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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWater Commission - MINUTES - 07/18/2024 WATER COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING July 18, 2024, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Hybrid in person at 222 Laporte Ave and online via Zoom 07/18/2024 – 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 5:30 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL  Commissioners Present In Person: Jordan Radin (Chairperson), Tyler Eldridge (Vice Chairperson), James Bishop, Paul Herman, Rick Kahn, Nick Martin, Nicole Ng, Greg Steed  Commissioners Present via Zoom: None  Commissioners Absent - Excused: John Primsky  Staff Members Present In Person: Jeremy Woolf, John Song, Michael Neale, Erik Monahan, Gregg Stonecipher, Kathryne Marko, Cindy Farnes  Staff Members Present via Zoom: Jen Dial  Members of the Public: None 3. AGENDA REVIEW  Chairperson Jordan Radin briefly summarized items on the agenda 4. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION  None  5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chairperson Radin asked for comments and revisions on the draft minutes. Commissioner Bishop moved to approve the May 16 minutes. Commissioner Ng seconded the motion. Vote on the motion: it passed unanimously, 8-0 WATER COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING 07/18/2024 – MINUTES Page 2  6. NEW BUSINESS a. Staff Reports i. Financial Monthly Report (meeting packet only) Discussion Highlights A Commissioner inquired about the discrepancy in the Stormwater budget. Senior Director of Integrated Operations Jeremy Woolf responded that the discrepancy is primarily due to the fact that the bond interest is substantially higher—almost triple the amount—as well as revenue projecting higher than anticipated from both single family and non-single family units for stormwater due to rate increases.  ii. Water Resources Quarterly Report (No presentation, Staff available for questions)  iii. Consumer Confidence Report (No presentation, Staff available for questions) iv. Discuss Revision or Streamlining of the Drinking Water Quality Annual Report to Improve Value Erik Monahan, Senior Supervisor, Sciences This report is designed to fulfill the requirements designated by the City of Fort Collins Water Quality Policy Resolution 93-144. This discussion is intended to provide a more streamlined version of the report that utilizes pre- existing data with less burden on staff. The report only includes relevant data and less narrative on asset management and awards/certifications. Discussion Highlights Commissioners commented on or inquired about various related topics including post-fire effects, infrastructure replacement, cathodic protection, data reliability, and asset management. A Commissioner inquired about the actions taken in response to turbidity in the Poudre River. Mr. Monahan responded that the City won’t treat raw water that trends toward 100 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU) by remotely closing the gate at the intake. Gregg Stonecipher, Director of Plant Operations, added that there are pre- sediment basins upstream to remove large debris before treatment prior to entering the pipeline and reaching the plant to try to trend towards at least 50 NTU for treatment. Another Commissioner inquired about the difference in scaling on the vertical axes of the graphs comparing 2020 to 2021, where the 2021 graph shows the effects of the Cameron Peak wildfire. Mr. Monahan WATER COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING 07/18/2024 – MINUTES Page 3  clarified that the turbidity level was simply that high, from 50 NTU pre-fire to reaching over 1,000 NTU post-fire. Mr. Stonecipher added that the High Park Fire of the past took six years before the turbidity level returned to normal. Commissioners commented that the new design of the report is informative and succinct.   v. One Water Overview and Update Jeremy Woolf, Senior Director of Integrated Operations Staff will update the Commission on the progress of the utility transition to One Water, the work currently in progress, and the related budget requests in the Budgeting For Outcomes (BFO) cycle. Discussion Highlights Commissioners commented on or inquired about various related topics including an agreeable definition of One Water, project deliverables, regional collaborations, economic benefits, workforce silos, and regulatory frameworks. A Commissioner inquired about the reception by operators regarding the One Water Operator efforts, to which Jeremy Woolf and Gregg Stonecipher responded that there are mixed responses—those who will receive compensation leveling welcome the idea, but there is definitely an expectation of a period of transition and change management. Ultimately, however, it allows for a wider spectrum of opportunities, allowing for more fluid transitions between teams without having to start over at the bottom of skill ladders, clearer paths to job opportunities, as well as ideally higher levels of retention. A Commissioner inquired about next steps, to which Mr. Woolf responded would be to move the plan through the budget cycle, which will likely see its conclusion in November 2024. Commissioners discussed whether it would make a difference to write a letter or perform a motion to Council in support of the One Water effort.   7. COMMISSIONER REPORTS  a. None    8. OTHER BUSINESS a. Soldier Canyon Filter Plant Outage b. Cybersecurity Breach WATER COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING 07/18/2024 – MINUTES Page 4  9. ADJOURNMENT 7:25 p.m. These minutes were approved by the Water Commission on August 15, 2024.