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RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING APPLICATION TO THE HAZARD MITIGATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM THROUGH THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIVISION, TO PROVIDE BACKUP POWER TO THE CITY’S WATER TREATMENT PLANT.
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CITY PROPOSAL:
RESOLVED, that the city of Duluth herby announces intent to apply for a Hazard Mitigation Grant through Homeland Security and Emergency Management Minnesota Department of Public Safety. The Hazard Mitigation Grant programs were implemented under the authority of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 5121-5207.
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the proper city officials are authorized to accept a Hazard Mitigation Grant and allocate matching funds from the city’s water fund. This resolution authorizes the project application explained below to the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the 25% city match will be from the city of Duluth’s water fund.
Statement of Purpose
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: The Lakewood Water Treatment Plant and Pump Station is located on the north shore of Lake Superior just north of Duluth. The plant provides a reliable source of drinking water for Duluth and three other communities in St. Louis County, including Rice Lake, Hermantown and Proctor, with a total population of just over 102,000 residents. To support this critical service the city aims to add the mitigation action of generator back-up power for the water pump plant and water treatment plant to be more resilient to the hazards of coastal storms (severe winter and summer storms). Adequate backup power via generators will be installed, along with burying overhead lines and adding a second transformer for redundancy at the site.
Backup power generation helps to protect public health, to maintain critical facilities in functioning order, to reduce economic losses, and to minimize social stress during hazardous events.
The city of Duluth project is eligible to apply for funding because the mitigation action to add backup power generation is listed in the St. Louis County All Hazard Mitigation Plan. The city of Duluth Mitigation Action Chart lists this action on page G-25 of the St. Louis County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2020. “Protect the potable water plant located on the Lake Superior shoreline by armoring the adjoining shoreline and establishing a backup on-site power supply that can operate indefinitely.”
The following are integral parts of backup power generation and important for sustaining water service to Duluth and surrounding communities. Each of these elements are included in the Hazard Mitigation Grant program application:
• Generator - add a set of generators to operate the water pump and water treatment plant during grid power outages.
• Transformer - add a second transformer to provide redundancy.
• Bury overhead power lines - prevention of future outages on property.
The estimated project cost is $6,500,000, with 75% eligible for Hazard Mitigation Grant Assistance and 25% payable from Water Fund 510.