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Home My WebLink AboutPR 22109: INSTALLATION OF HIGH FREQUENCY RADAR (HFR) NETWORK FOR TEXAS BAYS AND PORTS AT THE PLEASURE ISLAND PIER City of ort rthu Texas www.Po rtArth u rTx.gov INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM Date: August 23, 2021 To: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Through: Ron Burton, City Manager From: Flozelle C. Roberts, Director of Public Work • RE: P. R. No. 22109—Installation of High Frequency Radar(HFR)Network for Texas Bays and Ports at the Pleasure Island Pier Introduction: Approval of proposed resolution number 22109 authorizing the installation of high frequency radars on Pleasure Island Pier to measure surface currents is requested. Background: The University of Texas at El Paso, Lamar University, and Research Applied Technology Education Services,Inc. (RATES)were awarded a grant from the Texas General Land Office to implement the special merit project, High Frequency Radar(HFR)Network for Texas Bays and Ports. This project will install an HFR network on Pleasure Island Pier to continuously measure surface current with real-time access to the surface current maps on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA)high frequency radar national data buoy centers. This project is a demonstration project that is scheduled to operate for an 18-month period. Budget Impact: Funding has been granted by the General Land Office (GLO) to the presenting entities. There will be no budgetary impact to the City's funds. Recommendation: It is recommended that City Council authorize the installation of high frequency radars on Pleasure Island Pier to measure surface currents as detailed in P. R. No. 22109. "Remember,we are here to serve the Citizens of Port Arthur" P.O.Box 1089 X Port Arthur,Texas 77641-1089 X 409.983.8101 X FAX 409.982.6743 P. R. 22109 08/23/2021 FCR Page 1 of 3 RESOLUTION NO. A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE INSTALLATION OF A HIGH FREQUENCY RADAR NETWORK FOR TEXAS BAYS AND PORTS AT THE PLEASURE ISLAND PIER BY THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO, LAMAR UNIVERSITY, AND RESEARCH APPLIED TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION SERVICES,INC. THERE WILL BE NO FUNDING IMPACT. WHEREAS, the University of Texas at El Paso in El Paso, Texas, Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, and the Research Applied Technology Education Services, Inc. (RATES) of Castleton,New York,were awarded a grant from the Texas General Land Office to implement the special merit project, High Frequency Radar(HFR)Network for Texas Bays and Ports; and, WHEREAS, the project will install an HFR network on Pleasure Island Pier to continuously measure surface current with real-time access to the surface current maps on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) high frequency radar national data buoy centers as illustrated in the project's proposal (see Exhibit A); and, WHEREAS, the project is a demonstration project that is scheduled to operate for an 18- month period; now therefore, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR: THAT, the facts and opinions in the preamble are true and correct; and, THAT,the City Council hereby authorizes the installation of an HFR network on Pleasure Island Pier to continuously measure surface current with real-time access to the surface current maps on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) high frequency radar national data buoy centers as illustrated in the project's proposal; and, THAT, funding for the project will be borne by the project's grant awardees. P. R. 22109 08/23/2021 FCR Page 2 of 3 THAT, a copy of the caption of this Resolution be spread upon the Minutes of the City Council. READ, ADOPTED,AND APPROVED this the day of , A.D. 2021 at a meeting of the City of Port Arthur, Texas by the following vote: AYES: Mayor Councilmembers: Noes: DONALD FRANK,SR., MAYOR PRO TEM ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM: S. JA)P Sherri Bellard alecia Tize City Secretary City Attorney APPROVED FOR ADMINISTRATION: APPROVED AS TO AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS: Ron Burton Kandy Daniel City Manager Interim Director of Finance 4- 4j' Flozelle C. Roberts Clifton Williams Director of Public Works Purchasing Manager P. R. 22109 08/23/2021 FCR Page 3 of 3 Exhibit A ),...) 6 TRESEARCHEHN ,APPLIEDLYCOOG EDUCATION AND SERVICE CMP-26 Project of Special Merit: HF Radar for Texas Bays and Ports GLO Contract No. 21-155-002-C874 Station Installation Proposals on City of Port Arthur Properties: Pleasure Island Pier Prepared for: City of Port Arthur City Council Prepared by: Christopher Fuller, Ph.D., RATES, Inc. Liv Haselbach, Ph.D., Lamar University Rosa Fitzgerald, Ph.D., University of Texas at El Paso Project Summary:The University of Texas at El Paso (project lead), Lamar University,and Research Applied Technology Education Services, Inc. were granted GOMESA Funds from the GLO to implement the CMP Project of Special Merit entitles, "High Frequency Radar(HFR) Network for Texas Bays and Ports". The two (2) HFR networks to be installed, one(1)on Galveston Bay(Figure 1) and one (1)on Sabine Lake (Figure 2),will continuously measure surface current with near-real-time access to the surface current maps on NOAA's HF Radar National Data Buoy Centers (https://hfradar.ndbc.noaa.gov/, Figure 3). Each network must be comprised of at least two radar stations,where each station measures currents along radial lines (i.e. radial vectors) emanating from a station antenna. Overlapping radial vectors from two or more stations are combined via a national server to provide total resolved vectors (i.e surface current vectors) over the service area at grid resolutions on the order of 2-5 kilometers. Data derived from these networks will be applied to address coastal hydrodynamic and water quality modeling needs(e.g. oil spill trajectory, Nonpoint Source Pollution "NPS"fate and transport, coastal and compound flooding,search and rescue, and other) of multiple agencies including, but not limited to,TGLO,TWDB,TCEQ, and USACE. This project is funded as a demonstration project and involves operation of the radar networks over an 18-month performance period. Plans are in place to secure long-term funding for this project should Sabine Radar network prove to viable and an asset to the regions resource managers. Page 2 of 2 City of Port Arthur, City Council HFRadar Installation Proposals: Pleasure Island Pier, Port Arthur,TX RESEARCH,APPLIED TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION AND SERVICE Galveston Bay-Proposed Remote CODAR Station Locations - -..,•. :;Peratui.;Fi erg r r, Z�MHz ., U nJe • e • Pasadena t $ G +arch Figure 1 Galveston Bay HFRadar Network:Proposed Station Locations Sabine Lake-Proposed Remote CODAR Station Locations r. • tet • '-• 4. m1, - « • fr", 41111 j y r s .R 4 t 1,�� ? .p ; • Google Earth - . A Figure 2 Sabine Lake HFRadar Network:Proposed Station Locations Page 2 of 2 City of Port Arthur,City Council HFRadar Installation Proposals: Pleasure Island Pier, Port Arthur,TX 6 ds ALpop L,st .) EDUCATION AND SERVICE Y National Data Buoy Ce cemera Fs<rMancem M.nm TecmoAp Hume Amro us Cant.K uuor,iD Sex. "n2 is'r-.,NOAA HF Radar I'L tonal Saner -. Stan Liss 0 vec[ors 25 hr avp:... tlme lapse 0 srus 0 Reconi DART:. — Obz Searcn -. Rtl YCAIZ'" 0 TAO DORS CI MP E5 ar O SMC D1a1A8uOV teas.A140 Web Wopet todun Web Dau Oube Wm zn nce Spoon SUws 0 eWn u ropoam nro xJ OOS, W Ya ''' .art 'fl . NOBC PEA NDOC FONSi -. 60 and..OC ` a { d ;; ', .. *.. :nor imormamn ' 4,..E ° '+ ' t fi" dt p- , io-. " Ev..co Deor NoNraN,.,E GEcO,IHO-IO Zgri,: n oraea iHamr:2.2 as.+a. r,„..— Figure 3 Example HFRadar Current Data for Texas offshore network operated by TAMU-GERG Request: Project Co-Recipient RATES, Inc.,a 501C3, is charged with leading the field installation and operation of its HFRadar assets in support of this project. RATES Co-PI, Christopher Fuller, Ph.D. previously managed the original HF Radar network that was operated along the Texas Coast from Rollover Pass to Corpus Christi in 1995-1998. As the project Operations lead, RATES, Inc. respectfully request permission, in the form of an acceptable and appropriate legal instrument, to install HFRadar assets and support infrastructure on City of Port Arthur property at Pleasure Island Pier. Installation Description:Typical CODAR Seasonde installation layout(Figure 4) include: 1)Climate controlled equipment enclosure; 2) Seasonde combined Transmit/Receive antenna;and 3) antenna cable (coax)spanning the distance between the enclosure and antenna. Page 2 of 2 City of Port Arthur, City Council HFRadar Installation Proposals: Pleasure Island Pier, Port Arthur,TX 4TREESEAHRNCH,ALPPLIT EDUCATION, ,,..) AND SERVICE SeaSonde _� - =.n. Site Layout SeaSonde Antes OW Climate-Controlled Shelter with Power, Communicatio _______\ > I I M Hz: Single T/R antenna a Figure 4 Typical SeaSonde Site Layout(Source:CODAR Ocean Systems) The Sabine Lake network will operate at a nominal frequency of 42 MHz and use a combined transmit/receive antenna (Figure 5)of 18 ft (Figure 6). Coax cable extending from the antenna to the climate-controlled enclosure is housed in flexible conduit that can be buried, placed on grade, or run over the ground depending on site specific condition. For example, in a well trafficked areas subject to routine grounds maintenance (e.g. lawn mowing) it is common to bury the conduit. In marshy and/or otherwise ecologically sensitive areas,the conduit may be run above ground (Figure 7) or combination of buried, on-grade, or above grade. Page 2 of 2 City of Port Arthur, City Council HFRadar Installation Proposals: Pleasure Island Pier, Port Arthur,TX ARESEARCH,APPLIED TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION AND SERVICE 1111 25 MHz Dome-Style Tx/Rx Figure 5 SeaSonde Combined TX/RX Antenna(source figure CODAR) Page 2 of 2 City of Port Arthur, City Council HFRadar Installation Proposals: Pleasure Island Pier, Port Arthur,TX 6 TECHNOLOGYCOOG EDUCATION AND SERVICE 4),...) Anetenna Dimensions (examples of most common frequencies) • 4 w • 3 K to a.ail. 3 3 ` v�N • A 36 It t 14" oi t 3 a, w-. Not to scale 3 N Weight:76 pounds Rdass:36 kg Foot anchor. 4 x 518'bola with 6' fa spacing. V N 3 1 CODA cis i TRU owe Amor to.-rw■ t ! t filed °n 4 Rev 1 SCALE ■a r sar fE[ET tat t 5 MHz F0(13 Mfr TR 9 Mit Rx +?M4 g" ISSUED N/A�u'pApt,p WIG NO NM IS Mit TR 19 Mft RX 20.3 cm _.�._...�.. dewy HAW DATE MOOS 2S ERU j , Figure 6 SeaSonde Combined TX/RX antenna dimensions Page 2 of 2 City of Port Arthur, City Council HFRadar Installation Proposals: Pleasure Island Pier, Port Arthur,TX • RESEARCH,APPLIED TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION AND SERVICE 111111101*.. 4 Figure 7 Example of SeaSonde Cable run over active dune area(Matagorda Island) Station electronics (i.e. SeaSonde transmitter, receiver, and peripherals)will be housed within a climate-controlled NEMA Enclosure (Figure 7) which will be mounted on wooden deck to be built on site. Deck dimensions are expected to be 8ft x 6ft x 4ft(Length x Width x Height above Grade). Detailed deck design is pending. Additionally,the decks may be designed with sun shields to reduce solar heating of electronics. ANNr . m rw /\ ISY ®® 5G-LTE Enclosure = ''.�R� AO 60.11. Bashmg n Amman 174 0 , - 4' grir Features 8' , 1. Solar Shield(Aiumishield) _ 5 a 2. 2 Sets-19"or 23'Reversible Adjustable ( 4x t Racking Rails 3. Electrical Outlet 4. 3 Point Locking System 5. Powder Coat White (( 6. Battery Compartment -11 7. 4000 BTU HVAC 8. Spool-Up Box 9 8 Space 100 AMP LC 2301 5,HWY 77 Pads Valley,OK 73075 wr 50 AMP Gen Plug T:(800)753-8459-F(877)220-7236 ;alesWddbunIrrnited-tic+w�a,gr_ Figure 8 Enclosure description Page 2 of 2 City of Port Arthur, City Council HFRadar Installation Proposals: Pleasure Island Pier, Port Arthur,TX RESEARCH,APPLIED TECHNOLOGY EDUCATIONies ,..5 AND SERVICE Proposal-Pleasure Island Pier Installation: A site reconnaissance of Pleasure Island Pier was conducted on June 10, 2021. Our CMP-26 project team was accompanied by City of Port Arthur representatives: Flozelle Roberts,Shane Jennings,and Alberto Elefano. This visit identified potential installation locations and important design considerations including: clearance for boat ramp traffic, availability of power,and pending boat ramp improvements by Texas Parks and Wildlife. General Location: Lake Front Dr. and Basin Road Port Arthur,TX (near Lakefront Pier) ffih z ea 44'6 3 `C O Waterview RV Resorts m ¢,� ,. "r't 9Salt ,*ai ® e lake,. m 9 Port Arthur Club ,,e P as lP ahoo* ‘1,,,, .. ! Bdl q"''' N e,' qO 6wIt . 'd, \ Figure 9 Pleasure Island Pier Location Map Proposed SeaSonde Station Layout: The proposed station elements including antenna (PIP_Antenna,Figure 10)and enclosure on raised pier(Enclosure, Figure 10)to the southeast of the boat ramp and off of the existing paved parking area. Page 2 of 2 City of Port Arthur,City Council HFRadar Installation Proposals: Pleasure Island Pier, Port Arthur,TX ALPOPLGI di$3 EDUCATION AND SERVICE j SeaSonde Station Layout: Pleasure Island Pier 0.r " . Legend _= Buried Coax •70 :o Buried Electric ,44* 4 ,, , Feature 1 drxie *# R;��. ",ate j ' iy .,".1 Eiec5.ox �1 N 4 .. jE-: ,_. / PIP'Antenna may. A Google Earth N Figure 10 Proposed station layout for Pleasure Island Pier There is a ground level electrical box(Figure 11) located off the North corner of the boat ramp. We have received email confirmation (July 13, 2021)from Francis Shannon at Entergy that this box is energized and can be utilized as needed. It is proposed to tie into power at this box and run a buried line (-90 ft) across the boat ramp to a meter attached to the enclosure.We further propose to cap the excavation across the deteriorated boat ramp to at least match existing condition of the boat ramp. Further, it is our understanding that Texas Parks and Wildlife is planning improvement to the boat ramp facilities. All site installation activities would be coordinated with Texas Parks and Wildlife and other affected parties. The need to maintain clearance for sail boat traffics alleviates the possibility of overhead power line use. Page 2 of 2 City of Port Arthur, City Council HFRadar Installation Proposals: Pleasure Island Pier, Port Arthur,TX oesjTECHNOLOGY DUCATON AND SERVICE • Y f v Figure 11 Pleasure Island Pier-Boat Ramp.1)ground level electric service box(white)in foreground;2)boat ram submerged at high tide;3) proposed antenna and enclosure placement near palm tree in back ground;4)deteriorated boat ramp pavement It is proposed to place the enclosure on raised platform (design pending) between the boat ramp and the Sabine Lake Bulkhead, approximately 30 ft southeast of the boat ramp (yellow box, Figure 12). It is felt that this location will not impede boat ramp traffic.The observed high water at the boat ramp is indicative of flooding potential of this area. Thus, the enclosure platform would be built with a deck approximately 4 ft above grade,to protect electronics from seasonal and routine flood events. High value electronics will be evacuated, if possible and safe, prior to impacts of forecasted tropical storms surge and compound flood events. We propose to install the antenna proximate to the southern corner of the bulkhead (yellow triangle, Figure 12)where the antenna would be mounted to a cast in place concrete footer.The concrete footer would involve the placement of a 10"Sonotube to a depth of 3 ft below grade.The sonotube would then be reinforced with rebar and filled with concrete (^'1.7 ft3). Anchor bolts matching the 6" bolt pattern of the antenna base would be set in the concrete. Coax between the enclosure and antenna would be run (-56 ft) in buried conduit to a nominal depth of 12" below grade. Page 2 of 2 City of Port Arthur,City Council HFRadar Installation Proposals: Pleasure Island Pier, Port Arthur,TX RESEARCH,APPLIED TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION AND SERVICE $sx M rte. tm ` ....... _ .... _ awt - .. a Figure 12 Proposed enclosure(yellow box)and antenna locations(yellow triangle) Contact Information: Christopher Fuller, Ph.D. Chief of Operation Research,Applied Technology, Education,Services, Inc. P.O. Box 697 Edinburg,TX 78540 cfuller@office.ratesresearch.org (518)-570-4078 Liv Haselbach, Ph.D., OE, BCEE, FASCE, LEED AP Chair and Professor: Civil and Environmental Engineering Lamar University P.O. Box 10024 Beaumont,TX 77710 lhaselbach@lamar.edu (409)880-7740 Page 2 of 2 City of Port Arthur, City Council HFRadar Installation Proposals: Pleasure Island Pier, Port Arthur,TX