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C. 14

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	Brian M. Balbas, Public Works Director/Chief Engineer
Date:	December 8, 2020

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

Joint Funding Agreement with the United States Geological Survey, San Ramon area, Project No. 7520-6B8161.

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 12/08/2020

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Diane Burgis, District III Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:	Naila Thrower, 925.957-2465
cc:	Mark Boucher, Flood Control Catherine Windham, Flood Control

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: December 8, 2020
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

As the governing body of the Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (FC District), APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Chief Engineer, or designee, to execute a Joint Funding Agreement (JFA) with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in an amount not to exceed $20,000 annually, for stream gauging, for the period from November 1, 2020 through October 31, 2025.

AUTHORIZE the Auditor-Controller to make payments for the FC District’s share of cost.

FISCAL IMPACT:

The total cost of the stream gauging program from November 1, 2019 to October 31, 2020, was $23,750. The FC District’s cost share was $15,800 and USGS’s cost share was $7,950. The FC District’s future years’ cost will vary depending on the USGS budget resources and will most likely increase. The FC District’s share of the stream gauge maintenance cost will not exceed $20,000 annually without authorization from the Board. The FC District’s share will be funded entirely by Flood Control Zone 3B, fund 252000.

BACKGROUND:

Since 1962, the USGS and FC District have been sharing the operation and maintenance cost of the stream gauge on San Ramon Creek at San Ramon under the USGS’s Cooperative Water Resources Investigation Program.

Long-term, continuous records of stream flow are essential to the calibration and verification of watershed runoff data used by the FC District for the design of all drainage improvements in Contra Costa County.

This gauge was installed in 1953 and has the longest continuous record of stream flows of any gauge in Contra Costa County. The continuous record collected at this site is also recognized for its unchanged upstream land use over the past 67 years. As a result of this consistency, other agencies also use this steam flow record to calibrate rainfall-runoff models. The current JFA language is the same as the previously approved JFA's.

Past FC District cost share was originally fifty percent (50%) and has been increasing on a regular basis. The current cost share is sixty-six point sixty-seven percent (66.67%).

Authorization and approval of the Joint Funding Agreement will allow the FC District to continue to share the cost of operating the stream gauge with the USGS.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

Non-approval of the agreement would result in the loss of opportunity to obtain shared data used to predict storm runoff and to design flood control improvements.