation process which allows projects to be submitted year round and reviewed on a quarterly basis. However, this would delay implementation of the initial phase of projects and may result in increased costs for similar projects.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This ordinance authorizes funding agreements with Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance (GEAA) in an amount not to exceed $351,474.00, and the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) in an amount not to exceed $692,452.00, for water quality demonstration projects under the Proposition 1 Edwards Aquifer Protection Program for a period of three (3) years. This is a total fiscal impact of $1,043,926.00 to be used for the implementation of the two aquifer protection projects described herein. Funds for these projects are available within the FY 2017 Adopted Capital Budget, funded through the Proposition 1 Edward’s Aquifer - 2015 Venue.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of these water quality demonstration projects under the Proposition 1 Edwards Aquifer Protection Venue Project.