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U.S. EPA Urban Waters Small Grant Application Copyright 2014 City of Dubuque Consent Items # 24. ITEM TITLE: U.S. EPA Urban Waters Small Grant Application SUMMARY: City Manager recommending approval of an application for U.S. EPA Urban Waters Small Grant in order to secure funding to identify the source of the E. coli bacteria found in the Bee Branch Creek and establishing the City Manager as an authorized representative of the City regarding the grant. RESOLUTION Approving an application for water monitoring and establishing the City Manager as an authorized representative regarding the agreement between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the City of Dubuque, Iowa for Urban Waters Small Grant SUGGESTED DISPOSITION: Suggested Disposition: Receive and File; Adopt Resolution(s) ATTACHMENTS: Description Type ❑ US EPA Urban Waters Small Grant-MVM Memo City Manager Memo ❑ Staff Memo Staff Memo ❑ Attachment A-Sampling Locations Supporting Documentation ❑ Attachment B-E coli Testing, Bee Branch Supporting Documentation ❑ IDNR Sampling Supporting Documentation ❑ Resolution Resolutions THE CITY OF Dubuque UBE I erica .i Masterpiece on the Mississippi 2007-2012-2013 TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager SUBJECT: US EPA Urban Waters Small Grant DATE: November 30, 2015 City Engineer Gus Psihoyos recommends City Council approval of an application for US EPA Urban Waters Small Grant in order to secure funding to identify the source of the E. coli bacteria found in the Bee Branch Creek and establishing the City Manager as an authorized representative of the City regarding the grant. I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council approval. Micliael C. Van Milligen MCVM:jh Attachment cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager Gus Psihoyos, City Engineer THE CITY OF Dubuque AII-Ame1 rica City DUBgkE r Masterpiece on the Mississippi 2007.2012.2013 TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager FROM: Gus Psihoyos, City Engineer DATE: December 3, 2015 SUBJECT: US EPA Urban Waters Small Grant for Bee Branch Creek INTRODUCTION The purpose of this memorandum is to seek authorization to apply for the US EPA Urban Waters Small Grant in order to expand the City's E. coli bacteria monitoring in the Bee Branch Creek. BACKGROUND Bacteria are single-celled organisms that are the most numerous organisms on earth. They are microscopic in size; over five million could be placed on the head of a pin. Escherichia coli (E. coli) is one subgroup of fecal coliform bacteria which is bacteria that lives in the intestinal tract of warm-blooded animals and originates from animal and human waste. The EPA considers E. coli testing as one of the best indicators for the presence of potentially harmful bacteria. While the presence of E. coli does not establish if there are harmful bacteria, it has proven to be an easy and economical method for assessing the likelihood of human health risks due to bacterial in surface waters. Measuring the presence and the levels of E. coli in a stream do not give an indication of the source of the bacteria. But it is the first step in investigating the watershed for potential sources. Common sources of E. coli Bacteria in water can originate from the intestinal tracts of both humans and other warm-blooded animals, i.e. pets, livestock, and wildlife. Animal sources of fecal coliform bacteria include manure spread on land, livestock in runoff or in streams, improperly disposed farm animal wastes, pet wastes (dogs and cats), wildlife (deer, elk, raccoons, etc.), and birds (geese, pigeons, ducks, gulls, etc.). Human sources include failing septic tanks, leaking sewer lines, and urban storm water runoff. The USEPA recommended standards for E. coli in fresh water bodies for various uses is shown below. The statewide standard in Iowa was set to match the acceptable limits for swimming. Designated Moderate Light Swimming Infrequent Swimming Area Swimming Area Area Swimming Area E. coli (CFU/100mL) 235 298 410 576 Even with good watershed management measures, there will always be fecal material in the environment and the presence of E. coli in surface waters. DISCUSSION Bee Branch E.coli Monitoring Bee Branch E.coli monitoring was done back in 2012 and 2013 as part of the City's effort to understand the water quality of creeks within the City potentially impacted by stormwater runoff as required by the City's NPDES permit. The monitoring followed the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) IOWATER protocol which involves a rudimentary but effective means to determine the presence of E.coli and roughly to what extent. A similar effort was undertaken in the Catfish Creek. But in contrast, the E.coli monitoring done on the Catfish Creek was funded through a partnership with the Soil and Water Conservation District that allowed more sophisticated, more expensive testing such as utilizing a State of Iowa certified hygienic lab following a Quality Assurance Project Plan. As a result, the Catfish Creek results can be thought to be more reliable. In the case of the Catfish Creek, a mostly rural watershed and as reported in the Catfish Creek Watershed Management Plan, some E. coli counts at the Mines of Spain exceeded 24,000 CFU/100mL, 100 times over the statewide standard of 235 CFU/100mL. The E. coli monitoring in the Bee Branch consisted of collecting grab samples at four locations along the Bee Branch: just downstream of the Carter Road Detention Basin (1), at the Carter Road and W. 32nd Street intersection (2), at the W. 32nd Street Detention Basin (3), and at the 16th Street Detention Basin (4). See Attachment A. The samples were then kept in a Styrofoam box in an attempt to keep them at a constant temperature of around 90 degrees for 48 hours. E. coli were then placed in a petri dish and counted. The results are shown in Attachment B. The presence of E. coli was not unexpected. According to the IDNR, E. coli has been detected across the state in 75% of all water quality samples they have collected since 2000 with counts as high as 920,000 CFU/100mL. Due to the nature of the test, the variability of the results was also expected. Some samples showed E. coli in excess of the statewide standard while others collected at the same location tested below the statewide standard. Because of the variability inherent in the testing, each sample is tested three times and an average is reported. Some samples (see samples 5, 7, 11 , 13, etc.) tested both above and below the statewide standard. While the average E. coli was found above the 235 CFU/100mL for eleven of the sixteen samples, more than half (nine of the sixteen) showed average counts below the limits recommended by the EPA for "infrequent swimming area". In the case of the samples collected at the Carter Rd Detention Basin, further testing indicated that the elevated E. coli counts could have been caused by a leaking sanitary sewer which was subsequently lined eliminating it as a potential source. All of the samples collected and tested were downstream of the lined sanitary sewer. Three of the 2 four samples taken at the W. 32nd Street Detention Basin were below the limits recommended by the EPA for an "infrequent swimming area." Two of the four samples taken from the Lower Bee Branch Creek at the 16th Street Detention Basin were below the limits recommended by the EPA for "infrequent swimming area." Additional E. coli monitoring planned for 2016 will help verify if the sewer was the source or if the E. coil is from wildlife living within the wooded detention basin. US EPA Urban Waters Small Grant Application Sophisticated tests have been developed that use DNA markers to determine the source of bacteria (i.e. bird, raccoon, deer, human, etc.). The US EPA Urban Waters Small Grant is an excellent opportunity to secure funding for the testing. The grant also focuses on underserved communities, which ties in to the location of the Bee Branch Creek day-lighting project. The testing effort proposed is $50,198. This includes a cost share match of$9,868 which can be in-kind labor costs, including volunteers. Federal dollars for this project include only material items, such as shipping samples to the lab, lab costs for analysis, and public educational flyers. Costs for lab have been determined to be the lowest available. The one in-person conference will be paid for as part of the cost share match. The cost breakdown is as follows: EPA Funding Cost Share / Match 3 Volunteer Staff @ 80 hrs. major activities $2,400.00 8 Volunteer Staff @ 40 hrs. (monitoring + mt $3,200.00 Project Manager @ 80 hrs. $2,360.00 Project Manager Fringe Benefits $708.00 Bacteria Source Testing $36,750.00 Sample Shipping $1 ,080.00 Public Educational Materials $2,500.00 Travel Expenses for In-Person Conference $1 ,200.00 Totals $40,330.00 $9,868.00 Total Grant Amount Including Cost Share $50,198.00 If successful, the timeline of the grant would be as follows: • September 2016 - assemble for a kickoff meeting ; • September 2016 to April 2017 —attend the Learning Network conference call; • October 2016 to April 2017 —attend two online training webinars; • May / June 2017 — attend the in-person Urban Waters Learning Network training session; • May 2017 to August 2017 —collect samples and send to lab for analysis; and • August 2017 to October 2017 — assemble to discuss lab results and identify the potential need for future projects to address bacteria reduction. 3 REQUESTED ACTION I respectfully request adoption of the attached Resolution approving an application for a US EPA Urban Waters Small Grant in order to secure funding to identify the source of the E. coli bacteria found in the Bee Branch Creek and establishing the City Manager as an authorized representative of the City regarding the grant. Attach. Prepared by Deron Muehring Cc: Denise Ihrig, Environmental Engineer Deron Muehring, Civil Engineer Dean Mattoon, Engineering Technician 4 Exhibit A UA Bee Branch Water Quality Testing Locations app In I IT is �IIIII��� rte. ,�� ��, =-• � 74 1 inch :00 feet w _► ATTACHMENT B Bee Branch E. coli Monitoring Results Total Average Map Test 1 Ecoli Test 2 Ecoli Test 3 Ecoli Ecoli Location Sample Date Weather (CFU/100mL) (CFU/100mL) (CFU/100mL) (CFU/100mL) Location Description Number 1 6/5 Partly Sunny 3200 3400 1400 2667 Carter Rd Det. 1 2 7/2 Sunny 1400 800 800 1000 Carter Rd Det. 1 3 7/30 Partly Sunny 2200 1200 1400 1600 Carter Rd Det. 1 4 4/24 Sunny 0 0 100 33 Carter Rd Det. 1 5 6/6 Sunny 800 600 200 533 Carter and 32nd 2 6 7/2 Sunny 400 1800 600 933 Carter and 32nd 2 7 7/30 Partly Sunny 200 600 600 467 Carter and 32nd 2 8 4/24 Sunny 0 0 0 0 Carter and 32nd 2 9 6/6 Sunny 0 0 0 0 W.32nd St. Det. Basin 3 10 7/2 Sunny 2000 2000 2000 2000 W.32nd St. Det. Basin 3 11 7/30 Partly Sunny 400 200 200 267 W.32nd St. Det. Basin 3 12 4/24 Sunny 0 0 0 0 W.32nd St. Det. Basin 3 13 6/6 Sunny 400 200 200 267 16th St Det. Basin 4 14 7/2 Sunny 0 0 0 0 16th St Det. Basin 4 15 7/30 Partly Sunny 2000 1000 1000 1333 16th St Det. Basin 4 16 4/24 Sunny 1000 1800 2000 1600 16th St Det. Basin 4 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES LEADING IOWANS IN CARING FOR OUR NATURAL RESOURCES CHUCK GIPP, DBECTDR I BRUCE TmuUuy AN, DEPUTY DIRECTOR Stream Water Quality Summary 2000-2014* Numbard Palmeri Wafer Quali Paremebr Unns Sm s Manuel. tam 25te Soft min 4M Max VYue Aserm rr'1 8,821 -0.1 <0.1 ea1 <0.1 W.1 0ill 11 Aachmrn' 662] <01 <01 m.1 <al M.1 m.1 2 Ammores(as N) 13,"6 <01 <0.1 <0] <GA <0.1 0.16 5l Atrimmi 8.82] -0.1 <A 61 <0.1 W.1 0.80 53 Bu al 6.621 <.1 <0.1 4.1 •0.1 <d 4.1 <.1 Camonawwe llOo is day) 13,208 12 <2 <2 12 2 4 30 Chloride 127" <1 11 Is 22 29 40 160 Chloro1.882 <1 <1 3 10 37 110 820 Chlorophyll bpr 1828 a <1 a <t <t 2 70 Chloro 4.18] -1 <1 <1 <1 2 9 86 Chlorophyll heed nee n n 6,8]5 05 2 4 10 28 70 Sia Carteded Chl la eases <1 2 5 13 43 1ffi BW C n It'l l <0.1 <0.1 <] <0.1 <0.1 <,1 1S Deem ner'1 li <01 <0.1 m.1 <0.1 <.1 <.1 0" Ce rola6mirme. .3.627 41i 40A m1 <.1 -a', 0.14 2.6 D'Im ihenmra"I 6194 <0.1 <o.t <.1 <0.1 <.1 <.1 3A Dia..Orm mere rsP 13.3% <61 <0.1 <a ri 0.15 on 93 Dlaaoleedo en mi 13,581 0.1 1.1 9.E 10A 126 11A 21 CCCJI Gael CF0110am1 13,131 elo <10 w 110 380 1800 920,000 Field Hmite 136]1 5 ]B 8 BR BA 6.5 108 FidJ Tem lore Carl 13 am 0 0.1 18 11.9 208 244 843 Flow CF6 11,658 �i 25 98 350 1300 3600 81,000 Memlacnlml^ E,.7 <01 <01 m1 m1 <01 03 zs Memdutlna' e,.7 <01 <01 <e <1 <1 <1 1s Niaalo�NiNte(a.N) m L 13"8 <01 0] 28 5A iB 11 38 Ph 1.826 �1 0.5 1 3 8 18 201 6111ce'a n m L 630.3 <t OB B.B 18 1] 21 180 Sirne7Fa^' 6.816 <0.1 <.1 <,1 <.1 <.1 <,1 20 Salerno Conduclanwr4 MYun 58]4 120 4S 510 820 I20 830 1]00 6uBate myL 4,150 <i 10 25 38 at 100 410 Tobi plaadvetl 5dltls m L 13,411 4 250 300 360 490 510 9.880 Tolel Herdreaa(ea CeCOa) m L 13,221 3 200 240 300 350 410 820 Teral Ki Ni m L t3 M6 <.i 03 OS pA f3 19 2B Tonal phosphorus a m L 4,"] 10.1 <01 0.11 0.19 C32 055 26 Toml 6uanandod 6olko m L 13.145 0.5 4 9 31 79 190 17,000 Tdflumlinl'r 8627 <01 rat <.1 <.1 <01 <.1 035 TUNidi NN 13,3% <1 2.5 54 16 37 66 5500 ug/t-micrograms nor liter]parts per Millon] • Includes only monthly samples for all stream sites milli.-milligrams per liter(el per million) •'Provislprml tlabfrom the V.S.Geologlwl5urvey CFU/100 ml-Colon,Forming Units per Soo milliliters of,eater CFS-Cubic Feet per Second(h'/sec) 'Sampling dlswnEnued in 2005 pmhos/cm-micmmhos per commuter 'Sampling discontinued in 20CB NTU-Nephelametrk Terblilty Units;Din.-Dill 'Sampling disonenuetlin lo09 <-less than detectionlimitshim,600-Bidogicai Oxygen Demand r sampling resumed May20Seprougthmugh May2013; amplingrezumetl May 2012 through July 2011 Raw data are auailahlethrough ASTORETat Mrpm//pm,mm&.lowadnr.gov/ Acal of 80 stream sites were Sampled monthly[win IND - iasmret/ M2.84 sites from 2003-2006.Number of dies sampled from Note:This summary differs from previous summaries in[hrt it Doty Augl 200"Med from 75 to 83.A=al of 75 it..sites IndudnmonNlytlaw for stream situ monllorgtlasin thet of then[, weresampledmonthlyfromJan Mol-5ept2o10. He., monthly network.Previous summaries included momhiy,event,and netdue fully lohWgetored Serat lnisthepetwm0.A dream of 81 speates re other available data for these sites.Additional stream sites throughout sites sampled month00hererco0910 thun 11 ;75 from Iowa are also monitored,but are not included in thk summary,since zinc 2012 through han 014;74 sites Octm Feb 20:14,78 their sampling frequency and parameters vary from the antl network. 1d2o12,60in Jan 2014;)4sites IromFehdug 2014;)8 in Sep 20]4;fi0 in Get&Nov;and 62 in Oet. WWW.IOWADNR.GOV @% RESOLUTION NO. 415-15 RESOLUTION APPROVING AN APPLICATION FOR WATER MONITORING AND ESTABLISHING THE CITY MANAGER AS AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE REGARDING THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY AND THE CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA FOR A URBAN WATERS SMALL GRANT Whereas, urban stormwater pollution is a common threat to any urban stream; and Whereas, the US EPA has announced a funding opportunity for urban waters; and Whereas, identifying the source of bacteria can help to determine appropriate best management practices. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA, THAT: Section 1. The Mayor is authorized to sign and submit an application to the EPA for monitoring bacteria within the Bee Branch Creek. Section 2. The City Manager is hereby authorized to act as an authorized representative on the Environmental Protection Agency grant agreement and may execute any documents required by the agreement as the Environmental Protection Agency may reasonably request. Passed, approved and adopted this 7th day of December, 2015. Attest: Kevin (S.'Firnstahl, oityblerk nn V. Sutton, Mayor Pro -Tem