City of Columbus - File #: 1728-2013

• File #: 1728-2013
• Version: 1
• Type: Ordinance
• Status: Passed
• File created: 6/27/2013
• In control: Public Utilities Committee
• On agenda: 12/9/2013
• Final action: 12/11/2013
• Title: To authorize the Director of Public Utilities to enter into an engineering agreement with AECOM Technical Services, Inc. for professional engineering services for the Scioto River Stage Prediction Augmentation Project, Part 2; to authorize the transfer within and expenditure of $872,281.00 from various Sanitary Sewer Bond Funds; to authorize the transfer within and expenditure of $91,532.00 from the Water Works Enlargement Voted Bonds Fund; to amend the 2013 Capital Improvements Budget; and declare an emergency. ($963,813.00)

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
12/11/2013	1	CITY CLERK	Attest
12/11/2013	1	ACTING MAYOR	Signed
12/9/2013	1	COUNCIL PRESIDENT	Signed
12/9/2013	1	Columbus City Council	Approved	Pass

Explanation

BACKGROUND:

This legislation authorizes the Director of Public Utilities to enter into an engineering services agreement with AECOM Technical Services, in the amount of $963,273.00 for professional engineering services for the Scioto River Stage Prediction Augmentation Project, Part 2 for the Division of Sewerage and Drainage (DOSD) and the Division of Water (DOW).

The City of Columbus, Division of Sewerage and Drainage (DOSD) maintains and operates components of the West Columbus Local Protection Project (WCLPP - a.k.a. "the Franklinton Floodwall"). The WCLPP centerline of protection is comprised of levee embankments and floodwall sections along with other components like a flow control structure in Rhodes Park with an associated upstream McKinley Avenue emergency overflow structure, several pump stations, gate wells, and both stop log and sandbag gate closures.

Current DOSD operations during heavy rainfall events include: pump station start-up, roller gate closure, stop log gate closures, gate well closures and sandbag gate closures and are based on a flood forecast of Scioto River stage at the Frank Road USGS stream gauge. All of these operations are predicated upon actual and predicted flood elevations.

Currently, the City relies upon the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Weather Service (NWS), Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS) for these predictions. However those organizations do not incorporate enough meters, indicators and sensors upstream to assist the division with the best practices of the processes needed in heavy rainfall events.

DOSD in partnership with the National Weather Service are working together to refine and develop a more accurate flood predictor and warning system which will enable the division to deploy processes during heavy rain fall events systematically.

AECOM completed its evaluation of all applicable services, methods and operations, and recommended sev...