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Columbia County amends Ceres contract to match NRCS linear‑foot pricing for stream cleanup under EWPP award

Columbia County Board of Commissioners — Management/Internal Services Committee & Proposed Development and Planning Services Committee · July 9, 2025

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Summary

Planning staff told the committee that Columbia County will amend its EWPP contract with Ceres Environmental Services to convert vendor pricing to a $128 per linear‑foot rate so the county can bill NRCS for watershed cleanup work.

Planning staff told the Proposed Development & Planning Services Committee on July 8 that Columbia County will amend its emergency watershed protection contract with Ceres Environmental Services so the vendor’s pricing conforms to NRCS EWPP line‑item requirements (per linear foot). The county said the converted all‑in price is $128 per linear foot, which bundles pickup, grinding and disposal or in‑place grinding where appropriate.

Staff explained that the NRCS award—an Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWPP) grant—covers eligible work and that the award amount was up to $31,600,000 for the county’s eligible projects. Because Ceres originally priced work by volume (cubic yards), county and vendor staff recalculated prices to linear feet, a conversion that varies with stream width and site conditions. Planning staff said the county’s linear‑foot estimate is below the total grant allowance and that the amendment will allow billing under the EWPP rules.

Officials said disposal methods will vary: on narrow wooded stream banks crews will grind material and leave it in place as mulch where permitted to control erosion; in other locations material will be hauled off. Planners also said they will generally leave stumps in place to stabilize banks rather than removing them. Staff recommended approval and moved the amendment to consent.

The committee recorded the amendment under consent. Staff noted the linear‑foot price is an estimate because linear‑foot pricing depends on stream width and site conditions and the original contract had itemized prices by action rather than a single bundled linear‑foot rate.