Tim Gleason, City Manager

Keith Alexander, Director of Water Management

Agricultural Watershed Institute

Watershed Research and Education Agreement

Council adopt the attached Resolution authorizing an agreement with the Agricultural Watershed Institute (AWI) for Watershed Research and Education at a cost not to exceed $125,000.

PRESENTATION:

At the beginning of Council’s consideration of this agreement, Stephen John, AWI Executive Director, will present a short summary of AWI’s recent activities.

Since 2006 the City has annually funded watershed research and education services with AWI.  Last year’s agreement provided up to $62,500 annually.  The proposed two year agreement is the same level of funding for 2016 and 2017.  The agreement is a cost reimbursable arrangement with monthly invoicing that is also successfully used by the City in similar agreements with the Macon County Soil & Water Conservation District.

The attached proposed agreement describes the services that AWI will provide to the City.  They are identical to last year’s agreement, and include:

• Sediment and nutrient best management practices
• Water resources planning and management
• Perennial biomass crops grown for renewable energy, forage and water quality

• Shared learning program

These agreements have been extremely successful and enhance other conservation and biomass related funding that AWI has been awarded over the past ten years to promote and construct best management practice (BMP) water quality improvements in the Lake Decatur watershed.

Also attached is AWI’s July to October 2015 Progress Report.

Stephen John, AWI Executive Director

Randy Miller, Water Services Manager

Don Giger, Water Production Operations Supervisor

Jerry Stevens, Engineering Services Coordinator