STRATEGIC PRIORITY: Government Performance and Financial Management
AGENDA DATE: December 8, 2021
COUNCIL DISTRICT(S): All
DEPARTMENT: Office of Procurement Services
EXECUTIVE: Elizabeth Reich
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SUBJECT
Title
Authorize a three-year service price agreement for E. Coli testing in rivers and lakes for the Water Utilities Department - Texas A & M AgriLife Extension Services, sole source - Estimated amount of $307,800 - Financing: Stormwater Drainage Management Fund
Body
BACKGROUND
This action does not encumber funds; the purpose of a service price agreement is to establish firm pricing for services, for a specific term, which are ordered on an as needed basis according to annual budgetary appropriations. The estimated amount is intended as guidance rather than a cap on spending under the agreement, so that actual need combined with the amount budgeted will determine the amount spent under this agreement.
This service price agreement will provide for E. Coli testing in rivers and lakes. These services will provide the City with a bacterial source tracking (BST) approach that uses two deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fingerprinting techniques (ERIC-PCR and Riboprinting) to characterize E. Coli from unknown sources and compare them against E. Coli from known sources in the Texas E. Coli BST Library.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Equality (TCEQ) requires the City to have a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Program to improve water quality in rivers, lakes, and estuaries. The BST sampling will allow the City to implement the plan to put the TMDL into action by outlining the source to reduce pollutant loads through regulatory and voluntary activities. The TMDL-BST Program is created to fulfill the requirements of Section 303(d) of the Federal Clean Water Act and its implementing regulations.
The BST approach is based on known-source samples collected in Texas from various sources, including h...
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