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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNATURAL RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD - MINUTES - 06/26/2024 Page 1 6/26/2024 – MINUTES Natural Resources Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Wednesday, June 26, 2024 – 6:00 PM 222 Laporte and Via Zoom 1. CALL TO ORDER: 6:03 PM 2. ROLL CALL a. Board Members Present – • Dawson Metcalf (Chair) • Kelly Stewart (Vice Chair) • Lisa Andrews • Kelen Dowdy • Teagan Loew • Barry Noon • Todd Simmons • Matt Zoccali b. Board Members Absent – • Sara LoTemplio c. Staff Members Present – • Honoré Depew, Staff Liaison • Jan Harrison • Alice Conovitz • Hailey Mendoza d. Guest(s) – • None 3. AGENDA REVIEW Chair Metcalf reviewed the agenda. 4. COMMUNITY MEMBER PARTICIPATION None. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES (May) Zoccali made a motion, seconded by Vice Chair Stewart, to approve the May Page 2 6/26/2024 – MINUTES meeting minutes. The motion was adopted 8-0. 6. NEW BUSINESS (**Secretary’s Note: Members and staff members provided brief introductions of themselves at this point in the meeting.) a. Water Efficiency Plan (WEP) Update Alice Conovitz, Water Conservation Specialist, and colleagues will present and overview of the in-progress update to the State-required Water Efficiency Plan, which sets water efficiency and conservation goals and outlines areas of opportunity for water savings within the Utilities Service Area. (Discussion) Alice Conovitz, Water Conservation Specialist, and Haley Mendoza, Water Conservation Intern, introduced themselves. Jan Harrison, Utilities Public Engagement, noted the update to the Water Efficiency Plan is underway and one specific goal is to maximize community and ecological benefit through water conservation. Conovitz discussed Fort Collins Utilities water supply sources: the Poudre River and the Colorado River and discussed the usage of water throughout the Utilities water service area, which covers about 80% of the City’s population. Conovitz commented on the water conservation programs that are designed to decrease the amount of water used, or water saved, and stated water that is not used generally remains in either in the Poudre River or Horsetooth. Conovitz stated water conservation efforts aid in being prepared for the future and outlined the risks identified by the 2019 water supply vulnerability analysis, which included a warmer, dryer climate and a potential reduction in Colorado Big Thompson supplies. Solutions to ensuring future water demands are met include adequate storage. Noon asked if refilling underground aquifers is being considered for water storage. Conovitz replied that is not currently being considered for Fort Collins Utilities. Noon commented on the benefits of aquifer storage. Loew asked if Glade Reservoir and the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP) is being built for multiple municipalities. Conovitz replied there are multiple partners; however, the City of Fort Collins is not currently a partner. Conovitz went on to detail the benefits of water conservation and discussed the successes of the programs, noting there has been a 16% increase in population of the service area since 2000, but a 34% decrease in the number of gallons per capita per day use. Conovitz further discussed the Utility’s water conservation programs for different types of uses and noted there is also work being done in a regulatory space to advise on land use and building codes, making it illegal to have water overspray running down hard surfaces, Page 3 6/26/2024 – MINUTES the institution of a grey water program for indoor use, and mandatory use restrictions when needed. Additionally, Conovitz discussed the tiered rate system which has a conservation benefit. Simmons suggested the possibility of reframing water restrictions through education and utilizing them more frequently. Loew asked about the form of water restrictions and penalties for breaking them. Conovitz replied there are different levels of restrictions depending on the predicted level of shortage and they focus on outdoor water usage, starting with three days a week of overhead irrigation being allowed, and decreasing in days if necessary. Additionally, there are restrictions on things like pressure washing, though irrigation is the primary target. Penalties can include fine and rate increases can also be implemented during shortages. Conovitz noted the Water Efficiency Plan is a state-required document that is a guide to Utilities and the city as a whole on water conservation which includes goals for lowering water use and identifies strategies that are going to be pursued to meet those goals. Conovitz discussed the internal guiding principles for the document, including engaging marginalized or disproportionately impacted community members in the planning process, an emphasis on preparedness and resilience, and targeting strategies that have multiple benefits. Conovitz outlined the timeline of the development of the Water Efficiency Plan. Noon asked if any of the ongoing modeling processes and data sets that are being used are publicly available. Conovitz replied in the affirmative but noted the model is being built using customer demand data. Noon asked if anyone at CSU is involved in the modeling. Conovitz replied in the negative but stated individuals at CSU are working on the development of a new demand modeling tool that could be given to providers as a package. Conovitz clarified this model is a demand model only, not a supply model, though the Water Resources Department has a very sophisticated supply side model with which this demand model will ultimately connect. Conovitz discussed the public engagement efforts for the Plan development, including a survey, meetings, providing all information in both English and Spanish, and working with community consultants. Conovitz outlined some of the highlights from the survey which showed primary concerns being water shortages, drought, and having enough water to support growth in future generations. Additionally, one of the goals of the Water Efficiency Plan update is to ascertain how much appetite exists for regulatory action as most of the emphasis now is on incentives and voluntary action. Most survey respondents supported a mix of voluntary action and regulations which could lead to occasional water shortages. Page 4 6/26/2024 – MINUTES In terms of knowledge gained from community consultants, it was made clear that the community does not know what programs are already available, there is a great deal of support for water efficient landscapes, and confusion exists around the existing gallons per capita per day goal. Noon stated the discussion about trends in water quality was missing and noted declines in flows result in declines in quality which will place additional burdens on water treatment facilities and increase expenses. Noon asked if anyone is modeling changes in water quality. Conovitz replied the City has a robust water quality monitoring program; however, she was unsure about how much modeling is being done. Dowdy stated the City of Fort Collins has been working with the City of Greeley, the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed, and professors at CSU toward some modeling. Harrison stated one of the objectives of the Water Efficiency Plan is to have ten to twenty strategies that will guide the programs, education, and regulatory proposals, and requested members provide particular input as to how the strategies would align with the Plan’s update guiding principles. Specifically, Harrison requested members provide at least five water efficiency strategies focused on the guiding principle of ‘targeting water efficiency strategies that provide multiple benefits for the community, the environment, and considerations of the entire water system, including the river.’ Harrison stated two case studies will be discussed in two groups. Conovitz detailed the case studies, one related to raw water and one related to urban trees. Members broke into two groups and brainstormed ideas. Loew summarized the urban tree group’s ideas, including smarter species selection in general, smarter drip irrigation, ultimate savings of water with larger trees, and emphasizing green infrastructure methods to help with watering trees. In terms of raw water, Dowdy stated its use is a savings of treated water and is an incredible cost savings. Harrison outlined next steps in the Plan process and noted staff will return to the Board once strategies have been developed based on this type of initial feedback. b. NRAB Board Elections Board to nominate and elect Chair and Vice Chair roles for 2024. (Action) Chair Metcalf and Vice Chair Stewart reviewed the responsibilities of the Chair and Vice Chair. Chair Metcalf stated he has the capacity to continue in the role, particularly if Page 5 6/26/2024 – MINUTES the Vice Chair is available to step in; however, he stated he does not want that to deter anyone from nominating themselves or others. Members commended both Chair Metcalf and Vice Chair Stewart. Vice Chair Stewart also stated she has the capacity to continue in the Vice Chair role. Zoccali made a motion, seconded by Noon, to nominate Dawson Metcalf as Chair. The motion was adopted 8-0. Chair Metcalf made a motion, seconded by Noon, to nominate Kelly Stewart as Vice Chair. The motion was adopted 8-0. 7. OTHER BUSINESS • Board Member Reports  Noon stated he is on the Environmental Advisory Board for the County Commissioners, which recently approved a 1041 permit for the Thornton pipeline. He noted the Environmental Advisory Board was disallowed from making comment on the topic and stated Save the Poudre has filed a lawsuit challenging the decision of the County Commissioners. Additionally, a decision will also need to be made by the City as the pipeline will go through the bounds of the city. Noon commented on some documents he would like to share with fellow members.  Chair Metcalf asked if the City’s 1041 regulations were formally passed and implemented prior to Thornton’s application submittal. Noon noted this is a new application as the first application was denied by the County Commissioners.  Depew stated Fort Collins has limited authority over this project.  Noon commented on the Halligan Reservoir project which will affect the habitat of a listed species, the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse. He requested staff provide the Board with information as to whether the conservation plan has been studied and whether conversations have occurred with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Depew encouraged members to observe the July 9th Council Work Session as staff will be providing a Halligan update. • 2025-26 Budgeting for Outcomes – process and timing update  Offers now public.  Depew outlined the timeframe for the Board providing recommendations.  Members discussed the possibility of a joint memo with the AQAB. • Preview of July 15 joint meeting of NRAB and AQAB  AQAB Chair hesitant to hold meeting without budget offers being available – unsure if this will occur in July or August, but likely on a Monday. • Six Month Calendar Review https://www.fcgov.com/cityclerk/planning-calendar.php • Revisit action items from previous meetings & preview of next meetings Page 6 6/26/2024 – MINUTES  Halligan  Natural Areas Strategic Plan  Poudre River Health Assessment  Wasteshed and waste diversion infrastructure  1041 permit process City Websites with Updates: • Natural Resources Advisory Board webpage: https://www.fcgov.com/cityclerk/natural- resources.php • Our Climate Future: https://ourcity.fcgov.com/ourclimatefuture 8. ADJOURNMENT a. 8:19 pm Minutes approved by a vote of the Board on 07/17/2024.