HomeMy WebLinkAboutRESPONSE - RFP - 7145 CONSULTING ENGINEERING AND PLANNING SERVICES FOR WATER SUPPLY AND DEMAND MANAGEMENT POLICY UPDATEWater Supply and Demand Management Policy Update
(Response for Request for Proposal No. 7145
' Submitted to Fort Collins Utilities
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QMEC Garth & Environmental, lnc.
' 1002 Walnut Street, Suite 200
Boulder, Colorado 80302
' July 12, 2010
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' City of Fort Collins Utilities
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy Update
' Response to Request for Proposals: AMEC Earth & Environmental
what types of water use and supply data should be collected, how those data should be portrayed and for
' what period of time. Given the timing of this project, water usage data should be updated through at least
the year 2009. We will identify sources of updated data and ways to fill any data gaps. We will review
relevant documents and records pertaining to raw water diversions, deliveries and reservoir operations,
' treated water production and service area population, metered uses by customer class, and contract
water sales.
It will be helpful to portray water use and supply data in several ways in order to illustrate key points and
' allow for valid comparisons. For example, annual treated water volume, service area population and per
capita use (adjusted for large contract sales) will be useful for determining historical trends in the City's
overall per capita water use and for comparison with other municipal providers. Quantifying indoor vs.
' outdoor water use, both on a system -wide basis and by customer class, will be helpful in addressing
issues related to water conservation, potential climate change effects on demand, and 'demand
hardening'.
' We propose that our work under this task will include the following.
■ We will have a project start-up meeting with Utilities staff that will include a discussion of historical
and current water use and supply data and how they should be best portrayed.
' ■ We will review available documents and data regarding water use and supplies.
■ We will produce a draft task memorandum containing updated summaries and illustrations of the
City's historical and current water use and supplies and a description of the derivation of those data.
■ Following review of the draft memo by Utilities, we will meet with Utilities to discuss revisions to the
' draft memo.
■ We will produce a final task memorandum.
' Assumptions:
■ The City will be able to provide AMEC the necessary documents and data to effectively assess the
City's historical and current water supplies and demands. Important numerical data will be available
in electronic documents and/or spreadsheets.
' ■ Up to two meetings (including the project initiation meeting) will be held with the City to coordinate
data collection and review draft products.
' Task 2 - Review existing policy provisions for clarity, relevance and potential revision.
Purpose: The City's current Water Supply and Demand Management Policy was drafted in 2003 and at
' least some of its provisions are in need of updating. The purpose of this Task is to review the City's
current Policy in light of recent developments and the City's current thinking, and to develop a preliminary
list of potential policy revisions for further evaluation and consideration in later tasks.
' Approach: Since the 2003 Policy was drafted, several major changes have occurred. The City's per
capita water use has declined significantly, due in part to the combined effects of demand management
efforts taken by the City (full metering of water taps, tiered water rates, educational, incentive and
' regulatory water conservation measures) and responses to the recent extended drought by the City's
water customers. In 2009, the City completed its updated Water Conservation Plan, which includes a
water conservation goal of 140 gpcd, assuming current climate conditions. The City has been actively
involved in planning for climate change and is a participant in the Joint Front Range Climate Change
' Vulnerability Study. The City has applied for a permit to enlarge Halligan Reservoir as part of the Halligan
Seaman Water Management Project (HSWMP), and is currently involved in the NEPA permitting process.
The City has been a co -initiator and participant in a collaborative Shared Vision Planning process that
' explored options for refining the HSWMP to improve environmentally beneficial flows on the North Fork of
the Poudre and to generally minimize the environmental 'footprint' of the proposed Project.
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City of Fort Collins Utilities
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy Update
Response to Request for Proposals: AMEC Earth & Environmental
All of these factors underscore the need to review and update the City's existing Policy provisions as
necessary to reflect current circumstances and to be consistent with City's other policies, plans and
actions. Given the City's proposed enlargement of Halligan Reservoir, any proposed policy revisions
should be carefully considered and crafted in anticipation of public presentation and scrutiny.
We propose that our work under this task will include the following.
■ Key consulting team members will individually review the City's existing Water Supply & Demand
Management Policy Report (including Appendices), as well as the City's 2009 Water Conservation
Plan, and will develop lists of initial observations, questions and suggestions regarding potential
policy revisions, considering technical, logistical, political and communication perspectives. We will
meet internally to develop a combined list of initial observations, questions and suggestions for
transmittal to Utilities. This combined list will deliberately preserve our individual "first impressions
and reactions". (As discussed below, we plan to coordinate our work in Tasks 2 and 3 so that we
consider the City's Water Conservation Plan in our review of the City's existing policy provisions.)
• We will meet with Utilities to discuss initial review and to assist in the development of a preliminary list
of proposed policy revisions.
■ We will produce a memorandum containing a draft set of proposed policy revisions based upon our
meeting and follow-up analyses, for review by Utilities. This memo will include a full set of policy
provisions, proposed revisions to selected provisions and discussions of each provision supporting
the proposed revision or the keeping of the existing provision.
■ We will meet with Utilities to discuss and refine the draft set of policy revisions. We feel a second
review and refinement meeting is advised given the importance of the proposed policy revisions that
will be given public scrutiny.
■ We will produce a memorandum containing a final set of proposed policy revisions for use in public
outreach efforts.
Within the context of this proposed work sequence, we describe our proposed approach to two of the
major policy elements in more detail in the following sections.
Demand Management
The Demand Management element of the City's existing Policy includes a provision that specifies per
capita water use goals, and other provisions that describe water conservation program measures to be
implemented by the City.
The existing Water Use Goals element specifies an average water use goal of 185 gallons per capita per
day (gpcd) by the year 2010. This goal has been met over the past several years, with an average per
capita water usage from 2003 to 2007 of 155 gpcd. (2003-2007 average value is based on normalized
weather conditions, from Water Conservation Plan, February 12, 2009.) The City has recently requested
that a per capita value significantly lower than the existing Policy's 185 gpcd value be used in the NEPA
permitting process for the HSWMP. (According to a conversation with Donnie Dustin, the City requested
that a 155 gpcd value be used, but the City's Water Conservation Plan indicates that a 161 gpcd value is
being considered for planning purposes.) The City's Water Conservation Plan has targeted an average
water use goal of 140 gpcd by the year 2020, which does not consider effects of long-term climate
change.
The existence of at least three separate per capita water use values, expressed as goals or current use
rates, may lead to confusion and could create a potential obstacle in the HSWMP permitting process,
particularly during the public review period. We recommend that the City update this provision of its
Policy to clearly specify (and justify) average and peak per capita water use rates that should be used for
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City of Fort Collins Utilities
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy Update
Response to Request for Proposals: AMEC Earth & Environmental
reliability assessment and facilities planning purposes.
We have worked with several municipal water providers to develop water demand projections for system
reliability planning, water rights applications and water conservation program evaluation purposes.
AMEC recently conducted a water needs assessment for Aurora Water and Colorado Springs Utilities to
provide the rationale necessary to demonstrate the need for new water claims in water court. This
assessment focused on reviewing those municipalities' methods for estimating future water demands.
AMEC developed a single per capita water use value representative of future water use for legislative
purposes for Colorado Spring Utilities while providing technical evidence supporting Aurora Water's per
capita water use of 160 gpcd for planning and policy purposes. Additionally, AMEC has also worked with
the City of Boulder to develop demand projections that have been used for formal reliability assessment
purposes pursuant to Boulder's Source Water Master Plan.
We believe it is appropriate for the water use goal contained in the City's Demand Management Policy to
be different than that contained in the City's Water Conservation Plan. The Policy goal is intended for
reliability assessment and facilities planning purposes and should be inherently conservative to account
for a certain level of planning risk and the uncertainty of climate change. The goal in the Water
Conservation Plan would serve as a target for the recommended water conservation program contained
in that Plan.
It is important that a Policy's per capita water use goal be representative of future water demands while
also allowing a buffer for uncertainty. Factors that should be considered in revising the Policy's existing
goal include changes in future development patterns (increased or decreased density, changing
proportions of residential vs. non-residential development) that could influence the overall per capita
usage rate, the effects of active water conservation program elements, natural retrofit of efficient fixtures
and appliances, and the potential increase in unit outdoor demand due to future climate change.
AMEC will work with City Utilities and Planning staff to evaluate the City's current per capita water usage
rate (155 gpcd or 161 gpcd) and provide recommendations regarding the appropriateness of this existing
per capita usage rate for planning purposes. In developing our recommendations, we will consider the
following:
■ We will examine the City's most recent historical water usage data (through at least 2009) to
determine if there have been any recent changes in use trends. We will examine historical total water
usage, water usage by customer type, per capita water usage and proportions of indoor and outdoor
water use.
• We will compare the City's recent historical total and residential per capita water use rates with those
of other Front Range providers to determine how the City's water usage compares with other similar
communities. In making this comparison, we will assess the different degree of treated water -
irrigated `green cover' within each city's service area. This factor can significantly affect the 'apples -
to -apples' comparative value of water use data for different cities. AMEC has considerable expertise
in applying remote sensing and GIS techniques to quantify the degree of `green cover' and
associated water demand within urban settings and has done so for several cities along the Front
Range. We will also assess and compare the City's commercial and industrial water usage to typical
water usage rates found in the literature.
• The City currently normalizes its historical per capita water usage values to represent average
precipitation and temperatures and adjusts its per capita water usage rates to account for large
contractual customers and other sales or exchange arrangements. We will review these techniques
and provide recommendations if necessary.
■ We will compare the City's current per capita water usage rate with the Water Conservation Plan's
per capita water use goal as adjusted in Task 3.
As discussed in Task 3, we will also provide recommendations for changes to the City's existing Demand
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City of Fort Collins Utilities
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy Update
' Response to Request for Proposals: AMEC Earth & Environmental
Management policy provisions regarding water conservation programs including educational programs,
' rate structures, incentive programs, regulatory measures and operational measures.
Water Supply for Municipal Use
' The City's 50-year Drought Criteria was the result of much work and discussion by City Council and it
reflects the City's preferences and values at the time it was adopted. We do not recommend revising this
policy provision at this time. However, Utilities should be prepared to consider the effects of climate when
modeling the ability of the City's water supply system to meet this criteria and the potential need for
additional raw water storage. Utilities should also be prepared to respond to questions from the public
regarding the tradeoffs between alternative levels of drought protection and the need for storage. We will
' discuss these issues with Utilities and make recommendations as appropriate.
Assumptions:
■ City Planning staff will be readily available for discussions related to population and employment
projections and expected land use changes.
Task 3 - Review the City's recent Water Conservation Plan for consideration in the policy update.
Purpose: The City's 2009 Water Conservation Plan contains information regarding the City's recent
' water use patterns and proposes a water use goal of 140 gpcd (normalized to average existing weather
conditions) by the year 2020, based upon a new recommended conservation program containing several
program elements. The purpose of this Task is to review the Water Conservation Plan for consideration
' in the City's Policy update.
Approach: AMEC will work with the City to incorporate appropriate information from the Water
Conservation Plan into recommended changes for the policy update.
The 140 gpcd goal of the Water Conservation Plan appears to be reasonable given the Plan's
assumptions, which include: no proportional changes in the amounts of future residential vs.
' nonresidential growth, no changes in net development density in the service area, and no change in
future climate. However, changes in any of these assumptions, particularly increased temperature due to
climate change, are likely to result in a significantly higher per capita usage rate in the future. We will
examine the validity of these assumptions and propose an adjustment of the 140 gpcd goal to reflect
' changes to these assumptions, including likely changes in outdoor demand due to climate change.
We will work with City Utilities and Planning staff to determine if the relationship between population and
' employment is expected to change in the future, or if the average density of development in the City's
service area is projected growth is expected to increase or decrease due to growth. We will adjust the
140 gpcd goal to reflect the influence of changes in either of these factors.
We will also develop a range of projected increases in unit irrigation demands that would result from
t temperature increases as predicted by global circulation models for the City's service area. We will
develop a range of further adjustments to the 140 gpcd goal that reflect the range of projected increases
in unit irrigation demands due to climate change.
We propose that our work under this task will include the following.
■ We will conduct a critical review of the Water Conservation Plan to develop a full understanding of the
Plan's characterization of the City's water uses, its demand projections and per capita use goal, and
its recommended plan elements.
■ As described above, we will prepare a range of adjustments to the Plan's 140 gpcd usage goal to
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' City of Fort Collins Utilities
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy Update
' Response to Request for Proposals: AMEC Earth & Environmental
reflect any expected changes in the proportion of future residential vs. nonresidential growth, changes
in net development density, and projected temperature increases due to climate change.
■ We will prepare a draft memorandum describing the results of our analysis and providing our
recommendations for modifying the City's demand management policy provisions to reflect the Plan's
' proposed water conservation plan elements.
■ We will meet with Utilities to review and refine our draft memorandum and we will incorporate the
results of this Task into our work in Task 2.
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Assumptions:
■ City Planning staff will be readily available for discussions related to population and employment
projections and expected land use changes.
Task 4 - Obtain objective input regarding key policy provisions from a broad spectrum of the City
including other City departments, advisory boards, special interest groups and the general public.
Purpose: The City's Policy, adopted by Council, provides a framework that guides the City's actions
regarding major water supply planning and demand management decisions. As such, any proposed
revisions to the Policy justify public input and scrutiny. The purpose of this Task is to obtain input from a
spectrum of City governing and advisory bodies and the general public regarding proposed policy
revisions and their implications.
Approach: The City anticipates involving a wide range of City Departments, interest groups and the
public in soliciting input to its proposed Policy revisions. The City's Policy covers several major topic
areas of interest to various stakeholders. It is important to develop a flexible but structured process for
involving stakeholders; otherwise this effort could be very lengthy and costly.
Our team has considerable experience in public outreach efforts of similar magnitude and we can assist
the City in creating and implementing a range of alternative public involvement processes. Our initial
recommendation is that the City establish a Community Study Group (CSG) as the primary vehicle for
public involvement. The CSG would include representatives of all relevant City Departments, interest
groups and interested members of the general public, as well as liaison members from the Water Board
and City Council. The CSG would operate under basic ground rules, but would not require consensus.
The initial meeting of the CSG would focus on several start-up items. The role and responsibility of the
CSG would be identified and differentiated from that of the Water Board and the City Council. A charter
and ground rules would be established. A series of topic areas for subsequent meetings would be
mapped out so that all aspects of the City's Policy are addressed. At this first meeting, we recommend a
reasonable amount of flexibility regarding sequencing of subject matter and number of future meetings. A
schedule for subsequent meetings would then be developed that covers all major policy topics, for
example:
■ Meeting #2: Demand Management, Water Supply for Municipal Use and Water Supply Shortage Plan
■ Meeting #3: Surplus Water, Regional Cooperation, Raw Water Quality, Stream Flow/Ecosystem
Protection, Recreational/Aesthetic Flows
■ Meeting #4: Synthesis of Discussions
Each meeting would be supported by presentations that facilitate discussion of the featured topics.
Participants would be actively involved via several processes: asking each member to identify and explain
their most important issues, break-out groups, "sticky board" sessions, and providing comment sheets for
individuals who may be reluctant to speak publicly. Comments and opinions received at each meeting
would be recorded, including minority or dissenting opinions. Written meeting sum maries,."snaps hots" of
sticky boards and tallies of prioritized issues would be created and included in the Task 6 reports.
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City of Fort Collins Utilities
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy Update
Response to Request for Proposals: AMEC Earth & Environmental
The Consultant Team has successfully used this approach in similar projects, including the City of
' Boulder's Source Water Master Plan, and we are confident that this approach would be suitable for this
project. However, we are certainly open to other approaches and are fully capable of assisting Utilities in
their implementation.
' Irrespective of the specific public involvement approach selected, we anticipate that there will be a
significant amount of work needed to prepare for each meeting. This will involve work by both Utilities
and the CT. Presentations, handouts and wall displays will be needed to set the framework for
' discussion of each major policy provision. For some provisions, trade-off and sensitivity analyses may be
needed. We expect that most of this work can be readily derived from previous work and reports done by
and for Utilities. However, we have budgeted approximately 30% of this Task budget for analysis and
presentations by AMEC in support of the public meetings.
We propose that our work under this task will include the following.
■ The CT will meet with U to plan the public involvement process, identify potential stakeholders, define
' a tentative schedule and identify needed support presentations and studies.
■ The CT (with Catalyst in the lead) will develop an overall public process schedule and logistics.
■ The CT will assist U with preparatory presentations and information, will attend and participate in
' each public meeting, and will assist in wrap-up and documentation of each meeting.
■ The CT will work with U to prepare a summary memo of the public involvement process. This memo
will be provided to the public meeting participants (or CSG members if that approach is selected), and
will be included in the reporting (Task 6).
' Assumptions:
■ The CT will be involved in a total of our public meetings
' . Most of the work needed to provide informational support for the public meetings can be readily
derived from previous work and reports done by and for Utilities.
' Task 5 - Develop and present alternative policy provisions for review and consideration.
Purpose: The purpose of this Task is to develop a set of alternative policy revisions that reflect the
' thinking of Utilities and the results of Tasks 1 through 4 for consideration by the Water Board and City
Council.
Approach: As previously discussed, the public involvement process conducted in Task 4 will likely
' produce an extensive and diverse amount of comments, reactions and recommendations. Utilities and
the Consultant Team will need to review and respond to the public input received in Task 4 and
incorporate that input, as appropriate in Utilities' judgment, into alternative proposed policy revisions.
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We propose that our work under this task will include the following.
■ We will meet with Utilities to review the results of Tasks 1 through 4 and assist in the initial
formulation of alternative policy revisions and supporting rationales.
■ We will prepare a draft memorandum that articulates the alternative policy revisions and provides
supporting discussion and rationales, for review by Utilities.
■ We will meet with Utilities to review and refine our draft memorandum.
■ We will prepare a final memorandum that presents the final version of alternative policy revisions and
supporting discussion.
Assumptions:
■ This task will involve two meetings with Utilities.
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City of Fort Collins Utilities
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy Update
Response to Request for Proposals: AMEC Earth & Environmental
Task 6 - Prepare appropriate reports and documents reflecting proposed and adopt policy
elements.
Purpose: The purpose of this Task is to prepare reports and other documents that provide information
and discussion in support of proposed policy revision alternatives.
Approach: We propose that our work under this task will include the following.
■ We will have discussions with Utilities to agree upon report subject matter, formats and intended
audiences.
■ We will prepared draft reports for review by Utilities.
■ We will meet with Utilities to review comments on draft reports and discuss refinements.
■ We will prepare final reports.
Assumptions:
■ We will have one meeting with Utilities to review draft reports.
Task 7 - Assist staff in presenting results and proposals to the Water Board, City Council and
other groups as needed.
Purpose: The work done in Tasks 1 through 6 will be the result of collaboration between Utilities and the
Consultant Team. The purpose of this Task will be to provide presentation support from the Consultant
Team to Utilities, particularly in work areas that were the principal responsibility of the Consultant Team.
Approach: We propose that our work under this task will include the following.
■ In collaboration with Utilities and at their request, we will prepare presentations, attend meetings and
make presentations at meetings of the City's Water Board, City Council or other groups.
■ Our presentations and meeting roles will be reviewed and agreed upon with Utilities in advance of the
meetings.
Assumptions:
■ We will assist Utilities in presentations at up to three meetings.
3.2 Responses to Key Questions
The City's Request for Proposals instructed that respondents address that approach they would use to
answer a list of key questions that are related to policy. The following section provides our responses to
those key questions.
1. What is an appropriate level of residential, commercial and industrial water use for beneficial
purposes?
This is a policy decision that should reflect the values and preferences of the community, while
recognizing the economic, environmental and social tradeoffs that are inevitable in making this
determination. Precisely how this decision will be made will depend on the policies of the City and
Utilities, and probably, the politics of the community. No matter what process is employed, the best
determination will be made if the stakeholders and decision -makers have before them the best
information about tradeoffs. One approach is a structured public dialog that involves a consideration of
tradeoffs, such as capital and operating cost, reliability, ultimate service population and environmental
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City of Fort Collins Utilities
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy Update
Response to Request for Proposals: AMEC Earth & Environmental
impacts. The AMEC team would support this process in the role of a technical facilitator, guiding the
discussion, but also providing reliable and clearly presented information about tradeoffs.
2. What are the City's future water demand projections?
Utilities' current approach is to use a single estimate of per -capita water use combined with estimates of
projected service area population, and estimates of future major contract sales. An alternative approach
is to break down estimates of per -capita use and projected population by category of use, such as
residential, commercial and industrial use. This approach would provide flexibility that may lead to better
estimates of water use if the relationship between population and employment is expected to change, or if
per -capita use is expected to differ between residential and non-residential uses (as would be expected if
there are different rates of effectiveness for water conservation measures across different classes of use).
A further refinement would be to model water use based on projected land use, expected employment,
population and landscaped area for each land use type. This approach allows specific treatment of wider
variety of land use types and densities expected as the community matures, such as the contrast
between infill and development of larger lots along the periphery of the community. A land use approach
also allows for more explicit treatment of the impacts of climate change on outdoor water use. Although
there is considerable uncertainty regarding future spatial and temporal patterns of precipitation, there is
more consensus across atmospheric simulations that temperatures will increase. As a result
evapotranspiration will increase, and there is a significant likelihood that overall outdoor water use will
also increase on a unit area basis. Estimates of these effects can be made from climate projections, using
data and methods with which AMEC has considerable experience.
3. How should the City use its surplus supplies in the future (agricultural rentals, instream flows,
others)?
Just as in the case of defining an appropriate level of municipal water use, this is a policy decision that
should reflect the values and preferences of the community, while recognizing economic, environmental
and social tradeoffs. AMEC suggests a similar approach involving a well-informed dialog. Some specific
considerations are: Reliability requirements argue that non -municipal use arrangements should be
flexibly structured to avoid over -commitment during serious droughts. While certain non -municipal use
arrangements (such as leasing to agriculture) can be readily implemented and would benefit both parties
on a year -by -year basis after the City is assured of adequate supplies, other non -municipal use
arrangements, (such as supporting instream flows) may only be of significant value if they can be
implemented on a more certain and sustained basis. In these cases it is important to craft arrangements
with appropriate drought recognition "triggers" to avoid impacting the City's Drought Criteria. In evaluating
different types of uses for surplus supplies, the City should recognize the relative usefulness of its excess
supplies in meeting different types of non -municipal needs given the relative magnitudes and locations of
those needs. A given amount of excess supply may provide different degrees of benefit in supporting
Poudre basin agriculture, vs. whitewater recreation flows vs. minimum instream flows in selected stream
reaches.
4. How should future climate change considerations be addressed in the policy with respect to
system vulnerability, supply reductions, increased demands, etc.?
Projected climate change will impact both water supply and water demands. There is considerable
disagreement among the global climate models (GCMs) regarding both the spatial and temporal
variability of future precipitation, but there is considerably less disagreement about future temperatures.
The impacts of projected climate change can be (and have been) quantified for the City's source water
supply and for irrigation of landscaped areas within the service area. In a careful assessment, these
quantifications will cover a considerable range of possible future conditions, and there is no good
objective guidance regarding which of these alternative futures is closest to the true future condition.
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City of Fort Collins Utilities
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy Update
Response to Request for Proposals: AMEC Earth & Environmental
Given the range of possible futures it is exceedingly unlikely that a single "no regrets" strategy can be
identified. The most robust strategy will probably prove to be "adaptive management". The degree of
conservatism in early decisions will depend on the level of risk acceptance or risk aversion in the City.
AMEC has considerable experience quantifying the impact of projected future climate changes that will be
needed to support these decisions.
5. What are the effects of additional conservation on City aesthetics, rates/revenues, water
supply shortage response, etc.?
It should be noted that certain aspects of water conservation (for example efficient fixtures and
appliances, water loss control, 'intelligent' irrigation control) do not impact aesthetics, nor do they
seriously 'harden' demand in the case of drought response because a full measure of efficient outdoor
use remains during non -drought years. By definition, effective water conservation results in reduced
consumption which has a negative effect on Utility revenues. Water rates and rate structures are
sometimes adjusted in an attempt to compensate for revenue losses by increasing rates for "wasteful'
water use. To the degree this is successful, it also results in decreased revenues. The revenue effects of
water conservation programs should be anticipated and planned for as an inherent part of a water
conservation plan. Compensatory rate increases should be borne fairly among customers and should not
be perceived as the 'negative surprise' of water conservation.
6. How does Fort Collins compare with other Utilities with respect to water use, drought criteria,
storage capacity, etc.?
Ultimately, Fort Collins will set its own policies, based on its community values, but a comparison with the
successes and challenges of other similar municipalities can help inform development of those policies.
AMEC would review policies and water -related performance metrics from other similar cities in the Front
Range, cities outside the Front Range area that provide useful comparisons to Fort Collins, and the
literature, and provide clear and succinct summaries of the results of this review. One problematic aspect
of comparing Fort Collins' water use to that of other cities is the different degree of treated water -irrigated
'green cover' within each city's service area. This factor can significantly affect the 'apples -to -apples'
comparative value of water use data for different cities. AMEC has considerable expertise in applying
remote sensing and GIS techniques to quantify the degree of 'green cover' and associated water demand
within urban settings and has done so for several cities along the Front Range.
7. Considering factors above, how much storage capacity is needed?
Fort Collins already has the capability to assess required storage volumes using historical and synthetic
hydrology. This capability can be enhanced by including the ability to use alternate hydrology, such as an
extended set of streamflows generated from the statistics obtained from tree -ring records, and sets of
alternate future hydrology that reflect different projections of future climate conditions. With this capability,
which will require some modest mechanical refinements to existing modeling and data processing tools,
an assessment of the appropriate amount of storage capacity would proceed in a fairly conventional way.
A set of scenarios of water use, demand management policies, operating rules and storage facilities
would be evaluated against an ensemble of alternate hydrology using a performance metric such as
reliability. Although this sort of analysis, referred to as a Monte Carlo analysis, is more computationally
intensive than "single -trace" model evaluations, it has the considerable advantage of providing
information about uncertainties in estimates of system performance.
3.3 Cost Estimate and Schedule
Our proposed cost estimate and a cost break down of hourly rates and number of hours assigned for
each work task for all personnel and sub -consultants are shown in the tables below. We understand that
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' City of Fort Collins Utilities
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy Update
' Response to Request for Proposals: AMEC Earth & Environmental
the final scope of work and cost will be negotiated with the City following the selection process.
' Regarding schedule, we understand that the City expects to complete this project in approximately one
year from the selection of the consultant. We have not proposed a specific schedule at this time. We
' stand ready to provide the City with timely services in a flexible manner sufficient to meet the City's 1-year
time line.
Fort Collins Water Supply and Demand Management Policy Update
Cost Summary by Task
Task
Total
Task 1: Orientation/ Data Collection
$
7,679
Task 2: Review of Exisitin Polic Provisions
$
22,314
Task 3: Review of Water Conservation Plan
$
7,371
Task 4: Stakeholder Input/ Facilitation Process
$
43,251
Task 5: Develop and Present Alternative Policy Provisions
$
14,564
Task 6: Reports
$
13,528
Task 7: Assistance in Presentations
$
9,101
Task 8: Project Admin.
$
4,032
Total
$
121,841
Name
Hourly
Rate
Task 1:
Orientation/
Data
Collection
Task 2:
Review of
Exisiting
Policy
Provisions
Task 3:
Review of
Water
Conservation
Plan
Task 4:
Stakeholder
Input/
Facilitation
Process
Task 5:
Develop and
Present
Alternative
Policy
Provisions
Task 6:
Reports
Task 7:
Assistance in
Presentations
Task 8:
Project
Admin.
Totals
hours
Rozaklis
$189
9
28
13
47
22
23
24
6
172
Hardin
$189
6
20
6
41
16
19
8
0
116
Pe ler
$120
33
52
25
69
40
39
24
16
298
Hannou
$128
0
32
0
0
0
0
0
0
32
Condon
$83
0
0
8
40
0
0
0
0
48
McAmis
$63
2
21
1
6
4
4
ol
6
25
Lewis
1 $150
1 41
171
01
931
14
41
ol
4
136
Totals
1
1 541
1511
531
2961
961
891
561
32
827
ameO —Confidential & Proprietary
Page 17
ameO
' July 12, 2010
' City of Fort Collins Utilities
Attention: Mr. Donnie Dustin, Project Manager
700 Wood Street
' Fort Collins, CO 80522
Dear Mr. Dustin:
We are pleased to submit this proposal to assist the City of Fort Collins with a review and update of the City's
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy. The AMEC Team, led by AMEC's Boulder office, along with
' Catalyst, Inc., our public process specialist subcontractor, is well qualified to provide the consulting services
outlined in the RFP in a timely and cost efficient manner for the following reasons:
■ We provide expertise and hands-on experience in municipal water supply planning, ' water supply reliability assessment, demand management, multi -objective operation of water supply systems and the
integration of these subjects. We have assembled a team of top professionals with extensive experience
working with municipalities that have addressed issues similar to those currently faced by the City.
' We provide a well -integrated group of dedicated professionals with a proven track record of providing
timely, high quality products and services to Colorado water providers. Key members of our team, Mr.
Harding, Ms. Peppler, Ms. Lewis and I bring decades of combined experience working along Colorado's
' Front Range and have successfully collaborated on past projects. We are very familiar with local water
supply systems and evaluation of raw water supplies, including the potential impacts of climate change.
' We bring a good understanding of the City's organization and familiarity with your staff. We have worked
with the City's Utilities staff on Shared Vision Planning, and we understand issues City is facing in
providing an adequate and reliable water supply to the City's water customers and community.
' As a matter of disclosure, as a consultant to the Nature Conservancy, I have worked with the City's Utilities
staff and other participants in the Shared Vision Planning process for the Halligan -Seaman Water
Management Project, and I have provided continuing assistance to the Conservancy on water management
' issues related to the Phantom Canyon Preserve. Through these experiences I have gained an understanding
of Fort Collins' water supply system and have developed mutually respectful working relationships with the
City's Utilities Staff. While AMEC has no existing contractual relationships with the Nature Conservancy, we
expect to continue our relationship with the Conservancy on Phantom Canyon water -related issues. We do
' not see this as a conflict of interest because the Conservancy's relationship with Fort Collins has been
collaborative and cooperative in nature. While the Nature Conservancy is committed to protecting and
improving flows through the Phantom Canyon Preserve, the Conservancy does not have a vested interest in
' the outcome of the permitting process.
We appreciate the opportunity to present our capabilities and look forward to working with you on this very
important study.
Sincerely,
' Lee Rozaklis
Principal
AMEC Earth & Environmental, Inc.
1002 Walnut Street, Suite 200 Tel +1 (303) 443-7839
' Boulder, CO 80302 Fax +1 (303) 442-0616 www.amec.com/earthandenvironmental
' City of Fort Collins Utilities
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy Update
' Response to Request for Proposals: AMEC Earth & Environmental
4.0 References
' The following individuals have direct knowledge of the qualifications of the AMEC team on projects of this
type. We welcome your contact with any of them to discuss our capabilities and past performance.
' 4.1 AMEC References
Ned Williams, Utilities Director
' City of Boulder
PO Box 791
Boulder, CO 80306-0791
' (303) 441-3200
williamsn@bouldercolorado.gov
Ray Alvarado, Water Information Section Chief
Colorado Water Conservation Board
1580 Logan Street Suite 600
Denver, CO 80203
(303) 866-3441 x3201
ray.alvarado@state.co.us
Jim McGrady, Consultant
' Former Director of Castle Pines North Metro District
(719) 494-3782
1 4.2 Catalyst Inc. References
Matt Robenalt, Executive Director
' Fort Collins Downtown Development Authority
970 419 4381
mrobenalt@fcgov.com
' Timothy Wilder, Project Manager
City of Fort Collins and Larimer County
Project: Northwest Subarea Plan
' 970-221-6376
TWILDER@fcgov.com
Pete Wray, Senior City Planner and Project Manager
' Northsides Neighborhood Plan
970-221-6754
PWRAY@fcgov.com
5.0 Experience with City of Fort Collins
p Y
' For the Nature Conservancy, Lee Rozaklis developed reconstructions of historical and virgin flow s for the
North Fork of the Cache la Poudre below Halligan Reservoir. This work involved collaboration with Fort
Collins Utilities Staff. Mr. Rozaklis has also collaborated with Fort Collins Utilities Staff in development of
' a Shared Vision model as part of the Shared Vision Planning process for the Halligan Seaman Water
Management Project. Through these work experiences, Mr. Rozaklis has become familiar with Fort
amec*
Confidential & Proprietary— Page 18
City of Fort Collins Utilities
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy Update
Response to Request for Proposals: AMEC Earth & Environmental
Collins' water supply system, water rights and water use patterns
Ms. Barbara Lewis (Catalyst) has facilitated several public process and consensus -building efforts
involving the City of Fort Collins including including designing and facilitating the Community Marketplace
Forum in 2009 for the DDA, and leading the public involvement programs for the Northwest Subarea Plan
and the Northsides Neighborhood Plan.
amecO —Confidential & Proprietary— Page 19
' City of Fort Collins Utilities
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy Update
' Response to Request for Proposals: AMEC Earth & Environmental
11
Appendix A
amecO
—Confidential & Proprietary —
Page 20
E
CITY OF BOULDER
Department of Public Works/ Utilities Division
P.O. Box 791
1739 Broadway
Boulder, Colorado 80306
303-441-3266
July 9, 2010
i
To City of Fort Collins staff.
AMEC Earth and Environmental has provided the City of Boulder with water resources
engineering consulting services over the past few years. For more than two decades before
this, these services were provided to the City by some of the same individuals now with
AMEC, who were working for Hydrosphere Resource Consulting prior to the acquisition of
Hydrosphere by AMEC. These services have included water resources planning efforts,
drought preparedness, assessment of potential climate change impacts, hydrologic modeling,
raw water system modeling, water conservation evaluation, instream flow program
development, and assisting the City in protecting, developing, defending, using, accounting
for, and managing the City's water resources. The evaluations offered by this consultant have
proven to be innovative, comprehensive and responsive to community values.
Individuals who now work for AMEC, particularly Lee Rozaklis, have been involved in
evaluation of the City's water resources since the development of a Raw Water Master Plan in
the mid-1980s. This process created Reliability Criteria that have guided City water planning
since that time. The Drought Reliability Criteria directly reflect the degree of tolerance that
the Boulder community has determined is acceptable for water use reductions in response to
drought. This alternative approach to water planning has allowed the City to move over time
from a more traditional, but restrictive, means of preparing for drought based on firm yield
analysis to a risk -based method that is more flexible in accommodating possible future
changes in either supply or demand. Firm yield analysis typically assumes that reservoirs will
be drawn down during drought periods until empty with no alteration in water use behavior,
thus leading to public perception that water planners have failed when drought -related water
use restrictions do actually occur. Reliability planning reflects real world operations in which
water uses would be reduced as reservoirs are drawn down during drought to protect supplies
for essential needs, making water use reductions a planned component of living in a semi -arid
location.
AMEC staff helped the City to develop a Drought Plan in 2003 that is based on the Reliability
' Criteria and on modeling of water system operations using a hydrologic record extended to
the 1500s through use of tree ring analysis. In 2008, AMEC participated with the City and
Stratus Consulting in a study of potential future climate effects on the City's water supplies
that was partially funded through NOAA. Most recently, in 2009, AMEC participated in the
development of a new Source Water Master Plan for the City, which can be found on the
City's website (see
http:Hwww.bouldercolorado.,t,,oviindex.I)hp?option=com content&view=aifiicle&id=7871 <e
mid=2905 ), and, in 2010, in revising Volume I of the Drought .Plan. Throughout this period,
AMEC has also provided on -going services for water yield analysis and other purposes.
In conclusion, I would recommend the services of'this firm. to those desiring an evaluation of
municipal water supply and water use, and particularly to those seeking an evaluation that is
responsive to community values and incorporates the most up-to-date methodologies.
Sincerely,
Carol Ellinghouse \\
Water Resources Coordinator
City of Boulder, Colorado
303-441-3266
ell in iousec(i:bottldereoIorado. gov
2
' City of Aurora
Utilities Department
C
u
k
E. Alameda Parkway, Suite 3600
Colorado 80012
July 24, 2006
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to express support from the City of Aurora for the proposal titled
"Probabilistic Seasonal Forecasting System for Water Providers "by
Hydrosphere Resource Consultants.
The City of Aurora is the third largest municipality among the Front Range
providers in Colorado. With the current limited water supply along the Front
Range in Colorado, we are continuously looking for tools that will enable us to
better manage our water systems. The proposed approach by Hydrosphere to
help us in addressing this issue is very promising. To this end we are committed
to partly fund the methodological developments that will go into developing the
proposed web -based tool.
We have been a client of Hydrosphere for over two years and find them to be an
excellent firm to work with. The City of Aurora is committed to financially
supporting this project and has a successful working relationship with
Hydrosphere. I have no doubts that they will successfully deliver the proposed
product.
I recommend this proposal for funding and believe that it will benefit municipal
water suppliers such as Aurora Water.
Please feel free to contact me by e-mail (drodrigu@auroragov.org) or phone
(303-739-7334) if you would like to further discuss my support for this proposal.
Sincerely,
D. Alfred Q-!`�Mdrig ugz, P.
Sr. Water Resources En
1 ��ENT Op T
A United States Department of the Interior
' BUREAU OF RECLAMATION TAKE PRIDE*
CH 3 . PO BOX 25007 IN MERIGA
IN REPLY REFER ro: Denver, Colorado 80225-0007
' July 21, 2006
To Whom It May Concern:
' I am writing to express my personal support for the proposal entitled "Probabilistic
Seasonal forecasting System for Water Providers"submitted by Hydrosphere Resource
' Consultants.
The proposal addresses what 1 believe is a very important need to provide municipalities
' with additional tools to manage their limited water supplies from year to year. I think the
approach Hydrosphere suggests has great merit in that it will give municipalities an
objective means for forecasting seasonal supply and demand and, ultimately, for
' formulating their policies. It will also give the municipalities a stronger technical basis
when they try to explain their policies to the general public and, specifically, their
customers.
As you may be aware, a number of our Bureau of Reclamation offices serve
municipalities and, in those cases, I believe there would be value for Reclamation
' managers and operators as well.
On a personal note, I have had the opportunity to work with Hydrosphere Consultants on
' a number of occasions. They are very well respected in the Northern Colorado water
resources community. I have known the Hydrosphere co -Principal Investigator, Mr. Ben
Harding, for nearly 20 years and have found him to be competent, knowledgeable,
' committed and reliable. I believe this project would be in very good hands.
Please feel free to contact me by e-mail (dfrevert@do.usbr.gov) or phone (303-445-2473)
if you would like to further discuss my support for this proposal.
incerely,
Donald K. Frevert
' Hydraulic Engineer
' City of Fort Collins Utilities
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy Update
' Response to Request for Proposals: AMEC Earth & Environmental
k
0
n
Appendix B
amecO —Confidential & Proprietary— Page 21
L
Lee T. Rozaklis
Principal / Senior Water Resources Engineer
Summary of Qualifications
Mr. Rozaklis has more than 30 years of experience in hydrology, water
resources planning, water quality analysis and water rights engineering.
Much of Mr. Rozaklis' experience involves analyses of water resources
systems in complex physical and institutional settings. He has served as
project manager and key technical analyst in several major water
management and municipal water supply studies in Colorado. Mr.
Rozaklis has testified as an expert witness in the areas of water rights,
hydrology and water quality in Federal District courts and several state
and county -level permitting forums.
Summary of Core Skills
Hydrologic analysis, modeling of water supply systems, water rights engineering, economic and policy
analysis, public involvement, and demand management.
Detailed Skills by Representative Project
Boulder Source Water Master Plan. Major contributor to a Source Water Master Plan for the City of Boulder,
which updated Boulder's Raw Water Master Plan. Lead author and analyst on issues related to water use
characterization, water demand projection, system reliability, and non -municipal uses of water supplies.
Gross Reservoir Environmental Pool. Developed a cooperative plan to utilize Denver Water's proposed
Gross Reservoir enlargement and Boulder's and Lafayette's existing water rights to create an "Environmental
Pool" to restore instream flows to 11 miles of historically dewatered South Boulder Creek.
Shared Vision Process, Halligan -Seaman Water Management Project. Key modeling participant in a
"shared vision" process convened by the Omaha District Corps of Engineers to develop an environmentally
preferred alternative for enlargement of Halligan and Seaman Reservoirs that would enhance instream flows
while meeting the project participants' water supply needs. Participated in a multi -party forum and helped
develop a shared vision modeling tool that was used by participants to explore operational and design
scenarios for the proposed joint enlargement project.
Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Boulder Water Supply System. Explored the impacts of
hypothetical climate change on the reliability of Boulder's water supply under a range of projected water
demands. Climate change scenarios were simulated using the Boulder Creek Watershed Model, which
simulates all significant aspects of hydrology, water rights, water storage and diversion facilities; water uses
and return flows in the Boulder Creek basin.
Boulder Drought Plan. Lead consultant for development of a plan to effectively identify impending droughts,
respond with appropriate supply and demand management strategies and communicate with the public. The
Drought Plan was based on a sophisticated examination of the climatic and hydrologic aspects of droughts
that could affect Boulder's water supply system. Historical climate and stream flow records were augmented
using tree ring data, which allowed for reconstruction of climate and stream flows as far back as 1703. A
computer model of Boulder's water supply system was used to test the effectiveness of various drought
recognition and response strategies against 300 years of historical and tree ring -based hydrology. Drought
recognition triggers were tailored to regional climate and snowmelt-driven hydrology.
Boulder Water Conservation Planning and Monitoring. Lead consultant for a study that characterized in
detail Boulder's water use patterns, updated the city's water demand projections, reassessed the reliability of
Boulder's water supply system given new information, and developed appropriate water conservation
Lee T. Rozaklis Page 1 of 2 AMEC E & E
programs, given Boulder's water use patterns, reliability criteria, and other water -related goals (e.g. instream
flow preservation). Estimated the demand -reducing effects of a proposed increasing block water rate
structure, helped develop a water user's survey, and monitored the effects of an existing water conservation
programs on average and peak demands via time series analysis of historical daily water use data.
Boulder Water Rights Engineering. Water rights expert for the City of Boulder, providing analysis in support
of Boulder's status as applicant and objector in water rights applications and change proceedings (ongoing).
Boulder Creek Instream Flow Planning. For the City of Boulder, identified instream flow needs for critical
Boulder Creek stream reaches, negotiated agreements with the Colorado Water Conservation Board for
donations of water rights to instream flow purposes, prepared engineering studies in support of changes of
water rights. Conducted a water availability study to support instream flow right applications by the Colorado
Water Conservation Board. Testified as an expert witness in State water court proceedings. Supervised
installation and rating of required stream flow gages. Developed water rights accounting procedures.
Upper Colorado River Basin Study. Principal technical analyst for a basin -wide study of the cumulative
effects of existing and future water development upon the water resources and water users within Colorado's
Summit and Grand Counties.
Boulder Raw Water Master Plan. Project manager for a raw water master plan for the City of Boulder,
Colorado. Developed a basin -wide model of Boulder Creek hydrology, water rights and system operations.
Evaluated the reliability of the City's supply system under future conditions. Analyzed potential joint operation
options for the Windy Gap and CBT projects, two of Boulder's major raw water sources. Responsible for
forecasts of future water demand and development of a comprehensive demand management program.
Established the framework for the City's instream flow protection program for Boulder Creek.
Colorado's Plan for Future Depletions, Proposed Platte River Recovery Implementation Program. For
the State of Colorado and the Platte River Project provider group, developed the analytical basis for
Colorado's plan for addressing the impacts of new water related activities in Colorado on critical habitats for
Platte River endangered species. Developed an interactive computer tool to illustrate the analytical workings
of the Plan, future accretions and depletions to the South Platte River at Julesburg under the Plan, and
sensitivity of these effects to changes in the Plan's key assumptions. Prepared documentation and made
presentations to the Platte River Governance Committee.
Halligan Reservoir/Phantom Canyon Task Force. Represented the Nature Conservancy on the Phantom
Canyon Task Force following the unexpected and catastrophic release of sediments from Halligan Reservoir in
September of 1996. Developed a reservoir operating plan that minimized the risks to the surviving trout
populations while maximizing the movement of deposited sediments out of the affected reach of the North
Fork of the Cache La Poudre River, without injuring water rights. Worked with representatives of the North
Poudre Irrigation Company, the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the Colorado State Engineer's Office and the
Nature Conservancy to achieve consensus on the operating plan.
The Nature Conservancy - Western Rivers Programs. For the Western Regional Office and the Colorado
Field Office of The Nature Conservancy, provided technical assistance in the planning of local and regional
riparian ecosystems conservation programs, including water rights analysis, hydrologic modeling and water
supply project operations. Established a river flow gaging capability for TNC's Phantom Canyon Preserve.
Negotiated a cooperative storage transfer and exchange program between TNC, the North Poudre Irrigation
Company and the City of Greeley which provides for winter season instream flows without loss of yield to
water users. Provided hydrologic modeling assistance to TNC's efforts to acquire and manage water supplies
for the Stillwater Marsh Wildlife Refuge in Nevada.
Lee T. Rozaklis Page 2 of 2 AMEC E & E
City of Fort Collins Utilities
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy Update
Response to Request for Proposals: AMEC Earth & Environmental
Table of Contents
1.0 QUALIFICATIONS...........................................................................................................................2
1.1 Firm 2
1.2 Proposed Team 3
1.3 Staff Bios 3
2.0 RELEVANT PROJECT EXPERIENCE............................................................................................5
2.1 Selected Project Examples and Client References 5
3.0 PROPOSED APPROACH...............................................................................................................7
3.1 Scope of Work 7
3.2 Response to Key Questions 14
3.3 Budget 16
4.0 REFERENCES...............................................................................................................................18
4.1 AMEC References 18
4.2 Catalyst Inc. References 18
5.0 EXPERIENCE WITH CITY OF FORT COLLINS...........................................................................18
APPENDICES
Appendix A: Letters of Recommendation
Appendix B: Resumes
amec* _Confidential & Proprietary— Page i
I
Benjamin L. Harding, P.E.
Principal
'
Summary of Qualifications
'
Mr. Harding has more than 35 years of diverse experience in water
resources engineering. His practice has focused on the design,
development, and use of hydrologic and river/reservoir system models,
decision support systems, hydraulic models, water -quality models, GIS,
and databases. This experience includes twenty-five years of project
'
management, successfully directing engineers, scientists, and
programmers in these areas.
1
Summary of Core Skills
Climate Change /Forecasting — Mr. Harding specializes in the areas of R;Rq�el iteactural Engmee�ingf;;i;;;ms;e;i
forecasting assessing climate change impacts, and the use of �I�hI�IaI�"r'=IRIS'!I,ItI `€�I�I�I���" jial�°�I�I;IdI„I� II!Inl=!M!I!
paleohydrology. He is currently leading an evaluation of the impact of ;p; ;#; ProfessigonalkkAdvIsory;!Boardlc li
climate change on water IIIIIIIIIII Memberl1995a"2003'IIIIIIill III=IIIIIIII0
ranging from local water rights olI l hebasin an the Colorado River,
a whole. He recently "',C-hkalra2000R°200211 Hillu,K;r ;N
conceived and led the development of a new non -parametric method for �I;pG&€& III;II�a a; � j jg I Ij;l l l flll 1111111'
reconstructing streamflows from tree -ring records. Mr. Harding has
URN
considerable recent experience with the development and use of Monte Carlo analyses in water resources and
environmental science.
Water Rights and Expert Testimony — Mr. Harding has served as an expert witness in original jurisdiction
interstate compact litigation. In addition, he has served as an expert witness in several cases regarding the
fate of toxic compounds in municipal water distribution systems and the estimation of human intakes of
contaminants.
Detailed Skills by Representative Project
Colorado River Water Availability. For the Colorado Water Conservation Board, Mr. Harding is leading the
development of alternate hydrology of climate change for an evaluation of the impact of climate change on
water availability. This project uses projections of future temperature and precipitation based on a variety of
greenhouse gas emission scenarios and GCMs, uses hydrologic modeling to assess the impact of projected
climate change, and paleo hydrology to incorporate information about the frequency of drought, and water
rights, and employs existing operations models to develop probabilistic estimates of water availability.
Review of Climate Change Science and Methods. As a consultant to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Mr.
Harding helped Reclamation develop an approach to address climate change in development of new shortage
rules and guidelines for the Lower Colorado River. Mr. Harding organized initial efforts, developed the first
document outline and was a co-author of the resulting report, "Review of Science and Methods for
Incorporating Climate Change Information into Reclamation's Colorado River Basin Planning Studies".
Statewide Climate Change Assessment. For the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, Mr. Harding is leading
an assessment of the sensitivity of water supply in 82 stream systems to projected changes in climate.
Forecasting for Water Supply Utilities. Project manager for work to develop seasonal and inter -annual
forecasts of relevant system variables for four large water provider utilities on the front range of Colorado. The
forecasting approach provides operational probabilistic forecasts of system variables selected by the providers
as being relevant to their operational decision -making. Forecasts are based on large-scale climate variables
and local basin conditions.
Benjamin L. Harding Page 1 of 2 AMEC E & E
Acoustic Leak Detection. For the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer, Mr. Harding was the project
manager for a program to conduct leak detection, training and technical transfer for three municipalities in New
Mexico.
Water Supply Model Record Extension. For a municipal water provider, Mr. Harding was the project
manager and lead engineer for development of methods to extend the record of input data for a complex water
resources model. This model uses more than 140 time -series inputs, including stream flows and water rights
yields. This project allows for extension of this record using non -parametric re -sampling techniques. The
methodology is readily adaptable to other situations.
Colorado River Hydrology. Project manager for incorporation of reconstructed paleo flows into Colorado
River modeling analyses by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
Negotiation Support on the Colorado River, Provided model analyses and technical advice during multi-
state negotiations concerning the adoption of Lower Basin shortages guidelines and rules for coordinated
operation of mainstem reservoirs.
Water Acquisition Study. For a state government, Mr. Harding was project manager and lead engineer for
evaluation of water acquisition as a means of maintaining habitat for endangered fish in a water -short river
system. This analysis involved both engineering and institutional factors.
Yampa River Alternatives Study. Responsible for development of a water resources system model of the
Yampa River basin to be used in a comprehensive water supply planning study to evaluate project
configurations that would meet water supply needs while also supporting the preservation of endangered
species.
Selected Publications
Kenney, D., A. Ray, B. Harding, R. Pulwarty, and B. Udall. "Rethinking Vulnerability on the Colorado River", J.
Contemporary Water Res. & Ed., 144, Pp 5-10, March 2010.
Barsugli, J. J., K. Nowak, B. Rajagopalan, J. R. Prairie, and B. Harding (2009), Comment on "When will Lake
Mead go dry?" by T. P. Barnett and D. W. Pierce, Water Resour. Res., 45, W09601,
doi:10.1029/2008WR007627, 2009
Rajagopalan, B., K. Nowak, J. Prairie, M. Hoerling, B. Harding, J. Barsugli, A. Ray, and B. Udall (2009), Water
supply risk on the Colorado River: Can management mitigate?, Water Resour. Res., 45, W08201,
doi:10.1029/2008W R007652
Gangopadhyay, S., Harding B., Rajagopalan, B., Lukas, J., and Fulp, T., "A Non -Parametric Approach for
Paleohydrologic Reconstruction of Annual Streamflow Ensembles", Water Resources Research, Vol. 45,
W06417, doi:10.1029/2008WR007201, 2009.
Brekke, L., Harding, B., Piechota, T., Udall, B., Woodhouse, C., and Yates, D. "Review of Science and
Methods for Incorporating Climate Change Information into Reclamation's Colorado River Basin Planning
Studies". In Final Environmental Impact Statement, Colorado River Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin
Shortages and Coordinated Operations for Lake Powell and Lake Mead. U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Reclamation, Upper and Lower Colorado Regions, October, 2007.
Harding, B.L. "Drought and Middle Rio Grande Water Management Issues", in Water Resources of the Middle
Rio Grande, San Acacia to Elephant Butte, L. G. Price, P. S. Johnson and D. Bland, ed., New Mexico Bureau
of Geology and Mineral Resources, 2007.
Use of Paleodata in Water Resources Management —Probabilistic Analysis of the Colorado River.
Presentation to Planning Workshop to Develop Hydroclimatic Reconstructions for Decision Support in the
Colorado River Basin, Tucson AZ., May 5, 2005. Hosted by Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS)
and Institute for Planet Earth (ISPE).
Benjamin L. Harding Page 2 of 2 AMEC E & E
r
Courtney A. Peppier, P.E.
Water Resource Engineer
Summary of Qualifications
Ms. Peppler is a project engineer with over eight years of experience in
water resources planning and engineering including water conservation
planning, integrated water resources planning, water rights analyses, EIS
planning documents and wetlands design and treatment evaluation. As
the primary project engineer on a variety of key water resources projects,
Ms. Peppler's responsibilities have involved technical analyses,
preparation of project documents, and project management activities
such as regular communication with clients, coordination with sub -
consultants and internal staff, preparation of presentation materials and
presenting information at client meetings, scheduling internal deadlines
and meetings, and tracking of project budgets. She has also designed
and managed wetland restoration projects focusing on
creating/improving water conveyance systems. These projects have
involved the entire civil engineering life cycle from the initial survey to
design, bidding, and construction management.
Summary of Core Skills
Conservation plan development; integrated water resources planning involving: demand projections, water
supply evaluation, cost estimating, evaluation and screening of water supply alternatives, and development of
water supply acquisition implementation plans; water rights analyses, water resources master planning,
development of EIS planning documents, wetland design and treatment evaluation; surface water modeling
using SWMM and HEC-RAS.
Detailed Skills by Representative Project
Water Resources Planning
Project Lead, Water Conservation Plans, CO: Developed the first State approved Water Conservation Plan
' in accordance with the Colorado Water Conservation Board's (CWCB) water conservation guidelines for
Castle Pines North Metropolitan District and authored the Town of Erie's Water Conservation Plan. The
development of these plans involved the evaluation of existing and projected demands, existing and new
conservation measures and programs, estimation of conservation water savings, development of an
implementation plan, and coordination with the CWCB and the client in obtaining a CWCB conservation plan
grant and fulfilling State conservation plan requirements.
' Project Lead, Development of Municipal Drought Management Plan Guidance Document, CO: Serving
lead role in the development of a Municipal Drought Management Plan Guidance Document for the CWCB.
Similar to the Water Conservation Plan Guidance Document, this document will be available to municipalities
' as a reference tool for developing local Drought Management Plans. This document will provide a thorough
overview of the steps needed to develop effective Drought Management Plans, a recommended Plan
template, and worksheets municipalities may use to compile and evaluate drought related data.
' Project Engineer, Colorado Springs and Aurora Water Demand Study, CO: Provided engineering litigation
support for the Cities to make a non -speculative conditional appropriation of unappropriated water. This
involved a thorough review of the Cities' water demand projections to determine whether they had a need for
additional water supplies in the future.
I
Courtney A. Peppler Page 1 of 2 AMEC E & E
Project Engineer, Integrated Water Resources Plans, CO: Developed Integrated Water Resources Plans
for Castle Pines North Metropolitan District and the City of Northglenn. Evaluated historical demands and
conservation efforts, forecasted future demands, assisted in the development of future water supply
alternatives, developed cost estimates and evaluated these alternatives based on the clients' planning
objectives using Criterium Decision Plus.
Project Engineer, South Metro Regional Water Supply Plan, CO: Served as the primary project engineer
for the development of the South Metro Water Supply Regional Water Master Plan addressing how the South
Metro Water Supply Authority providers may secure renewable water supplies. This involved the evaluation of
water demands in the south metro area and the development of delivery, treatment, and storage alternatives,
cost estimates, and a phased implementation plan.
Project Lead, CWCB Water Conservation Implementation Grants, CO: Developed CWCB grant
applications for the installation of an irrigation management system for Castle Pines North Metropolitan District
and for an artificial turf field and conservation focused website for Castle Rock. Worked closely with the client
to develop project descriptions, budgets, schedule and coordinated efforts with CWCB.
Project Manager, Water Supply Cost Allocation Tool, CO: Managed the development of an excel based
cost allocation tool that the South Metro Water Supply Authority thirteen providers may use to allocate the
renewable water supply development costs among each provider. This tool accounts for a variety of factors
including various conveyance options and limitations, water treatment, storage considerations, and the
allocation of water supplies to each provider.
Project Engineer, Non -potable Water Master Plan, CO: Evaluated and documented the temporal and
spatial distribution of future non -potable water demands and supplies for the Town of Erie. Coordinated the
development of two pipeline conveyance alternatives to distribute raw water and treated reclaimed water to
meet non -potable demands.
Water Rights Evaluations
Snake River Farm Litigation, ID: Provided engineering litigation support for groundwater user by evaluating
supplemental water supply alternatives for a fish hatchery on the Snake River. This included a reconnaissance
evaluation of the quantity, quality, and reliability of supplies as well as development of water court documents.
Water Rights Acquisition for The Valley Club, ID: Provided water rights engineering support for a golf
course contemplating the prospect of acquiring additional water in response to possible groundwater
administration. This included consumptive use evaluations, modeling of river depletions as a result of
pumping, and an estimation of potential water right yields.
Barker Reservoir Water Availability Study, CO: Estimation of physical and legal availability of water
supplies for additional storage rights in the City of Boulder's, Barker Reservoir. This involved intensive review
of diversion, streamflow, and call records and the development of a spreadsheet model to estimate available
flows.
South Boulder Creek Instream Flow Study, CO: Developed spreadsheet model to estimate the amount of
additional storage needed in Gross Reservoir to facilitate the increase of flows meeting targeted instream flow
criteria.
City of Boulder Water Rights Litigation Support, CO: Provides water right litigation support for the City of
Boulder. This involves the review and evaluation of engineering reports related to multiple water right cases
and development of rebuttal reports.
Courtney A. Peppler Page 2 of 2 AMEC E & E
Ian Hanou
' Senior Project Manager/GIS Group Lead
Summary of Qualifications
' Education
Mr. Hanou has nine years of experience in the geospatial industry, f�
B S' ForesfkManagement�;�
involving complex integrated database management focusing primarily lora Cdo sState�Unu=iversity; 2001 ,
o
on innovative solutions in forestry, natural resources, agriculture, energy
and water resources. His work experience ranges from hands-on GIS Spatial Information'
' and remote sensing analysis to customer service and marketing, Management.Systems (GIS)
including direct sales with federal, state, and local government agencies, minor with focus on forest &
utilities, private firms, non -profits and universities. He has presented at wildfire management, natural
' varied national conferences on forest management, green infrastructure resource management and
and urban sustainability. ,associated mapping imaging
hand plan writing
1 ro
Summary of Core Skills °Professional AA, liaiions
Mr. Hanou's experience includes applying geospatial technologies to Society of American Foresters
natural resource and land management planning. He is proficient in (SAF)
' spatial data analysis software, data acquisition and processing, and . Front Range Urban Forestry
project development relating to studies in watershed health, urban Council (FRUFC) .,
natural resource management, water supply and conservation, and land Colorado Water Wise Council' -
use planning. This may include Urban & Rural Forest Management, (CWWC)
Natural Resource &Environmental Management, Regional Planning & rSoil'.&"Water Conservation.: ,
Collaboration, GIS Spatial Analysis, Geographic Object -Based Image
Society (SWCS)': w.1P. .
Analysis, Image Processing, Marketing & Business Development and International Erosioh,Control
Public Speaking Association (IECA).-
Detailed Skills by Representative Project
GIS Support for Town of Castle Rock Utilities, Castle Rock, Colorado
Provided the Town with parcel -level statistics of impervious area, irrigated vs. non -irrigated area, tree cover,
landscaped area and bare soil to support the development of water budget rate structures that align with water
conservation goals and generate consistent revenue streams. Deliverables included city parcels database
' updated with land cover statistics, orthorectified high -resolution satellite imagery, GIS-ready closed polygon
ESRI shapefiles of land cover classification for all parcels, and similar land cover files along buffered stream
corridors for erosion control and vegetation mitigation purposes.
' Regional Land Cover Mapping Project, RFP Mapping LLC, Chicago, IL
Through a teaming agreement with RFP Mapping LLC, this first -of -its -kind project provides high -resolution
land cover data as an off -the -shelf product for the entire 7-county Chicago metro area (4,200 sq mi). Clients
' can purchase various data layers through an e-commerce site for use in a multitude of applications involving
water resources, vegetation management, climate change, air quality, water quality, land use planning,
ecosystem services dollar -value analysis, cost/benefit feasibility studies and more.
' Urban Forest Research Pilot Project, Salt Lake City, Utah
This was a pilot project to test and demonstrate the potential to apply remote sensing technologies to monitor
and evaluate the status, vitality and sustainability of urban forests and related resources. It evaluated whether
' land cover classification and analysis of urban forest metrics by land use could be developed based on the
spectral separability assessment of 12 predominant tree genera from spring, summer & fall 12-band composite
QuickBird imagery, and provided a spreadsheet linking remotely sensed data with weighted species
' distribution ranked by environmental impact (e.g. water needs, BVOC emissions, shading value, etc).
I
Ian Hanou Page 1 of 2 AMEC E & E
Pikes Peak Forest & Watershed Management Plan Updates
Supported Colorado Springs Utilities and Colorado State Forest Service through satellite imagery -based forest
density classification, elevation analysis (slope/aspect) and other base mapping in order to update
management plans and associated maps.
Pueblo County, Colorado Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) Mapping & Database
Development
Contracted by Pueblo County GIS to acquire, rectify, and analyze high -resolution satellite imagery for creation
of base data layers that would support a CWPP, evaluate risk assessment and map vegetation & infrastructure
critical to protecting life, property and water resources.
Denver Urban Tree Canopy Mapping Inventory
Inventoried Denver's urban forest using 2-ft resolution QuickBird satellite imagery to provide benchmark of
canopy cover by neighborhood and facilitate improved management of the urban forest by illustrating
opportunities to improve tree cover during the ongoing Mile -High Million Tree Planting Initiative.
Hyperspectral - LiDAR Analysis for EAB & Urban Forest Management, Milwaukee, Wisconsin: One -
meter spatial resolution hyperspectral imagery & one posting per sq-meter LiDAR data were collected and
analyzed to map green and white ash tree locations to support urban forest management specifically related to
an invasive pest, the emerald ash borer (EAB), and future risk/hazard assessment from dead and dying trees.
Presentations/Publications
"Updating the Pikes Peak Forest & Watershed Management Plans using Satellite Imagery & GIS" —
presented at Society of American Forests National Conference, October 2007
"GIS & Remote Sensing Case Studies for Water Conservation" — Soil & Water Conservation Society
(SWCS) Conference, July 2007
"GIS & Remote Sensing for Urban Sustainability Programs" - GIS in the Rockies Conference, September
2007
"Geospatial Technology & Case Studies for Watershed Assessment" — Rocky Mountain Water
Environment Association, September 2007
"GIS & Remote Sensing Case Studies for Water Resource Management" — presented at the 1st Annual
GIS & Remote Sensing Applications for Water Conservation & Water Supply workshop, April 2008
"Longmont, CO Case Study: Selling Urban Forestry in Small Cities" — presented at Society of Municipal
Arborists (SMA) Annual Conference, October 2008
"Regional GIS & Remote Sensing Assessment for Urban Forests" — presented at Green Industries
Seminar Series, October 2008
Ian Hanou Page 2 of 2 AMEC E & E
1579 South Washington Street
' Barbara E. Lewis Denver, Colorado 80210
President Phone 303 8718850
Catalyst, Inc. Fax 303 765 2674
' catalystbel@comcast.net
' Expertise Facilitation
• Expert in designing processes to help people understand different
' perspectives, develop creative ideas, prioritize options and make collaborative
decisions.
♦ Experienced with diverse facilitation processes, including visioning,
' brainstorming, nominal group technique, delphi, computer -assisted
processes, appreciative inquiry, strategic planning, focus groups and action
planning.
' • Designed and facilitated more than 120 public meetings, workshops and open
houses. Organized and facilitated 20 advisory committee or task force
processes.
Participatory Planning/Community Relations
' ♦ Directed or managed more than 75 public involvement programs for diverse
projects related to community planning, solid waste management, water
' resources planning, infrastructure development, and facility siting.
Training
' • Master Trainer in public participation design and techniques for the
International Association for Public Participation.
' • Associate for the Corporation for Positive Change conducting training in
Appreciative Inquiry.
Professional 1998 — Present Catalyst, Inc.
Highlights ,^ President
' • Facilitating collaborative stakeholder process to develop a management plan
alternative for protection of the Upper Colorado River in Colorado.
♦ Facilitated City of Boulder's Source Water Master Plan process, including
' Community Study Group process.
• Project manager for public participation for PPACG's Long Range
' Transportation Plan.
• Facilitated Boulder FasTracks Local Optimization (FLO) task force with
representatives from the city, county, RTD, business community, university,
' and citizen interests.
1
• Facilitated Stormwater Advisory Committee exploring improvements to the
Arapahoe County's stormwater program. Committee recommendations and
subsequent analysis led to a partnership and agreement between Arapahoe
County and the City of Centennial to form the Southeast Metro Stormwater
Authority. .
• Facilitated a two-day chartering session for the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Denver Water, and consultants to develop a productive working
framework for the EIS on Denver Water's proposed North System Project.
♦ Facilitated public involvement program for the City of Longmont
comprehensive plan update.
• Designed and conducted community involvement training for City of
Longmont employees in different departments.
• Facilitated the public process for Fort Collins and Larimer County for the
Northwest Area Plan as a subconsultant to Clarion Associates.
• Facilitated subarea plan process for the Four Square Mile Area of Arapahoe
County.
♦ Designed and facilitated the first joint meeting of the Colorado Springs Utilities
Board and Advisory Committee to establish priorities for action in 1999, in
accordance with Carver's Policy Governance model.
♦ Public involvement manager on U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Resource
Management Plans for two reservoirs in eastern Washington.
Education 1984 University of Wisconsin
Master of Science, Water Resources Management
• University Fellowship
1978 Colorado College
Bachelor of Arts, Economics
♦ Magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa
t Licenses and
• Certified facilitator for the Creative Strategic Thinking Processes and
Certifications ; CoNexus® computer -assisted facilitation tools developed by IdeaSciences.
• Master Trainer for the International Association for Public Participation. Co -
Author of course on Public Participation Techniques.
Awards • 2006 Project of the Year Award, International Association for Public
Participation, City of Longmont Citywide Strategic Plan.
♦ 2003 ITE Best Practices Award, City of Boulder Transportation Master Plan.
• 2000 Grand Prize, Canadian Institute of Planners, City of Calgary GoPlan.
AMEC Earth & Environmental, Inc.
1002 Walnut Street, Suite 200
Boulder, Colorado 80302
www.amec.com
I
I
u
' City of Fort Collins Utilities
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy Update
' Response to Request for Proposals: AMEC Earth & Environmental
1.0 Qualifications
' 1.1 Firm
' AMEC Earth & Environmental, Inc. (AMEC) will be providing services under this contract through its
Boulder office. AMEC is an operating division of AMEC plc which employs approximately 22,000 people
in more than 33 countries and has worked globally in more than 117 different countries, generating
annual revenues of $4.5 Billion. As a global environmental, engineering, and construction contractor with
an operating history of more than 100 years and a large portfolio of diverse experience, AMEC plc brings
the benefit of both local offices and project -based global experience. We focus on the delivery of high
quality services using local offices with local expertise to provide local service. AMEC also supplements
' its core expertise on an as -needed basis through partnerships with key local and international vendors to
put world skills on your doorstep.
Catalyst Inc.
' Catalyst Inc. will lead the stakeholder and public involvement effort for the team. Catalyst provides expert
experience in designing and conducting consensus building and community engagement programs
tailored to the needs of each individual project. For 12 years, the firm has focused on serving local and
' regional government in developing shared visions and collaborative solutions to land use, transportation,
water resource and environmental challenges. Catalyst is known for bringing creative strategic thinking to
decision -making.
I
Local Presence
AMEC Earth & Environmental is AMEC plc's full -service engineering, environmental, and construction
management division (www.amec.com/earthandenvironmental). With more than 3,000 professionals in
North America, we are a leader in the provision of a variety of services to private and public sector clients.
In particular, AMEC's Colorado offices have provided quality water resources management services
throughout the state of Colorado since 1983. Our Colorado offices are staffed with civil/drainage/water
resources engineers, water system and hydrologic modelers, geoscientists, environmental scientists,
planners, and GIS and CAD specialists. These specialists form multi -disciplinary teams to unlock value
for our clients. Our success is built upon maintaining the "best in industry staff', providing technical
innovation, and delivery of cost effective solutions.
AMEC is currently providing services to local governments and commercial clients along the Western
Slope and Front Range of Colorado, including: Colorado Water Conservation Board, Summit County,
Northwest Colorado Council of Governments, Eagle River Water & Sanitation District, Keystone Resort,
Vail Resort, Beaver Creek Resort, Upper Eagle River Water, Colorado River Water District, Colorado
Springs Utilities, City of Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Arapahoe County, Douglas County, Adams
County, Castle Rock, Parker, Greenwood Village, the Cherry Creek Basin Authority, Boulder, Aurora
Water and Denver Water.
We have developed superior program management skills including natural resources planning, design
stakeholder coordination and public participation, and project and construction management of complex,
multi -discipline projects. Approximately $5 million of work awarded to AMEC's Colorado offices in 2008
was related to water resource engineering. The planning and management of water resources is our
primary business focus and where we excel. The amount of repeat business from our clients attests to
their satisfaction - more than 80% of our business is from repeat customers and referrals.
Letters of recommendation for services relevant to Fort Collins' Water Supply and Demand Management
Policy Update Study can be found in Appendix A.
amec _Confidential & Proprietary— Page 2
City of Fort Collins Utilities
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy Update
Response to Request for Proposals: AMEC Earth & Environmental
1.2 Proposed Team
AMEC has assembled a highly -qualified team to conduct the investigations, planning, modeling,
reconnaissance -level evaluations, and other related activities needed to complete the study. Key
personnel include:
Team Member
Role on the Project
Lee Rozaklis
Senior Project Manager
Ben Harding, PE
Climate Change Science
Courtney Peppler, PE
Water Conservation Planning
Ian Hanou
GIS Analyst
Barbara Lewis
Facilitation, Stakeholder Involvement and
Outreach
Key staff biographical sketches illustrating each team member's relevant experience and background are
' provided below. Two page resumes for featured staff can be found in Appendix B. Note that numerous
staff engineers and scientists will also be available to provide appropriate support as needed for the
project.
' Communication and Coordination with Fort Collins Staff
To provide the best services to Fort Collins, we propose a single Project Manager for this project, Lee
Rozaklis. As Project Manager, Lee will oversee and facilitate all business issues, provide a single point of
' contact for administrative matters, and assume responsibility for the quality and delivery of the final
product.
' The key personnel identified above for this study may directly coordinate with key contacts from Fort
Collins to facilitate efficient ongoing communication. One of the first items to address in the kick-off
meeting for will be formulating a protocol for communications, sharing of documents, data, and other
information.
' 1.3 Staff Bios
' Lee Rozaklis
Principal Engineer
Lee Rozaklis has more than 30 years of experience in water resources planning, hydrology, water rights
' analysis and water quality analysis. He has worked with cities, farmers, industries and environmental
groups to develop practical, sustainable and environmentally sensitive water management systems. He
has extensive experience in municipal water supply planning including policy development, system
modeling and reliability assessment, water rights, water use characterization and conservation planning,
' water demand projections, drought recognition and response planning, and climate change impact
assessment. He has participated in numerous public meetings as a presenter or technical facilitator and
has made presentations to water advisory boards, city councils and citizens' groups.
' Lee has provided continuing assistance to the City of Boulder in developing its Raw Water Master Plan
and successor Source Water Master Plan, Water Conservation Futures Study and Drought Plan. He was
the primary developer of Boulder's Boulder Creek Watershed Model. He was instrumental in formulating
' and implementing instream flow programs for Boulder Creek and South Boulder Creek. He was a co -
investigator in Boulder's Climate Change Vulnerability Study.
' Lee has substantial experience in the Poudre basin, primarily through his role assisting the Nature
Conservancy with formulating and implementing cooperative arrangements for enhancing instream flows
amec
—Confidential & Proprietary— Page 3
' City of Fort Collins Utilities
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy Update
' Response to Request for Proposals: AMEC Earth & Environmental
on the North Fork of the Poudre. Lee also has extensive experience in other parts of the South Platte
' Basin and the Colorado basin. He has served as project manager or key technical analyst in the
Colorado -Big Thompson -Windy Gap Operations Study, the South Metro Water Supply Study, the
Metropolitan Water Supply Investigation, and the Denver Basin and South Platte River Basin Technical
' Study. This work is described in more detail in his resume.
Benjamin L. Harding, PE
Principal Engineer / Climate Change Science
' Ben Harding has more than 35 years' experience in water resources engineering, and has successfully
directed multi -disciplinary teams including engineers, scientists and programmers in hundreds of projects
spanning the breadth of water resources and wastewater engineering, planning and management. He is a
' leader in the application of modern planning methods, including the use of paleo hydrology and the
development of methods to incorporate uncertain projections of future climate into water resources
planning in a defensible and reliable manner. For the Colorado Water Conservation Board he is leading
' the work to develop time series of climate -impacted monthly streamflow at 256 sites in the Colorado River
Basin as part of the Colorado River Water Availability Study. Mr. Harding is also leading work on a
statewide analysis of climate change impacts for the Oklahoma Water Resources Board as part of
Oklahoma's Comprehensive Water Plan. For The Bureau of Reclamation, he has directed and conducted
' engineering studies in support of hydrology and water resources planning since 2005 and has been a
member of the Colorado River Hydrology Work Group or its predecessors since that time. He recently led
the effort to generate hydrology model runs for all of the 112 readily -available climate projections for the
Colorado River, in support of Reclamation's Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study. Ben
conceived of and leads work to provide long-term water supply forecasts to Front Range water providers
and has provided water resources planning services to the Denver Water, Aurora Water, Colorado
Springs Utilities and the City of Boulder.
' Courtney A. Peppier, PE
Project Manager, Water Resources Engineer
' Courtney Peppler has more than eight years of professional experience in water resources planning and
engineering throughout Colorado, California, Oklahoma, and Idaho. She has a diverse background
involving water conservation planning, integrated water resources planning, water rights engineering, EIS
' document development, and wetland design and treatment evaluation.
Courtney has served in key management and technical roles in the development of numerous integrated
water resource plans involving evaluation of municipal historical demands and conservation efforts,
' forecasting future demands, development and screening of water supply alternatives, cost estimates, and
development of phased implementation strategies to acquire supplies. With a previous employer, she
assisted in managing the third party contractor's development of the Halligan and Seaman Water Supply
' Project EIS specifically focusing on the screening of water storage and supply alternatives. Courtney also
developed the first State approved water conservation plan and recently served as the project lead in
developing a Municipal Drought Management Plan Guidance Document for CWCB. This Guidance
Document will serve as a reference tool for municipalities developing local Drought Management Plans.
Ian Hanou
Senior GIS Analyst
' Ian is a Senior GIS Project Manager at AMEC and brings over 10 years of geospatial and resource
management experience. As a past board member of the Colorado Water Wise Council, Ian brings a
diverse background in water conservation coupled with remote sensing and GIS. He has developed and
' managed dozens of municipal remote sensing and GIS projects related to satellite, aerial and parcel
rectification, land cover classification and natural and water resource management. He brings a critical
ameO—Confidential & Proprietary— Page 4
' City of Fort Collins Utilities
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy Update
' Response to Request for Proposals: AMEC Earth & Environmental
resource to the team in the acquisition, provisioning, processing, manipulation and analysis of various
' imagery sources and scanned documents. He excels in GIS project management, vector and raster GIS
modeling and analysis, object -based image classification, 3-D visualization, LIDAR/terrain data
processing, spectral classification, geodatabase design and development, base map data procurement
' and public outreach.
Barbara E. Lewis
Facilitator / Public Outreach
' Catalyst Inc. President Barbara E. Lewis has more than 25 years of experience in public involvement,
facilitation and environmental planning. Her experience includes more than 100 public involvement
programs. She has designed and facilitated community visioning and priority -setting efforts for numerous
' communities, including the award -winning citywide strategic plan for the City of Longmont. She is well
respected for her prior experience in Fort Collins, including designing and facilitating the Community
Marketplace Forum in 2009 for the DDA, and leading the public involvement programs for the Northwest
' Subarea Plan and the Northsides Neighborhood Plan. An expert in building consensus among diverse
interests, Barbara is also facilitating a group of water providers, environmental interests, local
governments and other interests in creating a local plan for Wild and Scenic River protection on the
Colorado River. Barbara is a Master Trainer for the International Association for Public Participation and a
' Consulting Partner with the Corporation for Positive Change. She is certified in CoNexus® computer -
assisted facilitation and creative strategic thinking processes.
' Prior to forming Catalyst Inc., Barbara serviced as a Public Involvement Manager and Environmental
Planner for Dames & Moore in Denver.
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2.0 Relevant Project Experience
2.1 Selected Project Examples and Client References
The team proposed for Fort Collin's Water Supply and Demand Management Policy Update provides
both scientific expertise and project experience specifically suited to this study. Our work includes:
Boulder Source Water Master Plan
Staff: Lee Rozaklis
Dates: 2008-2009
AMEC assisted the City of Boulder in developing its Source Water Master Plan, which provides a
technical and policy framework for sustainable management of Boulder's water supply so that future
needs are met through drought periods without violating adopted reliability criteria. AMEC had lead roles
in projecting Boulder's future water demands, assessing the reliability of Boulder's water supply system
considering historical and paleo-droughts and climate change, and defining how excess water supplies
should be used to meet non -municipal needs.
Boulder Climate Change Vulnerability Study
Staff: Lee Rozaklis
Dates: 2006-2008
AMEC was a co -investigator in a study of the vulnerability of Boulder, Colorado's water supply system to
the potential effects of climate change. The study examined the effects of several greenhouse gas
emission scenarios and general circulation models (GCMs) upon stream flows and water rights in the
Boulder Creek basin and the Colorado -Big Thompson and Windy Gap project catchment areas. The
ameO _Confidential & Proprietary— Page 5
1
City of Fort Collins Utilities
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy Update
Response to Request for Proposals: AMEC Earth & Environmental
study incorporated long-term climate variability exhibited by 437-year (1566-2002) tree ring -based
' streamflow reconstructions. AMEC had the lead role in estimating water demands and modeling natural
flow hydrology, water rights and water supply systems in the South Platte and Colorado River basins
under altered climate scenarios.
' Gross Reservoir Environmental Pool
Staff: Lee Rozaklis and Courtney Peppier
Dates: 2008-2010
' Representing the City of Boulder, AMEC negotiated intergovernmental agreements with Lafayette and
Denver Water to establish the Gross Reservoir Environmental Pool, a win -win -win arrangement between
' the three parties that will restore instream flows to South Boulder Creek as a mitigation/enhancement
feature of Denver's enlargement of Gross Reservoir. The pool will be filled using water rights owned by
Lafayette and Boulder. Water will be released to maintain specified instream flow targets on South
Boulder Creek. Lafayette and Boulder will recapture and use the released water downstream of the
' targeted instream flow reaches.
CASTLE PINES NORTH WATER CONSERVATION PLAN
' Staff: Courtney Peppier
Dates: 2006
With a previous employer, Courtney Peppler developed the first state approved Water Conservation Plan
' under CWCB's new Guidance Document for Castle Pines North Metropolitan District. This document was
developed under the framework of establishing a model document that other water providers could use to
initiate development of their own Plans. This involved a detailed review of CWCB's guidelines and an
' extensive amount of effort to follow the guidelines as closely as possible within the constraints of limited
available data. Upon completion of the Plan, Ms. Peppler was invited by CWCB to provide feedback on
her experiences and recommendations for guideline improvements. Ms. Peppler also developed the
Water Conservation Plan grant application and worked closely with CWCB and Castle Pines North in
' administrating the review process and providing support during the public review period.
Colorado River Water Availability Study
Staff: Ben Harding
Dates: October 2008 through present
For the Colorado Water Conservation Board AMEC is responsible for developing alternate hydrology
' based on paleo records and projected changes in climate. Our work uses projections of future
temperature and precipitation based on a variety of greenhouse gas emission scenarios and General
Circulation Models (GCMs), uses the gridded macro -scale Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) hydrology
' model to assess the impact of projected climate change and uses paleohydrology to incorporate
information about the frequency of drought. The alternate hydrology developed by AMEC will be used in
existing water rights and operations models to develop probabilistic estimates of water availability.
AMEC's strength lies in our understanding of how to apply climate science, paleohydrology and hydrology
modeling in a reliable, practical and cost-effective manner.
ABCD Forecasting Project, Colorado Front Range
' Staff: Ben Harding
Dates: October 2007 through present
AMEC Earth & Environmental developed the Probabilistic Seasonal Forecasting System (PSFS) to
' deliver forecasts of relevant system variables to a consortium of four large Colorado municipal water
providers (the cities of Aurora, Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Denver). AMEC Earth & Environmental's
amec
—Confidential &Proprietary— Page 6
City of Fort Collins Utilities
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy Update
' Response to Request for Proposals: AMEC Earth & Environmental
Role in the ABCD Forecasting Project included developing the concept, developing and implementing the
' forecasting system, preparing climate diagnostics and statistical analyses of local hydrologic variables,
producing five operational forecasts over each water year, and working with the utility participants to
improve their use of forecasts. This project included aspects of utility operations, large-scale climate
' diagnostics, statistical analysis and modeling.
Fort Collins Downtown Development Authority
Staff: Barbara Lewis (Catalyst Inc.)
' Dates: 2008-2009
As an Associate for the Corporation for Positive Change, Barbara Lewis assisted the Fort Collins
Downtown Development Authority in its partnership with the Northern Colorado Food Incubator, CSU
Center for Fair and Alternative Trade Studies, the Local Living Economy Project, Wolf Moon Farms, and
the CSU Lifelong Learning Institute to explore the feasibility of creating the community marketplace of the
future in downtown Fort Collins. The concept will combine a year-round market with opportunities for
learning and community building in support of local sustainability and globally fair practices. Barbara
Lewis worked with the partners to design a process to engage diverse interests, from ranchers to
community activists, in exploring the concept and creating a shared vision for how they might work
' t
gether to make the marketplace a reality. She facilitated a lively, engaging process built on her work in
ppreciative inquiry that connected people to each other and to the marketplace concept in a 1.5 day
orkshop.
City of Fort Collins and Larimer County
Staff: Barbara Lewis (Catalyst Inc.)
Dates: 2005-2006
' Catalyst Inc. worked as a subconsultant to Clarion Associates for the Northwest Subarea Plan being
jointly managed by the City of Fort Collins and Larimer County. The challenge for this area was to design
a process to bring new residents and those that had called the area home for decades or even
' generations together around a common vision. Most of the land in the area is unincorporated, and land
uses are an eclectic mix of large lots and smaller lot residential subdivisions mostly developed in the
County. The process focused on a series of large open meetings where participants shared concerns and
ideas and discovered areas of common ground. A pivotal meeting involved the use of graphic recording
to draw out common hopes for the future of the area.
' 3.0 Proposed Approach
3.1 Scope of Work
' Our proposed scope of work follows the general task sequence laid out in the City's Request for
Proposals.
' Task 1 - Collect historic and current water use and supply data to help illustrate current water
demand and supply relationships.
' Purpose: Fort Collins has already produced several documents that include records of historical water
uses and demands, portrayed in various formats. The purpose of this Task is to review and update that
information, correct for any inaccuracies, and portray that information in formats that will be useful in
subsequent tasks and presentations.
' Approach: As part of a project initiation and orientation meeting, we will meet with Utilities staff to decide
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—Confidential &Proprietary— Page 7