SUBJECT:
Approval of payment for the 2019 Membership Dues to the Water Research Foundation.
RECOMMENDATION: (SUMMARY)
City council to approve to pay the 2019 Membership Dues to the Water Research Foundation.
SPECIFIC EXPLANATION:
BACKGROUND: The Water Research Foundation (WRF) is a member-supported, international nonprofit 201(c)3 organization formed in 1966, that funds, manages and publishes research on the technology, operation, and management of drinking water, wastewater, reuse and stormwater collection, treatment and supply systems-all in pursuit of ensuring water quality and improving water services to the public.
In past years, the WRF was funded by Houston Water's Drinking Water Operations Branch, while the Waste Water Operations Branch funded the Water Environmental Reuse Foundation (WERF). On January 1, 2018, the WRF integrated with WERF. The integration offers a stronger, broader, more interconnected research agenda with greater value and services to subscribers and funders. The integrated organization (1) provides the water community with access to an expanded collection of water research, (2) leverages funding more successfully, (3) shares a greater knowledge base, and (4) more effectively communicates new results and research needs with federal and state regulators.
PURPOSES: The City of Houston, along with other member utilities, asks Water Research Foundation to solicit research proposals to identify the best available technology, such as granular activated carbon, membrane technology, ion exchange and alternate disinfectants for the removal of contaminants which have been identified as candidates for regulation or which are being proposed for regulation. The foundation also adopts projects that deal with the study of new technologies which could help treatment plants operate more efficiently and economically or for research which could evaluate the risks and/or cost benefits associated with regulating certain contaminants.
The program is international in scope and the results will benefit all water utilities, including the City of Houston and its customers. The primary benefit that they offer to the City of Houston, and to all utility subscribers, is participation in the centralized research program that is directed by and conducted on behalf of the drinking water community.
As a result of the program, the drinking water community has realized savings of millions of dollars annually. The Foundation has demonstrated the value of an industry-sponsored research program that benefits the drinking water community and the customer.
BENEFITS: As a member of the Water Research Foundation, the City of Houston will receive research on today's most complex challenges. With the long list of proposed regulations now facing the water industry in the short term, this membership will continue to play a vital role in ensuring that the City of Houston is ready to meet these regulations in an efficient and timely manner.
DUES: The annual subscription cost is calculated based on the Total Water Produced Per Year, Average Daily Flow, and the Population Served.
Recommend that City Council approve the Houston Public Work's request to pay WRF the invoiced amount of $479,904.14
ESTIMATED FISCAL OPERATING IMPACT:
Funding for this item is included in the FY2019 Adopted Budget. Therefore, no Fiscal Note is required as stated in the Financial Policies.
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Carol Ellinger Haddock, PE
Director
Houston Public Works