Adopt Resolution # 21-091 Authorizing The Application For Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES) 2020 Municipal Inflow & Infiltration (I&I) Grant
 

The purpose of this case is to authorize staff to apply to the Metropolitan Council for matching grant funding to help mitigate infiltration/inflow in our sanitary sewer system.  Staff is recommending that the city apply for $113,097.00 in grant money and the city's match would be 50% or  $56,548.00. The city's match would come from Enterprise Fund 9602 (sewer utility).
The city is charged based on the flowage in the sanitary sewer lines and these I/I improvements will reduce charges to the city for sanitary sewer.

Note:  The attached application and resolution refer to this as a 2020 grant because the grant was approved in 2020 to go into effect in 2021-2022.  Also, $5,000,000 is the total amount of funds available through the grant, not the amount the city is applying for. 

The Metropolitan Council  appointed a task force that met in 2003/2004 to address the impacts of excess infiltration/inflow (I/I) on the regional sanitary sewer system by developing recommendations for an I/I reduction program.

Inflow and infiltration is that component of sanitary sewage flow that originates from clear water connections, e.g., sump pumps and foundation drains (i.e., inflow), and storm water entering manholes and groundwater entering through pipe joints and cracks (i.e., infiltration). It is water that would normally not require any type of treatment. However, once it is co-mingles with sanitary wastewater it cannot be separated, and must be treated along with the sanitary wastewater.

The I/I Task Force estimated that the cost to store, convey, and treat excess I/I was in the $900 million range while the cost for source removal was in the $150 million range. The Task Force recommended a program to mitigate excess I/I rather than increase system capacity.  The  MCES 2020 Municipal Inflow & Infiltration (I&I) Grant was approved in 2020 for construction projects completed in  2021-2022.

N/A

The sanitary sewer system for Ramsey consists of 72 miles of sewer main, 8 lift stations and approximately 1760 manholes.  Currently our utility department cleans 1/3 of our system and televises 1/10 of the system annually.  We are also currently in the process of inspecting all sanitary sewer manholes and cataloging their condition.   What the manhole  inspections are finding are cases of I&I around the manhole joint seals, in the adjustment rings near the road surface and the areas where the sewer main enters the manhole.  These  are the types of maintenance issues that the Met Council would like to see  eliminated.   This particular Grant allows cities to estimate project costs, before the projects are bid and then reconcile after the project completion.  Cities have until December 31,2022 to submit pay claims for completed projects.  

Staff is recommending that the city apply for $113,097.00 in Grant money to install chimney seals on 119 manholes. Per the Grant requirement, the city's match would 50% or  $56,548.00. The city's match would come from Enterprise Fund 9602 (sewer utility).

MCES I/I Grant -reimbursements cannot be calculated/distributed prior to March 2023. Because MCES uses an end grant agreement, they won’t calculate (or know) final reimbursement amounts until the end of the program. As with previous I/I grant programs, MCES expects to have more eligible costs than available funds, and thus they will use a weighted average distribution for their Part 2 funding calculation. Because of this process, they won’t be able to calculate final reimbursements until they have everyone’s paperwork at the end of the program. By using an end grant agreement MCES can ensure that all funds are dispersed.  One additional thing to note is that the end grant program offers more flexibility than the construction grant program. With the end grant program communities have the flexibility to complete more or less work than they initially listed in their application.

Motion to adopt:
Resolution # 21-091 Authorizing The Application For Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES) 2020 Municipal Inflow & Infiltration (I&I) Grant

Motion to adopt:
Resolution # 21-091  Authorizing The Application For Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES) 2020 Municipal Inflow & Infiltration (I&I) Grant