Placement: Resolutions
Action Requested: Motion / Vote
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Resolution 21-R101, Authorizing the City Manager to Execute a Grant Agreement with Florida Department of Environmental Protection
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Submitted By: Brad Macek, Utility Systems Director
Strategic Plan Link: The City's Goal of a high-performing city government organization.
Summary Brief (Agreements/Contracts only)
1. Prepared by: John Eason, P.E., Utility Manager
2. Parties: City of Port St. Lucie and Florida Department of Environmental Protection
3. Purpose: St. Lucie River/C-23 Water Quality Project - Areas 5 and 6
4. New/Renewal/Modified: New
5. Duration: Upon execution - June 30, 2024
6. Benefits to Port St. Lucie: To improve the water quality of the North Fork of the St. Lucie River.
7. Cost to Port St. Lucie (Annual and Potential): This is a Federal Grant for $682,164 with a City match of $558,135.
Presentation Information: N/A
Staff Recommendation: Move that the Council complete the motion in the affirmative.
Alternate Recommendations:
1. Move that the Council amend the recommendation and complete the motion in the affirmative.
2. Move that the Council not approve and provide staff with direction.
Background: The City has a number of proactive programs to address water quality degradation in its impaired water bodies. The St. Lucie River is a significant tributary to the southern extension of the Indian River Lagoon. The entire 6-phase McCarty Ranch water farming project will have a total treatment capacity of 17,141 acre-feet annually of water pumped from the C-23 Canal, and the reservoir will hold back approximately 5.5 billion gallons of freshwater discharge annually. Implementing this project will contribute to the goals for an improved and healthy St. Lucie River and Estuary, as there are several rare fish species that rely on a tidal system with a wide range of salinities for one or more phases of their life cycle within the tributaries of the Indian River Lagoon.
Issues/Analysis: This agreement consists of using a 117-acre for water farming and will provide a treatment capacity of 1,685 acre-feet of water annually. The project incorporates retention / infiltration basins to capture a portion of the flow in the C-23 Canal, remove pollutants in a pond-like structure, and infiltrate the stored water directly to the groundwater or return it to the canal with emergency overflow outlets during extreme rain events. Areas 5 and 6 are estimated to reduce nutrient loading from agricultural and urban areas to the canal by 3,059 lb/yr (50%) of total nitrogen, 921 lb/yr (75%) of total phosphorus, and 28,677 lb/yr (75%) of total suspended solids.
Financial Information: The Agreement requires at least a 45% match on the part of the City. Therefore, the City is responsible for providing $558,135 through cash or third party in-kind towards the project funded under this Agreement. The City may claim allowable project expenditures made on October 1, 2020 or after for purposes of meeting its match requirement as identified above. Cost Center 448-3314-563000-00000
Special Consideration: The City will construct an approximately 7-foot tall above-ground embankment, emergency overflow connections, structures, piping, gates, monitoring deck, riprap, hydro seed, and other appurtenances to improve the water quality of the North Fork of the St. Lucie River by reducing the amount of pollutants occurring in the C-23 Canal.
Location of Project: 14175 Range Line Road, north of the C-23 Canal
Attachments: Grant Agreement, Resolution
NOTE: All of the listed items in the “Attachment” section above are in the custody of the City Clerk. Any item(s) not provided in City Council packets are available upon request from the City Clerk.
Internal Reference Number: 6940
Legal Sufficiency Review:
Reviewed by Elizabeth L. Hertz, Deputy City Attorney. Approved as to Legal form and sufficiency by James D. Stokes, City Attorney.