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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWater Commission - MINUTES - 04/18/2024 WATER COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING April 18, 2024, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Hybrid in person at 222 Laporte Ave and online via Zoom 04/18/2024 – MINUTES Page 1 The Water Commission advises City Council regarding water, wastewater, and stormwater policy issues such as water rights, planning, acquisition and management, conservation and public education, floodplain regulations, storm drainage, and development criteria. Read more at https://www.fcgov.com/cityclerk/boards/water. 1. CALL TO ORDER 5:31 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL • Commissioners Present In Person: Paul Herman (Vice Chairperson), Tyler Eldridge, Rick Kahn, Nick Martin, Nicole Ng, John Primsky • Commissioners Present via Zoom: Jordan Radin (Chairperson), James Bishop • Commissioners Absent - Excused: Greg Steed • Staff Members Present In Person: Jeremy Woolf, John Song, Katie Collins • Staff Members Present via Zoom: Jen Dial, Michael Neale • Members of the Public: None 3. AGENDA REVIEW • Vice Chairperson Paul Herman briefly summarized items on the agenda 4. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION • None 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Vice Chairperson Herman asked for comments and revisions on the draft minutes. Commissioner Eldridge moved to approve the March 21 minutes. Commissioner Kahn seconded the motion. Vote on the motion: it passed unanimously, 6-0 Commissioners Martin and Ng abstained as they were not present at the March 21 Regular Meeting WATER COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING 04/18/2024 – MINUTES Page 2 6. OTHER BUSINESS a. Welcome New Commissioners Nicole Ng and Nick Martin The Water Commission welcomed Commissioners Ng and Martin. Nicole Ng is a Project Engineer for HBK Engineering and has prior work experience with the United States Air Force. She was formerly a board member from January to December of 2020. Nick Martin is a Business Development Director (Water Resources) for RESPEC, with prior volunteer experiences with 4 open access, scientific journal publications and as the Future Risk Committee Finance Chair for the American Water Resources Association (AWRA). b. New Officer Voting for Chairperson and Vice Chairperson Commissioner Kahn moved to nominate Commissioner Radin as 2024 Chairperson. Commissioner Herman seconded the motion. Vote on the Motion: It passed unanimously, 8-0 Commissioner Herman moved to nominate Commissioner Eldridge as 2024 Vice Chairperson. Commissioner Primsky seconded the motion. Vote on the Motion: It passed unanimously, 8-0 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Staff Reports i. Financial Monthly Report (meeting packet only) Discussion Highlights A Commissioner commented on a significant spread under Stormwater for both operating and expenses. The expenses have been low this year, nearly $500K under budget. ii. Water Resources Quarterly Report (No presentation, Staff available for questions) Discussion Highlights A Commissioner inquired about Horsetooth Reservoir’s level at 77% full. Water Resource Engineer Michael Neale responded how Northern Water manages the release of distribution, and the level is typical for this time of WATER COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING 04/18/2024 – MINUTES Page 3 year. This is still pre-runoff phase, and Joe Wright Reservoir is high at 112% of average, providing plenty of water at the moment for the summer. Mr. Neale continued that over 70% is a good level for the municipality and pending agricultural use. A Commissioner inquired whether the snowpack is at or above average right now, to which Mr. Neale responded in the positive. A Commissioner inquired about the Water Shortage Action Committee meeting today, but Mr. Neale responded that no action would be required by the community for conservation efforts. iii. Memo: Proposed Soil & Xeriscape Landscape Standard Updates Postponed (No presentation, staff available for questions) Discussion Highlights The state passed a law in March prohibiting non-functional turf in new commercial development, including the right of way. The law goes into effect January 2026. Staff are currently revising the City’s landscape code proposal to better align with the State law. A Commissioner wondered if staff could provide a conceptual presentation or an update as a part of a future meeting packet to explain the implemented changes, to which Water Conservation Specialist Katie Collins responded that her team plans to provide the Commission an opportunity to review and comment once the draft is finalized but before requesting a recommendation. A Commissioner inquired about the timeline for the implementation of the City proposal to which Ms. Collins responded that they still need to revise the draft, perform development reviews, and look over the code with attorneys to ensure that the language aligns with the State law, hoping for a 2025 completion but may need more time. iv. 2023 Annual Water Conservation Report (No presentation, staff available for questions) Discussion Highlights A Commissioner praised that the estimated gallons per capita per day (GPCD) is down 42% since 2000, commenting that all the numbers positively came in under the estimate. Ms. Collins responded that 2023 saw 122 gallons per household last year, though it may not be realistic to expect it to continue, as last year was a wet year and there was a lot less irrigation and water being put down. She underlined that as the population grows, the GPCD is stabilizing or even going down slightly. A Commissioner commented that as housing develops and there may be smaller properties, it may equate to less landscaping requiring less water, though another Commissioner pointed out that a lot of new development is slated for East Larimer County Water District (ELCO)’s district. A Commissioner added that there may be WATER COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING 04/18/2024 – MINUTES Page 4 further efficiency with the implementation of more turf grass or xeriscaping. 8. COMMISSIONER REPORTS a. Commissioners inquired about the Super Issues meeting and whether there were any water-related items, but there wasn’t an agenda topic. 9. ADJOURNMENT 6:17 p.m. These minutes were approved by the Water Commission on May 16, 2024.