RFQ Planning/Engineering, Related Services Develop A Watershed Management Plan - Moss Point, MS Area #15367

The Jackson County Board of Supervisors (JCBOS or the County) will accept sealed Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) from qualified individuals or firms to provide Watershed Management Plan (WMP) for the Moss Point, Mississippi area as related to the Hurricane Zeta/Ida Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (ZICDBG-DR) Program. Services will include planning, engineering, and developing a geographic information system (GIS) database. The County has been awarded funding for the Moss Point Area Watershed Management Plan from the Mississippi Development Authority through the ZICDBG-DR program. For further background information on the ZICDBG-DR program, please visit https://msdisasterrecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Action-Plan-Amendment-One-Final- Approved-6-6-23.pdf.. A major goal of the WMP for the Moss Point area (“the area”) is to help mitigate the effects of climate change. The area experiences riverine and local flooding problems, which are being exaggerated by sea level rise (SLR) and increased frequency of significant weather events.

The services required for this plan are:

PLANNING: Below are specific preliminary tasks and details for how the WMP would be planned:

· Identify drainage needs and existing flooding issues, watershed goals, and water quality resource concerns and objectives through interviews or questionnaires with key stakeholders.

· Complete watershed characterizations of conditions for the three (3) 12-digit hydrologic unit code (HUC) watersheds with which the area coincides (HUC-12 ID# 031700060302 – Upper West Pascagoula – Pascagoula River, HUC-12 ID# 031700080705 – Beardslee Lake-Escatawpa River, and HUC-12 ID# 031700090301 – Bayou Casotte-Pt Aux Chenes Bay) to identify priorities for the WMP.

· Characterize hydrology and water quality throughout the watersheds at the planning level.

ENGINEERING: The above preliminary task outcomes will then be used to develop an EPA Nine Element compliant WMP for the watersheds. Below are specific tasks and details for how the WMP will be completed:

· Conduct necessary fieldwork to identify watershed concerns, best management practices, and make recommendations for improvements.

· Identify watershed causes of concern, including hydrologic and water quality characterizations.

· Identify and evaluate structural and/or non-structural best management practices to address the watershed causes of concern.

· Identify cost-effective improvements for implementation.

· Identify potential funding sources for the selected improvements.

· Identify potential education and outreach activities focused on meeting the WMP objectives.

· Identify potential locations for education signage identifying the receiving waterbody for specific outfalls.

To support the development of the WMP, a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) database will be prepared with the data gathered on the watershed characteristics, drainage basins, and drainage system. The database will be used as a tool for managing the existing drainage system and planned improvements. The entire database (or portions of it) will be shared by the County/City to their ArcGIS Online accounts to collect and update records in the field by County/City personnel in the future as improvements and maintenance activities are completed. Data to be included in the geodatabase includes (but is not limited to) surface water features (National Hydrography Dataset [NHD] flowlines, waterbodies), catchments, available storm water utility data, and identified areas/points of concern.

It is anticipated that the timeline for completing the Moss Point Area WMP will encompass a total of twenty-two

(22) months. Firms or individuals proposing to perform these services should submit a list of their qualifications, experience, and capacity for performance. To the extent applicable, the plan will be covered by the requirements of Section 3 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 (12 U.S.C. § 170lu) ("Section 3").

Each respondent is cautioned to carefully review the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) requirements to ensure that all responsibilities and obligations are properly addressed within its respective SOQ. Interested and qualified respondents may submit SOQ Packages, according to the requirements described herein.

All SOQ Packages are due by or before 12 p.m. (CT) on April 23, 2024. Any packages delivered to any location other than the appropriate location described below or received after the 12 p.m. deadline will not be considered and shall be returned unopened to the addressee. All SOQ Packages will be publicly opened and read aloud at 1:00 p.m. (CT) on April 23, 2024, in the Board of Supervisor's Board Room in the Jackson County Services Complex located at 2915 Canty Street, Pascagoula, MS 39567 after which time they will be reviewed, ranked, and scored by the Selection Committee approved  by the JCBOS.