Department
Public Works
Requested Action (Identify appropriate Action or Motion, purpose, cost, timeframe, etc.)
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Request approval of a joint-funding agreement - Department of Public Works with the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) South Atlantic Water Science Center Water Resources Investigations in the amount of $12,500.00 for Year 1; $12,500.00 for Year 2; $13,500.00 for Year 3; $13,500.00 for Year 4; and $14,500.00 for Year 5 as required by the facilities’ NPDES discharge permits. The agreement is effective for five years, from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2031, for a total cost of $66,500.00. (APPROVED)
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Requirement for Board Action (Cite specific Board policy, statute or code requirement)
In accordance with Fulton County Purchasing Code, Section 1-117 and O.C.G.A. § 36-10-1, requests approval of contractual agreements shall be forwarded to the Board of Commissioners for approval.
Strategic Priority Area related to this item (If yes, note strategic priority area below)
Health and Human Services
Commission Districts Affected
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Is this a purchasing item?
No
Summary & Background: As required in the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits issued by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division (EPD), Fulton County is required to monitor the water temperature near where the water reclamation facilities discharge into the Chattahoochee River. USGS requires Fulton County to fund the annual Operation & Maintenance costs for each temperature sensor.
The Department of Public Works currently uses five sensors installed along the Chattahoochee River, which incurs annual costs as follows: Year 1: $12,500.00; Year 2: $12,500.00; Year 3: $13,500.00; Year 4: $13,500.00; and Year 5: $14,500.00. This is an all-inclusive cost and includes the operation and monitoring of the instrumentation, the QA/QC and publishing of the data on the USGS NWISWeb webpages, and any repairs/replacement of the instrumentation. EPD has indicated that this service being offered by USGS will meet the requirements of the NPDES permit.
Scope of Work: The USGS has installed digital water temperature sensors in the Chattahoochee River at five locations (2 near the Johns Creek Environmental Campus and 3 near the Big Creek water reclamation facility). Data will be recorded and transmitted hourly via GOES satellite. USGS personnel will perform field inspections to verify the accuracy of the sensors and will routinely check the data to ensure that the stations are operating correctly. If any issues arise, USGS personnel will troubleshoot the issue until repaired. USGS personnel will process the collected data according to stringent USGS national protocols and will quality-assure the data records for final publication on the USGS webpages. The data is freely available to all and will be archived forever within USGS databases.
Community Impact: None are known to the Public Works Department.
Department Recommendation: The Department of Public Works requests approval of a joint-funding agreement with the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) South Atlantic Water Science Center Water Resources Investigations.
Project Implications: Approval of this agreement between Fulton County and the USGS will allow the County to meet EPD’s temperature monitoring requirement.
Community Issues/Concerns: There are some community concerns around the possibility that wastewater effluent discharges could cause in-stream river temperatures to rise, thereby affecting critical fish species.
Department Issues/Concerns: In-stream temperature monitoring of the Chattahoochee River at the County’s water reclamation facility discharges is a permit requirement. Not monitoring the temperature will result in NPDES permit violations for the County.
Fiscal Impact / Funding Source
Funding Line 1:
201-540-5466-1160: Water & Sewer Revenue, Public Works, Professional Services - $12,500.00, Year 1.