Consideration and Approval of Contract:  Joint Funding Agreement Renewal with United States Geological Survey for a streamflow gauge at Newman Canyon in the amount of $99,100.

1. Approve the Joint Funding Agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to contribute $99,100 from July 1, 2020, to September 30, 2024; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute the necessary documents.

Staff recommends Council approve this Joint Funding Agreement with the USGS to continue collecting streamflow data in Newman Canyon, the largest tributary into Upper Lake Mary. In 2014 Council approved a Joint Funding Agreement with the USGS to install and manage the streamflow gauge, which expired September 30, 2019. Staff is asking Council to renew this updated agreement effective July 1, 2020, through September 30, 2024.

This Council Action commits the City to $99,100 over four years. Contributions include $80,100 from the Water Fund and $19,000 from the National Park Service Foundation approved by Council on June 16, 2020.

This item relates to Council's goal to actively manage and protect all environmental and natural resources and to take meaningful climate change action. The following goals and policies in the Flagstaff Regional Plan 2030 are supported by this effort:

• Goal WR.1. Maintain a sustainable water budget incorporating regional hydrology, ecosystem needs, and social and economic well-being. Policy WR.1.2. Seek regional opportunities to partner with resource land managers and adjacent landowners to improve water yield and hydrologic processes.
• Goal WR.6. Protect, preserve, and improve the quality of surface water, groundwater, and reclaimed water in the region. Policy WR.6.3. Implement best management practices to protect, restore, and maintain surface waters and their contributing watersheds.
• Goal E&C.3. Strengthen community and natural environment resiliency through climate adaptation efforts. Policy E&C.3.3. Invest in forest health and watershed protection measures.
• Goal E&C.4. Integrate available science into policies governing the use and conservation of Flagstaff ’s natural resources. Policy E&C.4.1. Assess vulnerabilities and risks of Flagstaff’s natural resources.

Additionally, this work supports the following objectives of the Water Services Strategic Plan 2025:

• Objective 1: Use standards and data to drive decision making. The standard is to use data to enhance operational performance and decision making.
• Objective 3: Protect the water system from wildfire threat. The standard is to ensure the water supply and system is resilient to the effects of climate change.
• Objective 6: Ensure adequate water resources and plan for climate change. The standard is to ensure that the risk of a sustained water delivery shortage is extremely low, and to continue to build resiliency in water supplies and infrastructure systems with specific attention to the forecasted effects of climate change.

Yes. Council gave the approval to fund the initial Joint Funding Agreement with the USGS on 7/15/2014. Council authorized a fund transfer of $19,000 from a joint account with the National Park Service Foundation on June 16, 2020, to use for this project. The Foundation account is jointly managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and the City.

1) Authorize the signing of the Joint Funding Agreement with the USGS and support the collective effort to monitor the water supply to Upper Lake Mary from the surrounding forested areas.
2) Do not authorize the signing of the Joint Funding Agreement with the USGS and ask staff to present alternatives to the Council. This action would not support the Council's June 16, 2020, decision to continue the operation and maintenance of the Newman Canyon streamflow gauge managed by the U.S. Geological Survey. The partners would then need to either evaluate alternative funding or define other projects and bring back to all three agencies for consideration.

This streamflow gauge was installed in 2014 with funding from the Water Fund, Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project, and the LM-WC TAC's NPS Foundation account, with matching dollars from the USGS. Data from the streamflow gauge informs staff about the frequency and timing of flows that fill Upper Lake Mary, which is especially informative when learning about the watershed's response to climate and forest treatments. This information is also important to a vast number of stakeholders with interests in the Upper Lake Mary watershed. The gauge collects rainfall and streamflow data in near real-time available on the USGS website at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?09400815. New in 2019 is the addition of a turbidity sensor and added sediment analysis services from the USGS.

As supported by the Lake Mary-Walnut Creek Technical Advisory Committee, comprised of the National Park Service, Forest, and the City, on June 16, 2020, City. Council authorized a fund transfer of $19,000 from a joint account with the National Park Service Foundation for this project.

The City is contributing $99,100 and the USGS is contributing $55,250 towards the total cost of this JFA of $154,350. Contributions are as follows:

Fiscal Year	Total Cost City	LM-WC TAC	Water Production	Water Resources	Match from USGS
2021	$22,363	$3,800	$5,000	$13,563	$13,300
2022	$22,852	$3,800	$5,000	$14,052	$13,000
2023	$23,538	$3,800	$5,000	$14,738	$13,000
2024	$24,242	$3,800	$5,000	$15,442	$13,000
9/30/2025	$6,105	$3,800	$0	$2,305	$3,250
Totals	$99,100	$19,000	$20,000	$60,100	$55,250

The total commitment to the City for the four year agreement is $99,100 of which $19,000 is provided by the joint LM-WC TAC NPS Foundation account, $20,000 from Water Production account number 202-08-301-1010-0-4290, and $60,100 from Water Resouces account number 202-08-303-1061-0-4290. The USGS had $55,250 available as a match with the City's non-federal dollars to meet the total JFA obligation of $154,350. Future spending authorizations for this project after FY 2024 will require budget authority by future Councils. 

Streamflow data, precipitation data, and sediment data are all available to the public through the USGS website.

Inform, Consult, Collaborate