The Unified Government Public Works Department told a standing committee it will apply for up to $6,000,000 from the Google Water Efficiency and Quality Project Grant to model and build three stormwater management facilities in the Esplanade watershed.

The grant application was presented by Sarah Shaffer of Public Works, who said the school watershed would fund modeling and construction of "capacity building stormwater facilities to mitigate any downstream effects that are getting into the CSO." Shaffer said, "This project ... does not meet consent decree. It's not allowed to meet consent decree, but it will significantly reduce our monetary impact when we do go in to, do projects for the consent decree."

Shaffer said the district or grant would pay for consulting work to build a stormwater model and identify three sites; construction and land acquisition costs could require third‑party contracts. "I cannot say that every dollar will go into the construction," she said, noting the department typically uses the Land Bank first for property needs.

Why it matters: Public Works said upstream stormwater capacity can capture runoff before it enters combined sewer systems and thus lower the scope or expense of federally required sewer work under the consent decree. Committee members pressed staff on how the grant would affect stormwater utility rates and how much would be spent on engineering versus construction.

Commissioner questions and replies: Commissioner Lopez asked whether a $6 million award could be used to offset residents' stormwater tax; Shaffer replied, "It would go into our, financial model as, supporting capital and programming costs, which would in turn affect the, projected utility rate." Lopez asked whether the grant would be spent largely on engineering; Shaffer estimated typical projects of this size reserve roughly 30–50% for construction and the remainder for engineering, acquisition and inspections.

Public comment and next steps: No public comments were received at the standing committee meeting, and staff asked the committee to approve pursuit of the grant. The committee voted 6–0 to accept the resolution authorizing the application and, if awarded, acceptance of up to $6,000,000 with no local match required.

Background and limitations: Shaffer emphasized the grant is for stormwater quality and capacity—"in CSOs, that stormwater is going into the pipes. So if we can build stormwater capacity upstream, capture the water, and minimize how much is, being managed by the consent decree projects, it does significantly assist in the affordability of those projects." She also said the Unified Government currently has only two watershed models and frequently seeks grant funding to cover modeling costs.

Ending: Public Works said award decisions would be followed by consultant procurement and site identification if the grant is received; committee members asked staff to return with more detail on scope and costs as the project advances.