Explanation
This legislation authorizes the Director of Public Utilities to enter into a contract with the Midwest Biodiversity Institute (MBI) for the development of a monitoring and bioassessment plan for Central Ohio watersheds. The plan will support the Division of Sewerage and Drainage’s (DOSD) continued compliance with the City’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) program and wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. The contract will run from the date of execution by the City of Columbus through and including December 31, 2023.
The proposed watershed monitoring and assessment plan will mirror existing MBI programs with the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati and one across Northeastern Illinois on behalf of five independent watershed groups. These two programs utilize an integrated prioritization system (IPA) model supported by regularly scheduled watershed monitoring following a rotating basin approach. The proposed plan will work in tandem with an existing MBI contract for biological and chemical assessments of the Middle Scioto and Lower Olentangy Rivers, as well as some monitoring by the Ohio EPA, to provide information about the health of area waterways and to measure water quality improvements resulting from the City’s ongoing operations and capital improvement program (CIP) projects under Blueprint Columbus and at the City’s WWTPs.
The project management includes an inventory of existing sites and assessments and a watershed bioassessment design that will utilize a pollution survey and geometric site selection process to determine monitoring and assessment locations. This ensures watersheds are assessed equitably. These data design and gathering steps will inform the final publication of the plan, which will include goals and objectives, the rationale for the selection of each, a template for the rotating watershed approach, and a detailed annual schedule of the wat...
Click here for full text