AGENDA #4e
MEMORANDUM
TO: Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager
FROM: George Small, P.E., Director of Engineering
Sue Burke, P.E., Stormwater Management Engineer
SUBJECT: A Resolution Supporting a Grant Application for the Bolin Creek Watershed Restoration Project and Authorizing Town Participation if the Grant is Awarded
DATE: October 9, 2006
This report provides information about, and requests the Council’s support for, participation in a grant application to the Clean Water Management Trust Fund for the Bolin Creek Watershed Restoration Project. The Town of Carrboro would be the lead agency on the grant application and the Town of Chapel Hill would be a participating agency. The attached resolution would authorize the Town Manager to execute an agreement with the Town of Carrboro detailing each agency’s obligations and responsibilities if the grant is awarded.
Section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act requires states to maintain a list of impaired water bodies that do not meet their intended or designated use(s). In January 2006, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Division of Water Quality issued the most recent draft 303(d) list of impaired waters. Although downstream portions of Bolin Creek have been on the list in previous cycles, this year’s list extended the impaired rating for Bolin Creek upstream to Pathway Drive in Carrboro.
Under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides funding to States for the establishment of grant programs for projects that seek to restore streams or other portions of watersheds that are already impaired and are not presently satisfying their intended uses.
In addition, the N. C. Division of Water Quality has established the Use Restoration Waters Program to restore the beneficial uses of impaired waters Statewide. The central focus of this program is to serve as an enabler and a facilitator to groups/agencies around the State that are interested in and capable of pursuing activities necessary to successfully achieve identified restoration objectives.
In April 2006, the Bolin Creek Watershed was selected by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as one of only seven watersheds in North Carolina to receive focused assistance. In addition to Bolin Creek’s impairment listing, this watershed was chosen because of the tremendous local capacity for progressive environmental initiatives and the presence of “champions” within the local governments and grassroots organizations.
The Bolin Creek Watershed Restoration Team (Team) is comprised of staff members from the Chapel Hill Engineering Department, the Carrboro Planning Department, the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the US Environmental Protection Agency. The Team has determined a number of tasks and activities that must be undertaken as part of the Bolin Creek restoration initiative, including:
Stormwater retrofit and stream restoration sites identified by the geomorphic assessment would then be evaluated and developed by the Team as construction projects for future funding under Section 319 or other grant programs.
A Clean Water Management Trust Fund stormwater “mini-grant” was identified as a potential funding source for the initial geomorphic assessment. These mini-grants are capped at $50,000, with 90 percent provided by the Trust Fund and 10 percent provided by the applicant.
Since the Town of Carrboro was initially contacted by the State regarding this grant opportunity, the team agreed that Carrboro would serve as the lead agency to submit the Clean Water Management Trust Fund stormwater mini-grant application in order to meet the October 19, 2006 deadline. While the Town of Carrboro would be the official applicant, the Town of Chapel Hill would be an active participant by providing staff assistance and data, and by sharing in the cost of the required local match. The obligations and responsibilities of each jurisdiction are detailed in the attached Memorandum of Agreement (Attachment 1). This agreement is patterned after a similar document used by the two towns for the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Project, with population data serving as the basis for allocating cost-sharing amounts.
If a maximum $50,000 grant is awarded, the Chapel Hill share of the local match would be $3,275 and the Carrboro share would be $1,275. Funds for the Town’s share (in accordance with provisions of the agreement) would come from the Stormwater Management Utility Fund.
CONCLUSION
We believe that this grant application is an important first step in developing a comprehensive and cohesive watershed restoration strategy and implementation plan for Bolin Creek. The grant would provide an opportunity for Chapel Hill and Carrboro to collaborate and cooperate in an endeavor that would benefit both communities and that would provide a foundation for similar cooperative efforts in the future.
We recommend that the Council adopt the attached resolution supporting a Clean Water Management Trust Fund mini-grant application to be submitted by the Town of Carrboro, and authorizing the Manager to execute an agreement with the Town of Carrboro detailing each agency’s obligations and responsibilities if the grant is awarded.