Template revised January 10, 2019.
COMMISSION
AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Item No.
8d
ACTION ITEM
Date of Meeting
January 28, 2020
DATE: January 6, 2019
TO: Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director
FROM: Sandy Kilroy, Director, Maritime Environment & Sustainability (ME&S)
Jon Sloan, Sr. Environmental Program Manager (ME&S)
SUBJECT: Interlocal Agreement to support Bio-Barge Research being led by the University of
Washington Green Futures Lab
Commitment under the agreement:
$45,000
ACTION REQUESTED
Request commission authorization for the Executive Director to enter into an interlocal
agreement with the University of Washington Green Futures Lab in substantially the form
attached to fund and provide support for continuation of the Bio-Barge Pilot Project in an amount
not to exceed $45,000.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Port of Seattle and University of Washington (UW) Green Futures Lab have been engaged in
an informal partnership to explore the potential of floating wetland islands, also known as “Bio-
Barges,” to provide compact areas of fish and wildlife habitat and water quality improvements in
developed areas where restoration potential is otherwise limited. A first generation of
prototypes was deployed by UW in March 2019 on port-owned property in the Duwamish River
located at Terminal 102, Terminal 105, and Terminal 108, funded primarily by King County
Wastewater Treatment Division and Rose Foundation grants. Access to the study sites was
facilitated by an access agreement between the UW and port dated July 1, 2018. Once installed,
the prototypes were intensively monitored by UW students and faculty, with support from port
staff and interns.
A second generation of prototypes is being developed independently by the port for comparison
and will be deployed in the Lake Washington Ship Canal at Fishermen’s Terminal and the
Maritime Industrial Center in early 2020. The proposed ILA will fund the UW to develop, deploy,
and support continued Bio-Barge research by students and faculty as well as to enhance public
outreach and engagement in the project. The UW first-generation prototypes will be towed to
new locations in the Duwamish River for a second season of data collection. Port staff will
provide supplemental technical support, monitoring and reporting as part of the agreement. The
UW team will engage Duwamish Valley residents and other community members to participate
in work related to the research. Port funding provided through the proposed ILA, in conjunction
COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. __8d__ Page 2 of 6
Meeting Date: January 28, 2019
Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).
with ongoing funding from King County Wastewater Treatment Division and Rose Foundation,
will increase impact and help the UW scale up the pilot project.
JUSTIFICATION
The Port of Seattle Century Agenda includes a goal to restore, create or enhance 40 additional
acres of habitat in the Green-Duwamish Watershed and Elliott Bay. Because the available areas
for restoration are limited and/or highly constrained, port staff is exploring innovative ways to
accomplish more with less. Bio-barges are compact floating islands of wetland vegetation that
can improve water quality and provide fish and wildlife habitat along developed shorelines where
space is otherwise lacking, including riverbank areas in South Park, Georgetown, and other
Duwamish Valley neighborhoods. Innovations such as these will be important for the port to
achieve its ambitious Century Agenda goal and to facilitate mitigation required of the port in
other contexts. Also, the bio-barge project provides an opportunity to support public
involvement in the Port’s stewardship activities. To that end, the UW team proposes to engage
Duwamish Valley residents and other community members in the project.
Diversity in Contracting
The interlocal agreement will provide funding to the UW project team. The team will take steps
to recruit a diverse workforce through outreach, networking, and marketing in order to ensure a
well-rounded pool of qualified and diverse applicants. As a federal contractor, the University of
Washington must comply with federal law as it relates to Equal Opportunity and Affirmative
Action. The University’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA) supports both
legal compliance and a spirit of equal opportunity as it relates to race, color, creed, religion,
national origin, citizenship, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or
expression, disability, or status as a disabled veteran or Vietnam-era veteran, or other protected
veterans. More details are available in the University of Washington Affirmative Action Plan.
DETAILS
Throughout 2019, the UW Green Futures Lab and the port’s Maritime Environment &
Sustainability staff have worked together in an informal partnership to explore the utility of
floating wetland islands, also known as bio-barges, for improving water quality and habitat along
highly constrained developed shorelines. The UW’s participation was supported in part by grants
from the King County Wastewater Treatment Division and The Rose Foundation. The port’s
support of the work was funded through the Maritime Habitat Initiatives program expense
budget.
The port and UW collaborated to provide biological monitoring and water quality sampling for
the first generation of bio-barge prototypes that were deployed on port-owned/port-managed
property in the Lower Duwamish River at Terminal 105 and Terminal 108 from March 2019 to
July 2019. The port participated in the monitoring by providing: study sites per Access Agreement
dated July 1, 2018; access to the Port’s research vessel and other equipment; staff support;
engineering and design services; and a portion of the data processing. The first-generation
COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. __8d__ Page 3 of 6
Meeting Date: January 28, 2019
Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).
prototypes will be removed and rehabilitated in early 2020 by UW before being re-deployed at
new study sites on the Duwamish River.
At the same time, a second generation of bio-barge prototypes has been designed and
constructed independently by the port based on lessons learned from the first generation, with
a desire to improve cost, practicality, and performance. The second generation is built almost
entirely of bio-degradable materials, including: salvage logs received from the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers; coir fabric made from jute and coconut fibers; locally sourced compost; and wetland
plants harvested from Port restoration sites. The second-generation prototypes also include
engineered light-transmission features which will ensure that the underside of the bio-barges are
well lit, to avoid creating preferential habitat for fish that prey on juvenile salmon. The second-
generation prototypes will be deployed on port-owned/port-managed property in the Lake
Washington Ship Canal, Salmon Bay, Fisherman’s Terminal and the Maritime Industrial Center
for evaluation.
Scope of Work
To support continued participation of UW students and faculty in the Bio-Barge research
project, as well as to enhance public outreach and engagement (particularly for Duwamish
Valley residents), the proposed ILA will fund the UW to undertake the following tasks:
a. Provide processed water quality data, video monitoring data, analysis, research findings
and laboratory reports related to Phase I of the Bio-Barge research project to the port,
with emphasis on optimizing design and performance of future bio-barge prototypes;
b. Update the project’s Water Quality Monitoring Plan to be specific to both generations of
prototypes;
c. Remove, rehabilitate and replace (if necessary) first-generation bio-barge prototypes at
Terminal 102; and,
d. Engage Duwamish Valley residents and other community members during field research
to be undertaken in 2020.
For its part, the port will:
a. Transmit $45,000 in a lump-sum payment to UW Green Futures Research & Design Lab
upon receipt of specific deliverables;
b. Facilitate site visits for UW staff, students and community members to Port study sites
at Fisherman’s Terminal, Maritime Industrial Center, and other sites as identified
through a new site access agreement;
c. Attend periodic meetings between port professional staff and representatives of the
UW Green Futures Research and Design Lab to review and comment on presentations
and deliverables related to either first- or second-generation prototypes in the research
project; and,
COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. __8d__ Page 4 of 6
Meeting Date: January 28, 2019
Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).
d. Provide reasonable access to the PORTfolio environmental vessel and operator, as well
as other equipment and staff needed to undertake continued monitoring of the first-
generation Duwamish bio-barge prototypes (exclusive of laboratory analytical services).
Schedule
Year 2 of the Bio-Barge Research Project will be initiated immediately upon execution of the
Interlocal Agreement, with planning tasks to commence in February 2020. Public outreach will
be undertaken throughout all tasks, with emphasis on engaging Duwamish Valley residents and
other community members between March-July 2020. Throughout the project, the port and
UW teams will be in close communication, participating in regularly scheduled meetings to
ensure integrity of the field data collection, as well as maintenance of the bio-barge prototypes.
Cost Breakdown
This Request
Total Project
Technical Support
35,000
35,000
Public engagement (community-based
science initiatives)
10,000
10,000
Total
$45,000
$45,000
ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED
The Bio-Barge Research Project is a unique opportunity to partner with the UW in an ongoing
project which is primarily funded by King County Wastewater Treatment Division and Rose
Foundation grants. First-generation prototypes of the bio-barges are wholly owned by the
University of Washington; moorage and study sites are owned by the Port of Seattle. Alternatives
considered do not include contracting with other parties due to these unique circumstances.
However, alternatives with respect to scope, schedule, and locations have been considered.
Alternative 1 – No action, do not promote an Interlocal Agreement for continuation of the Bio-
Barge Research Project.
Cost Implications: Port saves $45,000 in the short-term but may have higher expenses in meeting
Century Agenda habitat goal and implementing mitigation required in other contexts due to lack
of a diverse range of options.
Pros:
(1) Saves money in the short term.
(2) Less administrative effort – no need to manage external partnership and ILA.
Cons:
(1) Return on prior investments in the Bio-Barge Research Project will not be optimal.
(2) Lost opportunity for community outreach and engagement.
This is not the recommended alternative.
COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. __8d__ Page 5 of 6
Meeting Date: January 28, 2019
Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).
Alternative 2 – Undertake Phase II of Bio-Barge Research Project alone w/out partnering with
the UW.
Cost Implications: Due to bandwidth and lack of sufficient expertise, the port would need to
contract with a consultant to support the project and would lose access to UW-owned first-
generation prototypes. This would cost more than the $45,000 currently proposed in the ILA.
Pros:
(1) Greater control of data, bio-barge units, experimental design.
(2) Increases private sector involvement.
Cons:
(1) Higher costs.
(2) Reduces opportunity for public outreach and engagement
This is not the recommended alternative.
Alternative 3 – Engage the UW to continue partnership in the Bio-Barge Research Project through
an Interlocal Agreement, comparing first- and second-generation prototypes through
collaborative monitoring and data analysis.
Cost Implications: The ILA specifies $45,000 in funding needed to support UW involvement.
Pros:
(1) Allows access to high level of technical expertise (UW students and faculty).
(2) Maintains continuity.
(3) Promotes re-deployment of first-generation prototypes to compare to second-
generation prototypes.
(4) Supports community outreach and engagement goals
Cons:
(1) Cost of $45,000.
(2) Increases administrative burden to manage ILA and partnership.
This is the recommended alternative.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
Cost Estimate/Authorization Summary
Capital
Expense
Total
COST ESTIMATE
Original estimate
$0
$45,000
$45,000
AUTHORIZATION
Previous authorizations
0
0
0
Current request for authorization
0
0
0
Total authorizations, including this request
0
0
0
Remaining amount to be authorized
0
0
0
COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. __8d__ Page 6 of 6
Meeting Date: January 28, 2019
Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).
Annual Budget Status and Source of Funds
The cost of funding the ILA for $45,000 is within the $60,000 annual expense budget
authorization for the Maritime Habitat Initiatives line of business.
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS REQUEST
(1) Presentation slides
(2) Draft interlocal agreement with the University of Washington
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS
There have been no specific Commission actions or briefings related to the Bio-Barge Research
Project.
