City Council Meeting Date: February 4, 2020
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator
From: Sean Simonson, Engineering Manager
Cole Johnson, Water Quality Technician
Title
Consider Approving the Contract with Cannon River Water Partnership.
Body
Action Requested:
Northfield City Council adopts a Motion approving the attached contract with the Cannon River Water Partnership (CRWP) and authorizes the Mayor & City Clerk to sign the contract.
Summary Report:
The City of Northfield is authorized to discharge stormwater associated with the small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) permit under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). Under the provisions of the NPDES stormwater permit, the City has developed a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) approved Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP). This SWPPP includes implementation and reporting activities identified in the SWPPP as “Best Management Practices” or BMP’s. Included among these BMP’s are six (6) Minimum Control Measures (MCM’s) the permittee (City of Northfield) must incorporate into the SWPPP, MCM (1), Public Education and Outreach, and MCM (2), Public Participation/Involvement.
Both MCM 1 and MCM 2 are aimed at informing residents, businesses, and industries in Northfield of measures that can be taken to reduce the volume of stormwater and stormwater related pollutants loading to area waters. The City has contracted with the Cannon River Watershed Partnership since 2013 to assist with these conditions of the permit.
The proposed contract is a 1-year contract for the 2020 calendar year. CRWP activities are listed in Exhibit 1 of the proposed contract (Attachment 1). Notable changes to the 2020 Contract include expanded stormwater pollution prevention education and outreach for the K-12 Schools in Northfield and the addition of stormwater/clean water education in conjunction with the Books and Stars summer program.
Alternative Options:
The City could manage this program with in-house staff, which would take staff time away from the four (4) remaining MCM’s that were found to be lacking as part of the 2014 MPCA Audit. Staff is not recommending this approach.
Financial Impacts:
The cost for the contracted service is $11,700 for the 2020 calendar year. The funding is included in the 2020 stormwater-operating budget.
Tentative Timelines:
With the approval of the contract, activities will be on going throughout the 2020 contract term.