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Home My WebLink AboutBack-Up DocumentsDEFENDING, PROTECTING, AND PRESERVING f y MIAMI MIAMI AND THE SURROUNDING WATERS THROUGH CITIZENS INVOLVEMENT AND .~ ' '�' j 'T E 1 . I(E E P E R COMMUNITY ACTION. MIAMI WATERKEEPER�tai 1 JFdd 11�1 1df WORKS TO ENSURE SWIMMABLE, DRINKABLE, FISHABLE WATER FOR ALL. Mr. Alan Dodd Director of Resiliency and Public Works City of Miami 4/15/2019 Dear Mr. Dodd. As a Miami -based non-profit organization, Miami Waterkeeper is dedicated to protecting Biscayne Bay and the surrounding watershed. Launched in 2010, Miami Waterkeeper has become a leading. champion for clean water, inspiring a movement of empowered citizens dedicated to achieving swimmable, drinkable, fishable water. Often tackling issues on multiple fronts, we address diverse water issues using community outreach, scientific research, and civic and legal action. Water quality issues can seriously impact the health of those who come into contact with water. Water and beach recreation are key to life in Miami, but despite extensive recreational water use of Biscayne Bay adjacent to the City of Miami, the Florida Department of Health conducts limited testing off the urban shoreline. Indeed, despite the ubiquitous presence of boaters, kayakers, kiteboarders, sailors, swimmers and others coming into contact with the water, the Healthy Beaches Program only tests two locations for sewage bacteria in the entirety of Biscayne Bay — off of the Rickenbacker Causeway and in Oleta Park. Therefore, Miami Waterkeeper launched a water quality monitoring program with strategic locations inside or immediately adjacent to the Bay where recreation is occurring. This proposal would sponsor and allow expansion of our current testing program within the City of Miami. Please find below our proposal to expand our fecal indicator bacteria monitoring program to monitor additional sites along Biscayne Bay and on the Miami River within the City of Miami jurisdiction. This monitoring program will involve Miami Waterkeeper testing, on a weekly basis, six sites sponsored by the City of Miami. The testing will consist of the fecal indicator bacteria Miami Waterkeeper 2103 Coral Way, 2nd Floor Miami, FL 33145 a 305.905.0856 miamiwaterkeeper.org Enterococcus, including retesting of sites when unacceptably high levels are found. We will also provide all data and analyses to the City and to the public within 12 hours of the completion of analyses. Numerical results will be provided to the City of Miami via internal Google doc. Testing results will be posted to our free Swim Guide web and phone app to provide City residents, visitors, and others with up-to-date information about local water quality. Currently, the app has thousands of users and publishes both Miami Waterkeeper and Florida Department of Health testing for Miami -Dade and Broward Counties in an easy -to -read '`stoplight" format, with green indicating good water quality and red indicating poor water quality. Historical water quality information is also available. In 2018, we had 62,245 views for Swim Guide beach sites managed by Miami Waterkeeper. The City of Miami will be listed as the sponsor of the designated sites on the app. Miami Waterkeeper has a record of success collaborating with community groups and municipalities to carry out our water sampling project and other programs and have thousands of users of our free Swim Guide app. We look forward to this new opportunity to collaborate with the City of Miami. A Miami Waterkeeper scientist conducting weekly sampling. Project Description This proposal consists of two types of activities, testing and reporting: 1) Weekly water sampling at 6 sites We propose testing 6 sites weekly. Sites have been chosen based on preferences indicated by the City in prior communications as well as to provide adequate spatial coverage of the City shoreline. (However, proposed sites are flexible with suggested input from the City.) Samples will be collected by Miami Waterkeeper field scientists and analyzed in our lab at Ransom Everglades using the IDEXX Enterolert rapid -test system, which has been approved by the EPA I -Proposed Sampling Sites for testing bacterial water quality parameters. In addition to weekly testing, for sponsored sites we conduct re -tests when results show high levels of enterococci (>71 cfu) and we will provide technical and scientific information about our testing results specifically and water quality in the Bay generally to sponsors. The Florida Health Beaches program uses these criteria to assess recreational water quality, which we follow: Good ("green")= 0-35 Enterococci per 100 milliliters of marine water Moderate ("green") = 36-70 Enterococci per 100 milliliters of marine water Poor ("red) = 71 or greater Enterococci per 100 milliliters of marine water (http://www.floridahealth.gov/env ironmental-health/beac h-water-quality/index.html). 2) Swim Guide app expansion and City of Miami Banner Sponsorship Ad We will expand the Swim Guide app to include new water quality testing sites sponsored by the City. Finally, we have the capacity to show that these sites are "sponsored" by the City by showing a banner ad on the site on the app or list any other text information the City would like to convey and link of choice. Timeline We can launch weekly sampling starting as soon as the proposal is approved. We will launch our new sites on Swim Guide with the sponsorship when the sampling begins. This weekly sampling will continue for one year with the requested level of funding, but can be extended indefinitely with additional funding. The project is intended to be a permanent part of Miami Waterkeeper's mission. 9 9 < 1:1 0 Om of toe'omontg ,MevYbued pane a1 Miami. vinyuad a `nMaa.„,re,peIn„a :�,,,r.a a 0,..,n lcen.n.:am. 4.41 2002.'he site was p.ced an The National ,sgister,l r+etaic'Isms ar<ywn a 8vda Hse:ney Vamen.CiC d Cary of V.am a,'992, :M pert nernan. wmned until 6m xarp ae-Ope02g of 6e 623 acre moat! r MOO *Men ocal0trtan %muds task force at retmrne:a Para 5r ptvate Oreelp000 l of 9M Wpperl7 .fan.err. Tun :tsNum9 ,,new o, 0.6isumo Sample Swim Guide app screens. The left shows the overall mop; the right shows a specific beach site with o banner advertisement for Miami Waterkeeper. Proposed Budget Summary • Staff time and transportation for water quality testing (6 sites weekly /year): $42,000 • Sampling equipment and supplies: $4,500 • Swim Guide Build -Out and promotion: $3,500 TOTAL: $50,000 for Year One Thank you for your consideration of this proposal. We look forward to hearing from. you. Feel free to let us know any questions you might have. Sincerely, Rachel Silverstein, Ph.D. Executive Director and Waterkeeper Miami Waterkeeper CITY OF MIAM . FLCF:! A 1NTER-OFFICE MEMORANDUM • Emilio T. Gonzalez, Ph.D City Manager Alan Dodd, PE Director, Department of Resilience and Public Works amp May 10, 2019 Request to Waive Competitive Sealed Bidding Procedures Pursuant to City Code 18-85(a) Exhibit "A" Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper Proposal The Department of Resilience and Public Works (RPW) respectfully requests the waiver of the competitive sealed bidding procedures pursuant to City Code 18-85(a) in order to establish a fecal indicator bacteria monitoring program. Water quality testing is performed by the Miami -Dade County's Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) to monitor surface water quality throughout the County. Water quality samples are collected monthly at 87 locations along Biscayne Bay to ensure the Bay and other tidal waters meet federal, state and local standards for recreational use and support healthy fish populations. This level of testing is not sufficient to pinpoint sources of contamination or assist in eliminating sources of pollution. The City of Miami allocated $50,000 in the FY2019 budget to establish a fecal indicator bacteria monitoring program. The intent is to monitor additional sites along Biscayne Bay and on the Miami River, within the city's jurisdiction, to identify, locate, and eliminate sources of pollution associated with fecal coliform, due to either failing septic tanks or cross connections with wastewater collection systems. The department looked to collaborate with organizations that have existing water quality testing programs to avoid overhead expenses that could consume a significant portion of the limited funding available. The Biscayne Water Keeper currently conducts an extensive water quality monitoring program and has proposed to expand their program to provide weekly testing at six sites sponsored by the City of Miami. Collaboration with the Biscayne Waterkeeper allows a much greater level of testing than possible otherwise and provides a means to manage data and focus on elimination of source contamination points. In light of the above mentioned, and pursuant to Section 18-85, as amended, it is respectfully recommended that you, as the City Manager, waive competitive sealed bidding methods, via this written findings and reasons herein. Said waiver shall need to be ratified, confirmed, and approved by the Commission, by a four -fifths (4/5ths) affirmative vote, during an advertised public hearing. Your signature below confirms your approval of waiving competitive sealed bidding methods for establishment of a fecal indicator bacteria monitoring program. APPROVED BY: milio T. Gonzalez, Ph.D City Manager Date: SJi 6/ 5 C: Zerry Ihekwaba, PhD, PE, Assistant City Manager Sandra Bridgeman, Assistant City Manager/Chief Financial Officer Annie Perez, CPPO, Director of Procurement