TRANSMITTAL LETTER FOR BOARD MEETING OF JANUARY 19, 2017
COMMITTEE ON PROCUREMENT
Mr. David St. Pierre, Executive Director
Title
Issue a purchase order and enter into an agreement with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for Contract 16-838-5C Watershed Specific Release Rate Study, Phase II for the Illinois State Water Survey to conduct Phase II of a Watershed Specific Release Rate Study for the Watershed Management Ordinance in an amount not to exceed $679,303.00, Account 501-50000-612440, Requisition 1453760
Body
Dear Sir:
Authorization is requested to issue a purchase order and enter into an agreement with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (U of I) for Contract 16-838-5C Watershed Specific Release Rate Study, Phase II for the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) to conduct Phase II of a Watershed Specific Release Rate Study for the Watershed Management Ordinance (WMO).
This study will be conducted under the auspices of the Master Agreement between U of I and the District, authorized by the Board of Commissioners at the Board Meeting of September 19, 2002, and amended to extend the termination date by the Board of Commissioners at the Board Meetings of October 16, 2003, May 3, 2007, December 16, 2010, March 15, 2012 and August 6, 2015.
The purpose of the Master Agreement is to allow the District to directly take advantage of the expertise offered by U of I. ISWS is one of the five Prairie Research Institute state scientific surveys formed as a group under the auspices of U of I. Per Section 504.3 of the WMO, the current allowable release rate for stormwater detention is 0.30 cfs/acre of development for a 100-year storm event throughout the County’s six watershed areas. This will change on May 1, 2019, to watershed specific release rates which will not be less than 0.15 cfs/acre of development for a 100-year storm event. To determine watershed specific release rates, hydrologic and hydraulic models are used to simulate future impacts of changing land use while simultaneously accounting for the stormwater mitigation provided by the WMO.
The entire Watershed Specific Release Rate study is comprised of two phases. Phase I, which ISWS has completed, evaluated two pilot study areas, the East and West Branches of Stony Creek in the Calumet-Sag watershed and Upper Salt Creek watershed. Based on the Phase I study, the recommended release rates for the Stony Creek sub-watershed and Upper Salt Creek watershed are 0.3 cfs/acre and 0.25 cfs/acre respectively. These were selected based on criteria to minimize the increase in future flood levels.
The Phase II scope of work will use the same methodology as Phase I and will include analysis of the remaining watersheds within the county. The impact of release rates for future development will be evaluated by comparing future scenario results to the established Detailed Watershed Plan base models. Release rates that meet the objectives of mitigating increases in peak flood levels will be identified for each watershed. Additionally, the 0.3 cfs/acre release rate for the Calumet-Sag watershed will be verified in Phase II by evaluating an additional sub-watershed. The 0.25 cfs/acre release rate for the Upper Salt Creek watershed will also be confirmed by incorporating operational data for the gates at Busse Woods Reservoir.
The time to establish Phase II watershed specific release rates for the remaining watersheds is two years, four months, which includes completion of the study and stakeholder outreach efforts. ISWS has submitted a proposal in the amount of $679,303.00 to perform the Phase II study and provide support to the District during stakeholder outreach and public review efforts. The Engineering Department reviewed the proposal and found it to be acceptable.
Since the services to be provided are professional in nature, and the aforementioned university is reputable, it is recommended that the purchase order be issued without advertising, as per Section 11.4 of the Purchasing Act.
In view of the foregoing, it is recommended that the Director of Procurement and Materials Management be authorized to issue a purchase order to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, in an amount not to exceed $679,303.00.
Funds for the 2017 expenditure, in the amount of $300,000.00, are available in Account 501-50000-612440. The expected expenditure for 2018 is $300,000.00 and for 2019 is $79,303.00 and are both contingent on the Board of Commissioners’ approval of the District’s budget for that year.
Requested, Catherine A. O’Connor, Director of Engineering, WSS:JK
Recommended, Darlene A. LoCascio, Director of Procurement and Materials Management
Respectfully Submitted, Barbara J. McGowan, Chairman Committee on Procurement
Disposition of this agenda item will be documented in the official Regular Board Meeting Minutes of the Board of Commissioners for January 19, 2017