Title:
Title
California Resilience Challenge, Request for Proposals, 2020 Grant Program
End
FileID
File ID: 2020-00160
Location
Location: Citywide
Recommendation:
Recommendation
Adopt a Resolution authorizing the City Manager or City Manager’s designee to: 1) apply for grant funding from the Bay Area-California Resilience Challenge, 2020 Grant Program, for an amount up to $200,000 with no match requirement; 2) execute the funding agreement and all documents related to the grant if awarded; 3) if awarded, establish the California Resilience Grant Program (G14200100); and 4) if awarded, establish revenue and expenditure budgets for an amount up to $200,000 in the California Resilience Grant Program (G14200100) in the Storm Drainage Grant Fund (Fund 6211).
Contact: Bill Busath, Director, (916) 808-1434; Gary DeJesus, Division Manager, (916) 808-5173; Chuong (Ryan) Pham, Business Services Manager, (916) 808-8995, Roshini Das, Sustainability Program Manager, (916) 808-6270; Department of Utilities.
Body
Presenter: None
Attachments:
1-Description Analysis
2-Resolution
3-FOA-Grant Funding Opportunity
Description/Analysis
Issue Detail: The California Resiliency Challenge Grant Program (CRC) is a 2020 grant program provided by the Bay Area Council for planning projects targeted at improving resilience to climate challenges.
The City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities (DOU) is seeking approval to apply for up to $200,000 in grant funding from the CRC 2020 Grant Program to conduct Climate Adaption Planning for the Wastewater and Stormwater Infrastructure utilizing a tool from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) called CREAT (Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool). The CREAT tool helps utilities understand and adapt to climate change by:
• Discerning which extreme weather events pose significant challenges to the utility and building scenarios to identify potential impacts;
• Identifying the critical assets and actions that can be taken to protect the utility operations; and
• Generating reports with the costs and benefits of risk reduction strategies.
The City of Sacramento declared a climate emergency on December 10, 2019; recognizing the existential threat of climate change and the urgent need for climate action. Threats to the City’s critical infrastructure from the climate challenges can be reduced by developing a clear understanding of the adaption measures that will help build resilience. This effort is also aligned with DOU’s Strategic Plan and Sustainability goal to develop climate adaption, mitigation, and resiliency plans for DOU’s infrastructure.
Policy Considerations: Council Resolution 2019-0248 requires City Council approval to enter into operating grants for more than $100,000.
Economic Impacts: None.
Environmental Considerations: The Community Development Department, Environmental Planning Services Division reviewed the proposed action and determined that the activity to apply for grant funds and execute all agreements and documents of compliance related to the grant is not a project pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines 15378(b)(4). The activity is the creation of a government funding mechanisms which do not involve any commitment to any specific project that could result in a potentially significant physical impact on the environment and is not subject to CEQA. CEQA Guidelines 15060(c)(3).
Sustainability: The project is consistent with the City’s Climate Action Plan goal U3.1, to provide adequate and reliable sewer and wastewater facilities.
Commission/Committee Action: Not Applicable.
Rationale for Recommendation: City of Sacramento
Financial Considerations: The Project Agreement with California Resiliency Challenge will award the City a not-to-exceed amount of $200,000 in grant funding. The CRC grant does not require a match. If awarded, staff recommends creating a new Operating Grant California Resilience Grant Program (G14200100) and establish the reimbursement revenue and expenditure budgets not-to-exceed $200,000 in the Drainage Reimbursable Fund (fund 6211).
There are no General Funds allocated or planned for this project.
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable
Background: The California Resilience Challenge is an initiative of the Bay Area Council Foundation, a non-profit corporation 501c(3) public policy advocacy organization of the nine-county Bay area, founded in 1945. The Challenge is a statewide effort to build local and regional climate resilience in the face of increasing climate threats by providing grants up to $200,000 for diverse, replicable, and innovative climate change adaption planning projects across California. The projects are selected for funding through a competitive process and the focus is on projects that can be completed within two years.
California and the Sacramento region are seeing the impacts of hotter temperatures and altered weather patterns. Projected changes in climate and extreme weather patterns have the potential to impact the City’s wastewater and stormwater infrastructure and operations. DOU staff is currently receiving training from US. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to utilize EPA’s CREAT tool. The tool will be utilized to identify climate threats when evaluating City’s wastewater and stormwater infrastructure and to develop adaptation options for further consideration. CREAT allows for risk assessments to be performed for current climate conditions and future conditions. CREAT also provides a consequence matrix that captures utility business impacts, equipment impacts, and environmental impacts as well as public health consequences.
The objective of this planning project is to utilize the most current climate science projections, apply climate change assessments, and provide risk and vulnerability assessments and recommendations for wastewater and stormwater infrastructure resilience with monetized adaptation strategies through 2040.