REQUEST FOR DECISION
DATE: August 20, 2018 Report No. EPW-18-027
TO: Laurie Hurst, Chief Administrative Officer
FROM: Jeff Miller, Director of Engineering and Public Works
SUBJECT:
Title
Council Resolution for Funding Request from Canada Infrastructure Program, Green Infrastructure - Environmental Quality Sub-Stream
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
That Council resolve to support the submission to Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program - Green Infrastructure: Environmental Quality Sub-Stream funding application for the Storm Water Quality Improvement Project with a commitment to approve budgetary funding up to $270,000 within the next three years for the completion of the Project.
Body
RELEVANT POLICY:
Not Applicable
STRATEGIC RELEVANCE:
Well Managed and Well Maintained Infrastructure
BACKGROUND:
In 2018, the Federal and Provincial Governments introduced the Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP), which funding program includes the Green Infrastructure - Environmental Quality Sub-Stream. The purpose of the sub-stream is to provide a frame work for funding that will support quality and management improvements to potable water, wastewater and storm water.
Each level of government is required to provide a portion of the funding. The breakdown is as follows:
• Federal - 40%
• Provincial - 33.33%
• Municipal - 26.67%
Engineering and Public Works have identified a potential project in order to gain access to this funding. This project would meet the objectives of increased capacity to treat and/or mange storm water, and would lower the impact of storm water on receiving water bodies. The scope of the project would be the design, construction and operation of potentially three storm water oil/water/grit separators (OWGS). These would either be prefabricated structures or cast in place depending on the results of detailed engineering. The potential locations for these OWGS are:
• Catchment 1 - Westbay (outfall 0781)
• Catchment 2 - Gorge Creek
• Catchment 3 - Yarrow (outfall 0726)
See attachment A for locations of the drainage basins.
Catchments 1 and 2 represent the majority of storm water management within the Township. Catchment 3 represents a small portion of the overall Township catchment but does include the majority of the Songhees Catchment between the Golf Course, Admirals Road and Craigflower Road. It will also support a significant portion of the Admirals Road Catchment within View Royal.
The funding request must be submitted by August 29, 2018. Approval of funding would occur in early 2019. The project has to be completed no later than five to six years following approval.
ISSUES:
1. Rationale for Selected Option
It is staff’s recommendation that Council approve a resolution of support in order to meet one of the application requirements.
If funding is granted, this project would provide the Township increased capacity to control, monitor and mitigate spills, suspended soil particles, fecal matter and larger garbage components that are found in storm water. By managing these contaminates, the impact will be reduced on receiving water bodies including the Gorge Waterway and Westbay. These structures will also help control the contamination that occurs during the first flush of a storm event. The structures will also provide safe and easily accessible locations for Engineering and Public Works staff to monitor storm water quality.
2. Organizational Implications
Staff has retained a consultant to assist in the preparation of the application. Once the application is approved, staff will incorporate this project into the budget process and their work plans for the appropriate budget year. Staff’s focus would be on overall project management with a consultant being responsible for the design, tendering and construction management of the project.
Once the structures are operational, a maintenance program will be developed in order to keep them at high operational efficiency. This will include monitoring and cleaning.
3. Financial Implications
The budget for the project would be in the range of $800,000 to $1,000,000. At this time the consultant is finalizing a detailed cost estimate based on a preliminary design for the project submission.
If a project budget of $1,000,000 is assumed, the breakdown of costs for the funding partners would be:
• Federal - $400,000
• Provincial - $333,300
• Township - $266,700
Engineering and Public Works have held discussions with Finance about the availability of funding for the Township’s portion of the project. This level of funding would be achievable in the 2019 budget or a subsequent budget cycle.
There will be an impact on the operational budget once the project was completed with a minor increase in the storm water accounts for maintenance, cleaning and monitoring.
4. Sustainability & Environmental Implications
The proposed project will provide the Township with engineered structures that will remove contaminates from the storm water collection system. Contaminates range from sand/grit, fecal matter, hydrocarbons and solid waste items. By removing these components from the storm water flow, the impact on the quality of the receiving water body will be substantially lowered, resulting in improved water quality encouraging growth of natural flora and fauna.
These structures will also provide a capture mechanism which will help contain and mitigate spills that occur with no advance warning. The structures have storage capacity that will contain spills and allow for reaction from the Township when these contaminates occur within the collection system as opposed to the receiving body.
5. Communication & Engagement
Staff has been in communication with their counterparts in the Town of View Royal and the leadership of the Songhees First Nation to inform them of the Project. This engagement has included gathering information and potential letter of support from the Songhees First Nation.
Once the project has been approved, the Township will provide information to these administrations as well as other stakeholders on the nature of the project, timelines, etc. This information will be posted the Township’s website, other social media and the newsletter as the project moves forward.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. That Council resolves to support the submission to Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program - Green Infrastructure: Environmental Quality Sub-Stream funding application for the Storm Water Quality Improvement Project with a commitment to approve budgetary funding up to $270,000 within the next three years for the completion of the Project.
2. That Council directs staff not to submit the Project to the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program - Green Infrastructure: Environmental Quality Sub-Stream and that no commitment for budgetary funding be made for the Project.