ITEM TITLE:
Approval to Enter Into a Feasibility Cost Sharing Agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a Section 22 Planning Assistance to States (PAS) Study
SUBMITTED BY: AnnMarie Lain, Certified Floodplain Manager
FISCAL NOTES:
Expenditure Required: $100,000.00
Unencumbered Balance: $2,531,238.00
Funding Source: 310-8060-58000 (Flood Mitigation CIP Account)
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve authorization to enter into a Feasibility Cost Sharing Agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a Section 22 Planning Assistance to States (PAS) Study.
SUMMARY STATEMENT:
In 2016 the Mayor’s Flood Task Force met with representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska District to seek solutions to the City of Valdez’s flooding and erosion concerns. It is the recommendation of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska District to move forward with a community-wide flood and erosion assessment study that would incorporate the Lowe River, Valdez Glacier Stream, and Mineral Creek via a Planning Assistance to States (PAS) study.
The City must submit a letter of intent to enter into the Feasibility Cost Sharing Agreement for the PAS study along with a copy of this approval. The letter of intent is attached for your review.
The PAS study will assess the threats to current infrastructure, review existing data, identify critical data gaps, and collect data to fill these gaps where possible. Their analyses will assess the level of threat along each waterway and identify appropriate responses and discuss their likelihood for success. The intent is that this information will be of help to the City in prioritizing their resources to address the multiple flood threats in Valdez.
The study is estimated to cost $200,000. The study will be cost shared at 50/50; the non-Federal share of the $200,000 is $100,000. The non-Federal share can be provided in cash and/or work-in-kind services. Match funding for the PAS study was included as part of the Flood Mitigation CIP budget for 2017. Staff is asking for authorization to expend up to $100,000 in match funding, but will make every effort to maximize in-kind match to reduce the required cash expenditure.
The Mayors Flood Task Force met on January 23rd to discuss the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska District recommendations for the City of Valdez. It is the recommendation of the Mayors Flood Task Force to approve entering into a Feasibility Cost Sharing Agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a Section 22 Planning Assistance to States (PAS) Study.
Staff has attached a fact sheet to provide more detail on the scope, authority, and funding of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Section 22 Planning Assistance to State and Tribes Program. Staff has also attached the 2011 Seward Alaska PAS Flood Risk Management study. The Seward study is an example of the type of deliverable Valdez will receive at the completion of this project.
Please note, entering into this program is one of many concurrent flood mitigation options being used. City Administration and the Flood Task Force will still be moving forward as expeditiously as possible with known flood mitigation projects this year and beyond. This is an opportunity to obtain federal funding for a full assessment of flood issues in Valdez.