R2024-111 Resolution Authorizing an Agreement with Ecosystem Services Exchange, for Services with the Regional Conservation Partnership Program

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tWuing Conservation Mr. Keith Alexander March 5, 2024 Water Production Manager City of Decatur #1 Gary K. Anderson Plaza Decatur, Illinois 62523 Dear Mr. Alexander, Ecosystem Services Exchange(ESE)appreciates the opportunity to submit a proposal to the City of Decatur to provide conservation drainage practice design technical services to assist the City with its implementation of the Lake Decatur Water Quality Initiative Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) -- Project ID#2724. Based in Adair, Iowa, ESE has provided its technical leadership, expertise, and services in 19 states and Canada since 2010. It is a sister company of Agri Drain Corporation (ADC), also of Adair, Iowa, which has been a leader in water management technology innovation and equipment manufacturing since 1976. Charlie Schafer, a leading innovator and the President of ADC, is also the Founder of ESE. ESE has been deeply involved in supporting innumerable partnership-based, landscape and watershed-scale projects through assistance to individual farmers on water management improvement. We work closely with both farmers and their land improvement contractors to ensure the proper planning, design, installation, and operation of conservation drainage practices and systems—all of which meet NRCS standards and specifications. ESE and ADC work hand-in-hand through many public/private partnership efforts across the Midwest, Great Lakes,and East Coast to deliver quality and timely expertise,technical assistance,and essential equipment to further the adoption of conservation drainage practices in a systems approach. We recognize this City of Decatur's RCPP Project includes a focus on manual and automated drainage water management, saturated buffers,and denitrifying bioreactors and the need for technical services for associated site assessments and suitability determinations, engineering surveys, and practice designs for their installation. These are conservation drainage practices and associated technical processes that ESE is expert in. In just the last three years, ESE estimates that it has directly assisted farmers with the planning,design, and implementation of over 250 of these conservation practices on farms. Given our depth and breadth of experience and proven results with conservation drainage practices, ESE is wholly confident it will successfully deliver expeditiously the deliverables designated by the City of Decatur with streamlined processes, minimal burden to busy producers, and in accordance with all required quality standards. Additionally, ESE will not charge any administrative fees associated with its assistance to the City of Decatur. Based on the recommendation of Mr.Jeff Boeckler, Northwater Consulting, this proposal includes"Attachment A," which offers a contingency for the City of Decatur if it is not able to secure locally the technical services needed to support conservation drainage practice installation through this project. Attachment A provides a summary of these technical services and the cost reimbursement per hour and in total if the City of Decatur wants to access ESE for this expertise and capacity. ESE is equally qualified and experienced in working with land improvement contractors and producers on practice installation as it is with the planning and design of these practices. These technical services for Page 2of11