TO: Mayor and Members of City Council
THRU: Adam Lindsay, Assistant City Manager
FROM: Sheila Thomas-Ambat, Public Services Director
DATE: August 25, 2025
RE:Title
Authorization to Execute a Professional Service Contract for the FY26 Citywide Stormwater Asset Inventory and Condition Assessment
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COUNCIL DISTRICT(S):
Council District(s)
All
b
Relationship To Strategic Plan:
Supports Goal 3: City Investment in Today and Tomorrow, through the Strategic Objective 3.1: To enhance City street connectivity, traffic flow, and stormwater systems.
Executive Summary:
Council is requested to authorize the execution of a $1,000,000 professional services contract for survey data collection of the City’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4), in support of the City’s NPDES Permit requirement to develop, update, and maintain an inventory of MS4 components, including conveyances, flow directions, major outfalls, and receiving waters.
This qualification-based selection of Freese and Nichols is utilizing the City’s On-Call Professional Engineering Services for Stormwater Systems Design and Construction Administration.
Background:
The City’s current National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit became effective on June 1, 2024. As part of the Permit’s Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE) Program, the City is required to develop, update, and maintain a municipal storm sewer system map that includes stormwater conveyances, flow direction, major outfalls, and receiving waters.
To date, data collection efforts through the Watershed Master Plan program have focused on high-priority sub-basins, covering approximately 25% of the City. These efforts have included the collection and assessment of stormwater asset data.
This proposed city-wide survey will expand data collection to the remaining storm sewer infrastructure in the basins outlined in the scope of work. The collected data will support MS4 permit compliance, facilitate condition assessments, help identify potential illicit discharges, and inform future hydrologic and hydraulic modeling for long-term planning.
Issues/Analysis:
Given the number of remaining sub-basins requiring data collection, this effort is anticipated to take approximately 3 to 5 years to complete. The proposed professional services contract will fund data collection activities for Fiscal Year 2026 only.
With continued funding in subsequent fiscal years, the City intends to complete the survey and mapping of the entire MS4 system within the current NPDES permit cycle, which expires May 31, 2029.
Budget Impact:
There is no impact to the General Fund. Funding for this professional service contract was included in the approved FY26 Stormwater Operating Budget.
Options:
1. Authorize the execution of a professional services contract in the amount of $1,000,000 for survey data collection of the City’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4), in support of the City’s NPDES Permit requirement to develop, update, and maintain an inventory of MS4 components to the consulting firm Freese and Nichols.
2. Do not authorize the execution of a professional services contract in the amount of $1,000,000 for survey data collection of the City’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4), in support of the City’s NPDES Permit requirement to develop, update, and maintain an inventory of MS4 components to the consulting firm Freese and Nichols and provide further direction to staff.
Recommended Action::Recommended Action
Council authorizes the execution of a professional services contract in the amount of $1,000,000 for survey data collection of the City’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4), in support of the City’s NPDES Permit requirement to develop, update, and maintain an inventory of MS4 components to the consulting firm Freese and Nichols.
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Attachments:
FNI FY26 Citywide Survey WA