Explanation
1. BACKGROUND:
This legislation authorizes the Director of the Department of Public Utilities to become a member of the Center for Resilience at the Ohio State University. The annual cost of this membership is $25,000.00.
The Center for Resilience is an interdisciplinary research center dedicated to improving the resilience of industrial systems and the environments in which they operate. The Center has developed a powerful network of engineers, scientists, and business scholars at the Ohio State University and collaborating institutions, leveraging over $20 million dollars in ongoing research programs.
One of the immediate benefits of participating in the Center for Resilience will be to evaluate the City's alternatives in disposing of its wastewater treatment sludge. The Center has been working with the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio in the development of a computer based Eco-Flow modeling methodology. The Center will customize this model for the City's use. This program will characterize the ecological impacts, including environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, associated with sludge treatment and disposal. It will evaluate the economic trade-offs of sludge management options, including capital costs, operating costs and potential cost reductions due to the generation of economically valuable commodities such as methane. The program will provide the City with the capability of assessing the ecological and economic trade-offs of alternative operating policies and technology choices, and thus continuously improving the cost effectiveness of sludge treatment.
2. FISCAL IMPACT:
The Division of Sewerage and Drainage has funding available within its 2007 Operating Budget for this expenditure. The Director of Public Utilities has agreed to request funding for membership in Fiscal Years 2007 and 2008, contingent on approval of funding legislation by City Council, and will determine its future membership annuall...
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