To: Board of Directors of the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, Board of Directors of the Sonoma County Water Agency
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District and Sonoma County Water Agency
Staff Name and Phone Number: Allison Schichtel, 565-7353; Susan Haydon 565-1937
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Joint Funding Agreement with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) for Lidar Acquisition
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Authorize the General Manager of the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District to execute a Joint Funding Agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey in the amount of $50,000 and the General Manager of the Sonoma County Water Agency execute a Joint Funding Agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey in the amount of $50,000 in a form approved by County Counsel.
B) Adopt a Resolution authorizing adjustments to the Board Adopted Budget for FY 2021/2022 for the Sonoma County Water Agency General Fund in the amount of $50,000.
(4/5th Vote Required)
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Executive Summary:
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) manages the 3D Elevation (3DEP) Program to provide high-accuracy and high-resolution topographic data nationwide, including airborne lidar (light image detection and ranging) data. Through the USGS FY2022 Broad Agency Announcement, the North Coast Resource Partnership (NCRP) was awarded $3,546,506 towards the acquisition of a lidar point cloud and digital elevation model for an area including the entirety of Sonoma County and portions of Humboldt, Trinity, Tehama, Shasta, Lassen, Del Norte, Siskiyou, and Modoc Counties. The Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation District (Ag + Open Space) and Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) each committed $50,000 in matching funds towards the total cost of the project. High-resolution lidar data acquisition is scheduled for spring 2022.
The Board action would authorize Ag + Open Space and Sonoma Water to each execute a Joint Funding Agreement with USGS to contribute $50,000 each towards the cost of necessary field and analytical work directly related to the project.
Discussion:
Regional Collaboration and USGS Award
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) manages the 3D Elevation (3DEP) Program to provide high-accuracy and high-resolution topographic data nationwide, including airborne lidar (light image detection and ranging) data. Lidar data provide detailed information about the topography of an area, its infrastructure, and the structure of forests and wildland fuels. Through the Sonoma County Vegetation Mapping and Lidar Program, established in 2013, lidar data have supported a variety of local initiatives, including wildfire hazard mapping and fuel treatment planning; flood planning and response; climate adaptation planning; biodiversity and land conservation; and water quality protection and enhancement.
Through the USGS FY2022 Broad Agency Announcement, the North Coast Resource Partnership (NCRP)-led by a coalition of Tribes and counties-was awarded $3,546,506 towards the acquisition of a lidar point cloud and digital elevation model for an area of approximately 17,404 square miles, including the entirety of Sonoma County and portions of Humboldt, Trinity, Tehama, Shasta, Lassen, Del Norte, Siskiyou, and Modoc Counties (see attached Project Area Map).
Data acquisition is planned for spring 2022 as snow-free leaf-on conditions allow. Data will be of Quality Level 1, meeting the following accuracy requirements:
• Pulse density of 8 pulses/m2
• Vertical accuracy of 10 cm RMSEz
• Aggregate nominal pulse spacing of 0.35 m
• Aggregate nominal pulse desnisty of 8 pulses/m2
• Digital elevation model post spacing of 0.5 m
The NCRP will serve as advisor and technical point of contact for the project. USGS will serve as government point of contact during the full period of the agreement; in addition, USGS will select a qualified contractor to perform the lidar collection and processing, administer data quality assurance and quality control for products and deliverables, and manage all data deliverables.
Copies of elevation products will be provided to project partners and will be placed in the public domain-available for viewing and download through the USGS National Map.
Matching funds for the project total $3.62 million. The Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (Ag + Open Space) and the Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) each committed $50,000 in matching funds towards the total cost of the project. Additional contributing partners include the California Natural Resources Agency ($3,000,000), University of California San Diego ($500,000), and Humboldt Bay Municipal Utility District ($20,000).
Through this collaborative effort across local, state, federal, and tribal entities, Sonoma County and the region can effectively leverage data resources to support on-the-ground resource management decisions to enhance existing and future investments in watershed and community health. By participating in this larger regional collaboration, Sonoma County benefits from an economy of scale, with a significant reduction in cost per acre, and will also receive full coverage lidar on a more expedited timeline than if the County were to pursue acquiring these data on its own.
Previous Investments in Lidar Data
In 2013, Ag + Open Space and Sonoma Water spearheaded the Sonoma County Vegetation Mapping and Lidar Program (Sonoma Veg Map) to map Sonoma County's topography, physical and biotic features, and diverse plant communities and habitats. Contributing partners include the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, USGS, the Sonoma County Information Systems Department, the Sonoma County Transportation and Public Works Department, The Nature Conservancy, the City of Petaluma, NASA, and the University of Maryland. Lidar was collected in fall of 2013 in partnership with the University of Maryland, who received a grant from the NASA Earth Sciences program to use high-resolution aerial photography and lidar to map aboveground carbon resources in Sonoma County.
Since 2013, the data from Sonoma Veg Map have been essential to the planning and management of natural resources, including fuels mapping and treatment prioritization; the maintenance, rehabilitation, and enhancement of public works, transportation, flood risk planning, and other infrastructure; the management of real property assets; emergency preparedness and response; and conservation valuation and prioritization. Sonoma County’s investment in lidar data and associated mapping have resulted in significant returns on funds originally invested. As an example, the Sonoma Veg Map Program-providing a science-based foundation for project planning and implementation-has served as a matching investment for several key grants.
Need for Investment in New Data
With recent fires affecting more than one third of the County, the 2013 data are outdated and their utility for mapping and prioritizing areas for fuel treatment, among other applications, is limited. The lidar data and derived products funded through the FY2022 USGS 3DEP program will be used to update our countywide fine-scale vegetation, forest structure and wildfire hazard maps, and other topography, infrastructure, and hydrology-related datasets. These data will inform implementation of multiple countywide initiatives related to climate change and extreme-events adaptation and resiliency, including the Multi-jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan, County Wildfire Protection Plan, Sonoma Water Climate Adaptation Plan, Ag + Open Space Vital Lands Initiative, Groundwater Sustainability Plans, and upcoming Sonoma County Natural and Working Lands Resilience Action Plan.
Prior Board Actions:
December 7, 2021: Board of Supervisors adopted the 2021 Sonoma County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan
October 19, 2021: Board of Directors of Sonoma Water adopted the Sonoma Water Climate Adaptation Plan
January 26, 2021: Board of Directors of Ag + Open Space adopted the Vital Lands Initiative
November 12, 2013: Board of Directors of Ag + Open Space authorized the General Manager of Ag + Open Space to execute reimbursement agreements for production of environmental geospatial data
Fiscal Summary
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Expenditures |
FY 21-22 Adopted |
FY 22-23 Projected |
FY 23-24 Projected |
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Budgeted Expenses |
$50,000 (Ag + Open Space) |
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Additional Appropriation Requested |
$50,000 (Sonoma Water) |
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Total Expenditures |
$100,000 (combined funds) |
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Funding Sources |
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General Fund/WA GF |
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State/Federal |
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Fees/Other |
$50,000 (Ag + Open Space) |
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Use of Fund Balance |
$50,000 (Sonoma Water) |
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Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
$100,000 (combined funds) |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Sonoma Water: Additional appropriations of $50,000 are required to process this expense. With Board approval of the attached budgetary resolution, FY 2021/2022 appropriations of $50,000 from Fund Balance will be made in the Sonoma Water’s General Fund.
Ag + Open Space: The cost associated with this funding agreement will be paid from the Ag + Open Space Measure F sales tax revenue. There are adequate appropriations in FY 2021/2022 budget.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None
Attachments:
1. Resolution
2. Project Area Map
3. Statement of Work
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
1. Joint Funding Agreement for Ag + Open Space
2. Joint Funding Agreement for Sonoma Water