Consideration and Approval of Contract:  Approve a Materials and Services Contract with JE Fuller Hydrology & Geomorphology, Inc. in the amount of $61,000 for the Purchase of Flood Alert Gauges and Maintenance to be 100% Reimbursed by the State Department of Forest and Fire Management.

1. Approve the Materials and Services Contract with JE Fuller Hydrology & Geomorphology, Inc. in the amount of $61,000 for the Purchase Flood Alert Gauges and Maintenance to be 100% Reimbursed by the State Department of Forest and Fire Management; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute the necessary documents.

Staff recommends that the City Council approve a Materials and Services Contract (Contract) with JE Fuller Hydrology & Geomorphology, Inc. (JE Fuller) to expand the City’s rain and flood alert gauge network and provide regular maintenance of the gauge instrumentation. If the Contract is approved the City will move forward immediately with a $61,000 system expansion to allow for the installation of new gauges before the 2023 monsoon season. The purchase will be reimbursed 100% by the State Department of Forest and Fire Management (DFFM). Reimbursement will be coordinated with the Grants and Contract Management Division. This expansion was approved by the State for funding this winter and will include new early alert gauges in the headwaters of the Rio de Flag.
 
The alert network supports public safety by sending automated alerts to the Police, Fire, Water Services, and Public Works Divisions. The data generated is also used by Stormwater to model flood frequency and stream characteristics. The network includes at least one flood alert gauge per FEMA floodway within the City. Annual maintenance of the gauge network is a requirement of FEMA for credit in the Community Rating System (CRS) a service of FEMA to help reduce Federal flood insurance premiums for residents within the Flagstaff community (currently a 25% discount).

1. The funding for the $61,000 purchase of Flood Alert Gauges and Maintenance was derived from the State Department of Forest and Fire Management and can be found in account: 206-08-331-6350-0-4461. The budget appropriation for this purchase will be covered within the overall Stormwater capital improvement budget as this purchase or funding was not budgeted for as part of FY2022-23 Budget.
2. Long term need for maintenance, equipment replacement (one station per year is normally lost to lightning), and FEMA required reporting can be found in the Stormwater account: 206-08-331-1250-0-4461.

The Contract supports the Council Goals of "Transportation and Infrastructure" by providing real-time public safety alerts and forensic information to design more flood resistant infrastructure. Additionally this gauge system provides valuable information that supports the "Environmental and Natural Resources" and "Climate Change" goals by providing precipitation and stream flow data to environmental scientists and civil engineers. Finally, the Contract supports "Economic Development" goals by adequately sizing flood infrastructure and providing data to re-map FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas.

No.

1. Approve the Contract with JE Fuller in the amount of $61,000 for Flood Alert Gauges and Maintenance to be 100% Reimbursed by the State Department of Forest and Fire Management; or
2. Deny the Contract and potentially forfeit the DFFM funding ($61,000). This is not recommended by staff as it will hinder the purchase and maintenance process.

The City operates a flood alert network that consists of both rain and stream flow gauges on an ALERT1 public safety network. The oldest gauge is on the Rio de Flag at Peak View Street and has been in operation for over 15 years. The newest gauges were installed last year as the network continues to expand to eventually monitor each of the FEMA floodways within the City. The alert network is useful for public safety sending automated alerts to the police, fire, water services, and public works divisions, the data is also used by Stormwater to model flood frequency and stream characteristics.

In December 2022, the City received DFFM funding for a series of gauges in the Rio de Flag headwaters and for enhanced monitoring in post-fire areas. These gauges will provide early warning for monsoon floods and potential future wildfire impacted sub-watersheds. The gauges requested of DFFM included:
 

Site Name	Latitude	Longitude
Freidein Prairie	35°17'27.23"N	111°39'57.90"W
Rio de Flag at Baderville	35°15'35.90"N	111°43'8.96"W
Schultz Creek at Elden Lookout	35°14'23.14"N	111°39'27.93"W
Spruce Wash nr Linda Vista Ave.	35°13'22.11"N	111°37'24.63"W

Annual maintenance has been conducted since at least 2011. Maintenance is required by FEMA for Community Rating System (CRS) credits. CRS credits allow the community a discount to their National Flood Insurance Policy (NFIP) rates. Flagstaff currently receives a 25% discount, one of the best CRS ratings in Arizona. A previous service contract with JE Fuller (TER-2019-248-AG2) has since lapsed.

JE Fuller was selected for this Contract using a proprietary selection process. JE Fuller operates a proprietary software package (JEFMAP/JEFDAQ) that is used by the City, Coconino County Flood Control District, and the Arizona Department of Water Resources, moving away from this package would be costly and reduce the level of service. Previous gauge installation bids (2020 gauge expansion) found the JE Fuller was also the lowest bid due to the specialty nature of the ALERT gauge network and lack of local providers beyond JE Fuller. JE Fuller has provided the City with gauge installation, maintenance, and reporting since 2011.

The flood alert network provides early warning of flooding in the community as well as important data for flood risk modeling, climate change modeling, and general hydrology data useful for re-mapping FEMA floodplains and external research. The expansion of the network will increase the utility of the gauges for those benefits listed above, procured annual maintenance will provide a long lasting benefit through maintaining the system and providing CRS FEMA credits.

The flood alert network empowers the community by allowing residents to see rain and flow events in real time through the City's rain gauge website (https://www.flagstaff.az.gov/4111/Rainfall-and-Stream-Gauge-Data). The longer term data has been used by NAU students for projects as well as consultants to provide background data for storm drain sizing. The real-time data is also used by the Coconino County Flood Control District, and City Emergency Management, especially downstream of the Museum Fire and Pipeline Fire.