SUBJECT: Approve an Ordinance for a Joint Funding Agreement with the United States Geological Survey for water resource investigation and monitoring.
RECOMMENDATION: (Summary) Adopt an ordinance for a Joint Funding Agreement with the United States Geological Survey for water resource investigation and monitoring.
PREVIOUS HISTORY AND SCOPE: City Council approved the previous funding agreement on August 11, 2015, Ordinance No. 2015-0760. This agreement approved 12 months of ongoing water resource investigation and monitoring from July 01, 2015 to June 30, 2016.
SPECIFIC EXPLANATION: It is requested that City Council approve a Joint Funding Agreement between the City of Houston and the Geological Survey Division of the United States Department of the Interior (USGS). This Agreement will provide for continuation of ongoing services for analysis and monitoring of the City’s surface water supply, monitoring for the presence of naturally occurring contaminants in our groundwater wells and the monitoring and analysis of streams and bayous that are affected by our wastewater treatment plant discharges. Under the agreement, USGS will provide approximately 30% of the cost of the services provided to the City.
This is a 12 month agreement from July 01, 2016 to June 30, 2017. This agreement is shared between the Drinking Water Operations and Wastewater Operations Branches. Scientific work conducted for the Drinking Water Operations Branch includes source water and ground water monitoring for water quality and long term supply issues. This work is supplemented by Drinking Water Operations personnel collecting and analyzing samples for routine parameters, while the USGS laboratory analyzes for those parameters which cannot be analyzed in-house. They also provide expert technical analysis of sample data collected to assist operations.
The Wastewater Operations Branch utilizes the USGS to conduct wet and dry weather sampling at seven in-stream sites for fecal coliform, E. Coli, streptococci, pH, temperature, conductance, dissolved oxygen, metals, discharge, and carbonaceous biological oxygen demand for permit compliance demonstration per agreement.
“Funding for this item is included in the FY17 Adopted Budget. Therefore, no Fiscal Note is required as stated in the Financial Policy Ord. 2014-1078”.