IT board approves 2nd Nature contract to centralize stormwater asset tracking

The Waukesha City Information Technology Board voted unanimously May 6 to approve a contract with 2nd Nature for a stormwater management software package aimed at centralizing the city's stormwater asset data and assisting with state permit reporting.

Jonathan Chapakam, a Public Works representative who led the presentation, said the software lets city staff view individual Best Management Practices(BMPs) such as ponds, swales and hydrodynamic separators as assets with plans, maintenance agreements and inspection records attached. "We could click on a particular BMP... and pull up the plans," Chapakam said, adding that the system can store maintenance agreements for private ponds and automate reminders to homeowner associations.

The software is intended to support compliance with the city's MS4 permit from the state Department of Natural Resources, Chapakam said, and to make it easier to calculate removal credits for total suspended solids and phosphorus. He warned that an expected TMDL (total maximum daily load) for the Fox River could raise municipal removal requirements substantially; Chapakam said current removal targets are "somewhere around 25%" and could move toward about 60%, which would increase capital and operational needs.

Board members asked whether the vendor would migrate existing data and provide training. Chapakam said first-year migration is included in the proposed package and that training needs appeared low following a demo with the city's data. He said licensing is concurrent and that the city would provision roughly five seats for stormwater staff while allowing broader, occasional access for others such as the city engineer or garage staff.

Staff described the procurement path and vendor comparisons during the discussion. Chapakam said the city evaluated other vendors, including Mainstar, KCI and OpenGov; OpenGov offered broader asset-management features but at roughly double the annual cost. Negotiations with 2nd Nature produced a discounted first year and a cap on future increases that staff said would roughly limit annual increases to about 3% after year two.

A board member moved to approve the contract "with 2nd Nature for this stormwater management system," a motion that was seconded and approved by roll call. The chair called the vote; board members responded "yes," and the motion passed unanimously. Staff said the approved contract will be forwarded to the city council for any additional threshold review required by city policy.

Chapakam said the vendor is based in California and already serves several jurisdictions there and elsewhere; the city would likely be among the first municipalities in Wisconsin to adopt the product. Chapakam also cited approximately 270 private BMPs the city tracks and said consolidating records in a single system will make regulatory modeling and reporting more efficient.

The board did not set an implementation timeline at the meeting; staff said migration and integration with the city's GIS will follow vendor implementation work. The council will receive the contract for further action per city purchasing thresholds.