Title
Consideration of and action on the adoption of a resolution by the City Council of the City of Deer Park, Texas, authorizing to accept a FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant award and execute the associated project agreement through the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) for the installation of permanent backup generators at 13 wastewater lift stations.
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Summary:
Council previously authorized staff to submit this project for funding under FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). The City was placed on the HMGP alternate list and has not been funded through that program. TDEM encouraged the City to apply for the same project through BRIC, which operates as a competitive national grant program administered directly through TDEM to FEMA. This application advances the same project scope Council originally approved.
All 13 lift stations in this project currently operate without any permanent backup power. During extended power outages, the City must rely on rented portable generators, rotating them manually across sites. This approach is labor-intensive, dependent on generator availability in a competitive post-disaster market, and creates real risk of sanitary sewer overflows if a station is not serviced in time.
Deer Park's experience during Hurricane Beryl (July 2024) illustrated this vulnerability directly. The storm caused power outages lasting more than a week and generated approximately $1.4 million in FEMA claims. Similar disruptions occurred during the February 2021 winter storm, when widespread power failures interrupted municipal services and caused extensive infrastructure damage across the region.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The project installs permanent standby generators and transfer switches at 13 wastewater lift stations. Each site will receive a generator sized to station load, a transfer switch to enable switchover from grid power, and all associated site work and electrical installation. Project Sites:
ALIGNMENT WITH ADOPTED HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN
This project is directly consistent with the 2025 Harris County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP), in which Deer Park identified mitigation action DP_6: Retrofit critical infrastructure/public buildings/facilities with generator power systems. That action is rated High priority and reflects the City's ongoing commitment to installing fixed generators at lift stations through available grant funding. The HMP identifies floods, hurricanes, and severe weather as the primary hazards driving this need. Consistency with an adopted Local Hazard Mitigation Plan is a requirement for BRIC eligibility.
BENEFIT-COST ANALYSIS
FEMA requires a Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) score of 1.0 or greater for project eligibility. This project received a BCA score of 2.8, meaning projected long-term benefits are estimated at 2.8 times the total project cost. The score reflects avoided emergency response costs, prevention of sanitary sewer overflows and associated environmental penalties, reduced equipment rental costs, and avoided service disruption during future events.
Fiscal/Budgetary Impact:
The total project cost is $1,010,643.00. BRIC funds 75% of eligible costs, with a 25% local match required. The budget also includes an allowance for grant administration costs. The local share of $252,660.75 will be funded from the Water/Sewer Fund.
Recommended action
Approve the resolution authorizing the acceptance of a FEMA BRIC grant award and execute the associated project agreement through TDEM for the installation of permanent backup generators at 13 wastewater lift stations.