Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutWater Board - Minutes - 01/23/1997WATER UTILUIES BOARD MINUTES January 23, 1997 3:10 - 6:05 p.m. Light and Power Training Room 700 Wood Street • A A.: Y M :6.3N•Z MEMBERS PRESENT Paul Clopper, Co -president, George Reed, Co -president, John Bartholow, Co -VP, Bob Havis, Co - VP, John Barnett, Ray Herrmann, Joe Bergquist, Tom Brown, Alison, Adams, Tom Sanders, Howard Goldman, Dave Lauer, Dave Frick, Randy Fischer STAFF Mike Smith, Wendy Williams, Gale McGaha Miller, Dennis Bode, Ben Alexander, Keith Elmund, Bob Smith, Kevin Gertig, Michael Ozog, Molly Nortier GUESTS Eric Wilkinson and Gene Schleiger, Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District Dave DuBois, Northern Front Range Water Quality Association MEMBERS ABSENT John Morris, Robert Ward, Dave Rau, Terry Podmore (all excused) President Paul Clopper opened the meeting. The following items were discussed: MINUTES Ray Herrmann moved that the minutes of December 19, 1996 be approved. Joe Bergquist seconded the motion. John Barnett pointed out on p. 2, sentence 2 that "go up" should be changed to "extend north," and on p. 5, the last paragraph, the word "hydraulically' was misspelled. The Board approved the minutes unanimously with the corrections. MORE DISCUSSION ON THE BRIDGE - TIMBERLINE EXTENSION Dave Lauer wanted more clarification and discussion regarding construction of the bridge in conjunction with the Timberline Extension; particularly regarding the effect on water quality of Dry Creek. This subject was discussed at the December meeting. Mr. Clopper suggested that this may be something the Engineering Committee could review. "I have some real concerns about the width of that bridge as well as the length," Mr. Lauer stressed. Mike Smith didn't think this item would come back to the Board before the Council gives their "go ahead" on the project. They are going to make Water Utilities Board Minutes January 23, 1997 Page 2 that decision in February which will be before our next Board meeting. Mr. Clopper didn't recall that there were any formal recommendations that the City Engineering staff was seeking when they gave their presentation to the Board in December. He thought they might want a recommendation or guidance from this Board at a later date. George Reed referred to the December minutes which indicated that they would be going to a Council work session on January 28th to ask Council how they want the design team to proceed on the project. Alison Adams pointed out that what was presented in December, was only a preliminary design. "The Council won't get involved in approving the design; what they will do is approve the project," Mr. Smith explained. "What would we discuss if the size of the bridge has already been decided?" Ms. Adams wondered. Mr. Lauer referred to page 6 of the minutes which indicated that bridge construction won't begin until late August or early September. "I think that may give us some time to make some recommendations about the width as well as the length," he added. Mr. Smith suggested that the Board ask one of the design team to come later in the meeting. Staff called Mark Sears who agreed to come to the meeting at 4:30. When Mark Sears arrived at 4:30 the Board took this subject up again. Mr. Clopper explained to Mr. Sears that the Board may not get a chance to revisit the Timberline Extension Project until after Council discusses it at their work session. "We wanted to provide some feedback at this point, particularly on the bridge." Mr. Lauer questioned whether the bridge should be six lanes. He recalled from the discussion at the last meeting that Mr. Diede emphasized that, for the current project, six lanes aren't needed now. A two-lane road was approved by the voters in 1989. Since that time, the plan has grown into an incremental increase of six lanes because of the idea of taking Timberline all the way south to Loveland so that it would be a major arterial between the two communities. Mr. Sears explained that the project now will be a two-lane roadway from Prospect all the way to International or connect into Summitview. The bridge that will be built will be one half of what will ultimately become a six -lane bridge. "What we will build now will actually handle the ultimate three lanes that will be northbound, a bike lane and a sidewalk. In the interim we will have one lane in each direction on the bridge, a bike lane on the west side of the bridge that will, in essence, be a 12-ft. wide lane that will become a traffic lane in the future, if the road is ever widened to four lanes, or someday, 20-30 years in the future, to six lanes. At that time we will build an identical bridge to the one we are building now parallel to the existing bridge. The bridges will be separated by 19 feet, two completely separate structures. "Will there be a raised pedestrian sidewalk, or just the bike lane?" Mr. Lauer asked. "The bike lanes will be adjacent to the roadway, and there will be a wall 2 1/2 feet high with a railing on top, a 7 ft. sidewalk and a picket -type railing almost identical to the North College Bridge," Mr. Sears replied. Mr. Clopper asked'ifMr. Sears had anything to update the Board on since last month's meeting. "We haven't changed any of the scope of the project," Mr. Sears began. "Cost -wise, numbers have gone up and down. The only thing we have made a decision on, that this Board would be interested in, is the R path flood plain. It's a floodway that splits off just before you get to where the bridge is going to be built to the right. After the bridge there is an L path that splits off to the left and goes through the Riverbend Ponds and crosses Prospect Rd. Basically, the L path will be left alone. It can flood Water Utilities Board Minutes January 23, 1997 Page 3 the Riverbend Ponds, or if Parks & Rec. decides that's not what they want to have happen in the future, they could construct a levee (or whatever) to control that. In the R path, a decision has been made to construct a levee about 700 ft. long; the major part of which will be 3-5 ft. deep. One area will be 12 ft. That will eliminate having to build twelve 48 in. culverts, or the equivalent of that under where the gravel ponds are. The bridge, instead of being 360 ft., has been reduced to 340 ft. Had we decided to channelize the River, we could have reduced it to 270-280. The 340 ft. bridge will leave a wildlife corridor. Mr. Clopper asked if it would be helpful to meet with the WUB Engineering Committee. Mike Smith said he didn't think there were any impending issues where they could provide input. "Our concern is to keep the water where it belongs, and that's going to happen," he stated. Mr. Clopper emphasized that it is important for the public to know how much of the cost of the project is for storm drainage conveyance, and how much will be added to provide secondary things like a wildlife corridor, etc. "It's in our report to Council, and we estimate that to be about $350,000; $200,000 (roughly) is for additional bridge length going from 280 to 340 ft. The other $100,000+ is going for the additional channel work and additional reclamation of that channel once we have excavated," Mr. Sears explained. Eric Wilkinson and Gene Schleiger from the NCWCD distributed the SNOTEL numbers as of January 23, 1997 as well as an extended weather outlook for January, and January through March, prepared by Dr. Art Douglas of Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. "We find that in some months the weather outlook is quite accurate and others, not accurate at all," Mr. Wilkinson stated. Regarding reservoir storage, Carter Lake is coming up, he said. The No. 3 pump that blew up about a year ago at Flatiron Power Plant has been replaced; it's been rewound and is functioning well. The District is planning to construct a bypass this year around the No. 3 pump. They have reached an agreement with the power users to forward finance half the cost of that, up to about $700,000. They hope to begin construction in August and complete it in November. They have contracted with Stone & Webster Engineering Corp. to do the design. He continued by saying that Horsetooth and Granby reservoirs are nearly full, far above average for this time of year. The entire CBT project is about 147,000 Ac-ft short of a full system. "We anticipate, under the most reasonable alternative, to spill again this year; we estimate around 2000 Ac-ft." If current weather conditions continue, it would be much more. He noted that the extended weather outlook forecasts a dryer than normal February and March, "and if that's the case, we may have to re -address that." Snowpack in the upper Colorado Basin is at 153% of average. The high for the year occurred in that basin on November 4th at 1791/o of normal. The South Platte started out at 160% of normal early in November and peaked again at 162% on January 13th. Water Utilities Board Minutes January 23, 1997 Page 4 John Bartholow noticed that the District has been using the extended weather outlooks for some time. "I assume that you find them valuable. Do you check their reliability?" Mr. Wilkinson explained that Dr. Douglas looks at ocean temperatures and forecasts jet streams, etc. from that. His forecast in the spring 1995 was totally wrong. "We declared an 801/6 quota based on his long term forecast. April, May and June turned out to be quite wet which he attributed to an unexpected shift in the jet stream. Overall, he's quite reliable," Mr. Wilkinson said. "We look at it as a component in our operations and incorporate it into our quota -setting to a greater or lesser extent." In their quota -setting they incorporate an average year beyond what they see on their snow pillows and in the stream flow measurements. When they set the quota in April, they usually base it on an average year occurring from that date forward. "That's why, in dry years, the Board declares a supplemental quota; you may turn dry and stream flows don't generate what was anticipated." Mr. Bartholow asked about an item in the District's minutes recently that indicated the District had gone about 20% over budget in 1996. "That worried me at first because I thought the District was pretty much on the top of things," he said. He reviewed some of the annual reports and realized that things aren't so bad after all. It looks like the cash at the end of the year account went from $4.3 million in 1992 to $28.3 million in 1995. "What is the reserve fund for, especially at that level given your policy of having costs to cover operations?" he asked. "What you are looking at is end -of -year cash," Mr. Wilkinson explained. "Because of our cash flows coming in at the end of the fiscal year, we have considerable cash on hand because we have collected our ad valorem taxes and our assessments." The low time of our year, with regard to cash flow, is late January, February and March, just before the ad valorem tax comes in again. "That cash flow you are referring to probably includes reserves as well. In our contract with the U.S. we have a reserve of $1.4 million stipulated by the U.S., plus another $400,000 the Board has incorporated, so we have a total reserve of $1.8 million for the project. In addition to the reserve funds, we also have, in reserve, the fixture payment to the U.S. for the additional years from 1997 to the year 2000, that would be seven years at $1.1 million per year. Those funds have not yet fully matured." The District also has reserve funds for facilities maintenance for water projects, which is now up to $175,000; there are several reserve funds that they try to establish over the years. They also maintain their own self insurance. "So overall, those could add up to $28 million at some point in the year," Mr. Bartholow clarified. "Definitely," Mr. Wilkinson responded. "When you met with the Water Board a few months ago," Tom Brown began, "we discussed the proposed Interim CBT Ownership Limitation Policy that might affect the amount of CBT that cities, for example, can own. Could you bring the Board up to date on what's happened with that?" "The Board has maintained that policy," Mr. Wilkinson began. One of the things the District has struggled with is a Base Water Supply Policy, "and we continue to struggle with it," he said. The Interim Ownership Policy melds in with that. "Right now, I don't see that policy changing in the near future," he predicted. "The Board hasn't given any indication of that," he added. He anticipates that the policy will be incorporated into the Rules and Regulations in one form or another. Water Utilities Board Minutes January 23, 1997 Page 5 "Once the Base Water Supply Committee comes to some resolution, will there be some re -statement of the interim ownership limitations that the City will get a chance to review and react to?" Mr. Brown asked. "What we are hoping to do this year, is to prepare a final set of proposed rules and regulations that affect the District's policies and procedures; ownership limitation being one and base water supply being one," Mr. Wilkinson replied. Those will be submitted through a formal rule - making process. There will be public hearings and public input solicited by the Board, and based on the public input, they will, hopefully, be adopted sometime before the end of the year. Mr. Wilkinson noted that Fort Collins representatives have been diligent in attending the Base Water Supply Committee meetings, and he hopes that will continue. Howard Goldman related that he had attended the meeting that morning. "You and Mr. Raley did a very good job of explaining some of the reasons why you are moving in this direction with the policy, and how, some of those interests are in the City of Fort Collins' interest as well. I'm not sure this Board has heard some of those bigger policy reasons connected to this issue. In our early meetings it seemed that we had a rather narrow view of what sounded like the District was trying to prevent Fort Collins from getting its fair share of water. This morning, when I heard the District's description of that, I had a much different reaction. Could you summarize that for us?" Mr. Wilkinson explained that the District is considering three goals in the development of the Base Water Supply Policy: (1) When the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) entered into the repayment contract with the District in 1938, the contract stated that the CBT project was designed to supplement the existing base water supplies that were in the basin in 1938. What the District is trying to do with the base water supply, is to assure that the CBT project remains a supplemental water supply. He related that the District is considering the possibility of incorporating a Base Water Supply Policy on an allottee by allottee basis. In other words, not awarding an allotment contract to a potential allottee unless he has a minimum amount of base water supply; and that's not only true in apiculture, but would also be true in a municipal/industrial type application. (2) Another goal that the District is trying to achieve through the Base Water Supply Policy, is to try, to the degree possible, to protect the base water supplies in this area. He explained that one of the reasons the District needs to maintain the supplemental nature of the CBT project, is because it is supplemental and not a primary water supply to its allottees. "We are classified as a different type of federal project than those that provide a primary water supply," he emphasized. Those that provide a primary water supply fall under the regulations of the Reclamation Reform Act. (RRA) With that come acreage limitations, cost of service assessments, etc. The CBT Project was different from its inception because it contracted for the perpetual right to the yield of the CBT Project, which is called a Type D contract. The Type E contract is a service contract where "you contract with the BOR for X amount of water and they deliver that on a water service basis." Those are renewal contracts. In Water Utilities Board Minutes January 23, 1997 Page 6 contrast, the District has the perpetual right to use the yield from the CBT Project. "If we would ever come under RRA, and were not classified as a supplemental water project, we would be subject to the accounting procedures, the excess acreage limitations and the allotment limitations ofRRA," he stressed. The District also wants to protect the irrigation identity of the CBT Project. When the project was contracted for in 1938, it was supposed to cost $44 million. Because of the advent of World War A etc., it ended up costing $164 million. Because of the contract that was entered into by the District in 1938, the District was held to an obligation of only $25 million. There is a $74 million component in the CBT Project for aid to irrigation. If the project should ever be classified as anything other than a primary irrigation project, that aid to irrigation may be in jeopardy, and there may be a need to pay off the aid to irrigation component. In addition, since the project was an irrigation project from the outset, there is a 0 interest loan rate on it. Several years ago, the Inspector General did an audit and indicated that CBT was moving more towards a municipal characteristic than agricultural. It began as 85% agriculture and 15% IMI; it is now close to 50-50. Because of that, the Inspector General said the District needs to look at collecting back interest on this project. The BOR looked at that and said that the District has a contract until something changes. "The back interest combined with the component of aid to irrigation, could end up costing in the neighborhood of $100 million," Mr. Wilkinson stated. "It's obviously to the benefit of the water users and the beneficiaries of the CBT Project to try to remain as a supplemental water supply project and maintain its identity as primarily an irrigation project. What the threshold is that the District has to cross until the Federal government intervenes, Mr. Wilkinson doesn't know. He reiterated that the second component of the base water supply discussion is to try to protect, as much as possible, the base water supplies in this area by requiring that there be a base water supply associated with a CBT allotment contract, not only on the agricultural side, but on the municipal as well. (3) Because of the need to assure a definite identity of an irrigation component in the CBT system, the District is attempting through the base water supply, not to invoke policies that would cause the wholesale migration of CBT out of ag. into municipal. This is the third goal for the Base Water Supply Policy. Mr. Wilkinson announced that this year the District budgeted sufficient funds for a rate study of the open rate contracts on the CBT system. It has been almost 11 years since they did the last study. The District has hived Integrated Utilities Group and HDR Engineering as a team to undertake the study. As part of the rate study they have selected an advisory group. The District went through the domestic, agricultural, industrial and rural domestic water users, and looked at the number of open rated contracts in each of those categories, and sent out invitations to 22 people whom they thought were representatives of those water use classifications asking them to provide input to the rate study. The first meeting was held January 22nd. Dennis Bode"was there representing Fort Collins and Water Utilities Board Minutes January 23, 1997 Page 7 George Reed represented Kodak. "We received some good input from the participants. We'll have updates as the study proceeds," Mr. Wilkinson promised. Mr. Reed thought the process was quite effective. Mr. Bode also thought it was a good process. His concern with the cost of service study is that it may be difficult to determine the rates for the ag. users. That's a concern in terms of the District's objective of encouraging CBT water to remain on ag. land. "It's going to be very difficult, if we do a strict cost of service study, to have a preferential rate for agriculture," Mr. Wilkinson acknowledged. "There may be a need to look at ability to pay or some other option," he added. The consensus, in talking with the non-ag. participants yesterday was, that there isn't a strong objection to a differential rate for ag. as long as it is recognized as a differential rate. The problem is that about 50% of the District's contracts are open -rated and are subject to assessments under this rate structure. The other 50% are fixed and they are paying $1.50 a year for water they get from the CBT Project. "They are paying about $250,000 a year for the operation of the project, and the other half pays about 10 times that amount; from $2.3-2.5 million for operation of the project. Fort Collins is on "both sides of the street." They have a good block of fixed rate and a good block of open rate, just as Boulder, Loveland, Longmont and Greeley have. About 2/3 of the ag. contracts are still fixed. He said that the District Board is considering a more aggressive approach to open -rating the fixed rate contracts, e.g upon transfer. "To date, if you transferred an agricultural allotment contract but didn't change the number of units in that contract, or didn't modify the configuration of the parcel of land to which is was attached, it is left intact as a fixed rate contract," he explained. The District Board is looking at any transferable block rate contract other than possibly involuntary transfer; e.g. upon the death of an allottee who transferred it in his will. Ray Herrmann wondered if that would be double pricing on the shares when they come up for sale. "No, when they come up for sale, they are automatically open -rated," Mr. Wilkinson replied. Mr. Lauer returned the discussion to the CBT limitation policy and asked if this Board should assume that the more CBT shares a given owner has, the less ability he will have to accumulate more. "No, I would say the assumption you need to make is that the more adequate your water supply is to meet your demand, the less likely you are to get CBT units to help fill the deficit," Mr. Wilkinson answered. "You can't accumulate CBT water to exceed your demand." "Are you going to judge adequacy on the basis of looking at what it consists of, basin water or otherwise?" Mr. Lauer continued. "Yes, what the firm yield or average yield of that water rights portfolio is." Mr. Wilkinson, responded. The firm yield is based on a 1-in-50 year type drought. Ben Alexander, Process Design Manager, distributed copies of the Fort Collins Water Utilities Watershed Studies Report which closely followed his presentation. Mr. Alexander introduced his presentation by saying that the report is the result of recent in-house studies that show the need for the City to be actively involved in a watershed management program. Fort Collins' drinking water supply comes from watersheds on the upper reaches of the North Platte, South Platte, and Colorado Rivers. The watersheds for the City's water supply cover thousands of acres and are located within national forests and national park boundaries. "Managing those lands for the purpose of protecting Water Utilities Board Minutes January 23, 1997 Page 8 water quality is going to require the participation of many agencies; it's not something the City can do by itself, " he stressed. Mr. Alexander said that concern about the potential of deteriorating water quality prompted staff to collect more data on the source waters over the last few years. Staff acknowledges that more monitoring, analysis and investigation needs to begin and continue into the decades ahead. He went on to say that to date, the most noticeable changes have occurred in the water of the CBT Project. This may be due to the fact that there is more storage above the Horsetooth Reservoir intake than there is above the Cache la Poudre River intake. Water quality can change significantly over time while it is being held in storage reservoirs. He displayed a map that showed that the watershed area that serves the Water Treatment Plant is extensive. Gathering sufficient data to determine long term trends in water quality is a big task. He indicated on the map where and how the water flows to the Plant. He emphasized that water coming from this vast area makes it a very complex water quality model to understand. "Most of our concern has focused on the CBT waters because of deteriorating water quality in Horsetooth Reservoir," he continued. This is due to a more abundant algae growth and the decomposition of algae and other organic matter in the Reservoir. In late summer and fall, after the water is thermally stratified, decaying algae increases the biological oxygen demand in the water. The oxygen is depleted from the water causing manganese to dissolve and spread through the water in the bottom of the reservoir. Manganese can be removed at moderate cost. Unfortunately, that is not the only problem that will result from increased nutrients becoming available to promote additional algae growth. Manganese began to be a problem for the City in 1989 as evidence that conditions are changing in the watershed. As a result, more serious problems are likely to follow. He stressed that preventing the quality from getting worse and intervening to make it better, may be a more effective approach than trying to remove contaminants once they have become dispersed throughout the water. The biggest problem the City may be facing is total organic carbons (TOC), which combine with chlorine in the disinfection process, and cause low levels of cancer causing substances. The more TOCs in the water, the more will be in the finished water. Conventional processes are only able to remove between 30% and 50% of the TOCs. If you need to remove more than that, the processes to do that are extremely expensive. You may be forced to go to ozone or granular activated carbons. "TOCs will increase as we get more algae growth, or nutrients in the system," he warned. "We will always have to disinfect with chlorine because that's the only method available now that the U.S. will approve, because it maintains a residual in the finished water and remains effective as a disinfectant throughout the distribution system," he explained. Water Utilities Board Minutes January 23, 1997 Page 9 Besides the impact on drinking water quality, increased nutrients in the system and increased algae growth cause problems for other users on the system as well. It can result in decreased electrical generation efficiency; there are several hydro -power generators on the system. Bar screens, canals, and flumes become plugged by algae. It increases facility maintenance expenses to keep the waterways clear and free -flowing. It can cause inaccurate flow measurements. It increases drag on boats (recreation). The Utility has been collecting data and studying changes in water quality in Horsetooth Reservoir since 1988 under a contract with CSU, and more recently with Dr. Goldman, a noted limnologist. His knowledge and experience have been very helpful in analyzing the existing data and collecting the data we need to more fully understand the system. Dr. Goldman thinks the prognosis is good for improving the quality in the Reservoir. During most of the year, the water quality in the South Fork of the Cache Is Poudre is superior in quality to that of the CBT system. Currently, the water quality in Horsetooth is better than many other drinking water sources around the state and the nation. "It's unfortunate that there is a potential for it to get worse, and it appears that it may be getting worse," he stated. It may be possible to preserve the present quality in Horsetooth and the rest of the CBT system, or even improve upon it, if we thoroughly understand and effectively limit the critical algae growth factors.To date, all of the data that have been collected show that significant contributions of nutrient are not presently coming from the watershed immediately surrounding Horsetooth. It seems to originate upstream from the intake that supplies the Reservoir. The data also indicate that controlling the nutrients available to stimulate algae growth is the best option for Horsetooth. Mr. Alexander then explained how phosphorus and nitrogen nutrients affect lakes. The trophic state of a lake or reservoir refers to available nutrition for algal growth. When the water has the potential for abundant algal growth, it is described as eutrophic. Horsetooth appears to be moving from slightly mesotrophic (moderately limited algal growth) toward being more eutrophic. It may be possible to halt or even reverse the trend. The balance in eutrophic reservoirs is dependent upon the climate where the reservoir is located. "What usually happens year after year in our climate, in the winter and spring the water is cold and as such it's all the same density; it's most dense at 39 degrees F. Warmer than that, it's less dense." When it's cold the water can be mixed from the top to the bottom by the wave action from the wind. The oxygen from the atmosphere reaches from the surface down to the water column, and the dissolved oxygen content in the water rises. The algae, with the nutrients available, will grow at the upper levels where the sunlight can reach them. As the water warms, and the sun is higher in the sky, the algae growth increases significantly in late spring. Also, the water warms, and as it does, it becomes thermally stratified with different density radiants in the deeper water. It resists mixing, and some of the algae on top are dying, and they can die off rapidly, as well, if they don't have the right conditions. They then settle to the bottom. Decomposition of that organic material consumes the oxygen that's available within that static water column, and it's not being replenished from the top. Water Utilities Board Minutes January 23, 1997 Page 10 Eventually, that creates an oxygen depletion situation. "We see this frequently in Horsetooth in the late fall. We may see 0 dissolved oxygen at the bottom levels. Under those conditions manganese and iron are soluble and they diffuse out into the water column, including the area of our intake. The life forms that can't get away from that into the higher elevations where there is some oxygen in the water, will die. In reservoirs that are highly eutrophic, it's not unusual to have fish and everything in there die in late summer or fall" As the weather cools in the winter, the situation reverses. The water on top becomes cold and it gets heavier than the supporting layers underneath, and is out of balance. With the increased density, eventually the cold water on top plunges to the bottom and mixes the reservoir, and the cycle begins again. 1995 data of the Reservoir showed that the average phosphorus concentration coming in is nearly double what we see at the outlets to the reservoir. Over time, the phosphorus coming in at the inlet is being consumed by algae. As measurements are taken farther from the inlet, the phosphorus concentration decreases. "In 1995, we had about 2000 pounds of phosphorus come in, which isn't very much if you were going to fertilize a local golf course, but those levels cause Horsetooth to be slightly below the mesotrophic level in classifications of reservoirs around the nation. Dr. Goldman and his Ecological Research Associates, have developed a water quality model that "we can begin to use to input this data to allow us to predict what can happen under different conditions. According to that model, if we can reduce the phosphorous loading at Horsetooth by 50% (cut it to 1000 pounds a year), we can delay the onset of nuisance manganese in the fall by 30 days. Our manganese events in the bad years have started in August and usually go away when the Reservoir turns over in November. If the month is off the bad end, the worst of the problem goes away." How do we go about doing that? First we need to know where it is coming from.The water is collected from the Colorado River and its tributaries, flows through the Adams Tunnel above Estes Park, comes through Lake Estes, and can either flow down the Thompson Canyon past Drake where some of it can be taken out from the diversion called the Dilly Tunnel, and into the Hansen Feeder Canal into Horsetooth, or the other route where most of it goes; that is through the Olympus Tunnel (it generates power as it comes down through Flatiron) and then it either goes south to Carter Lake and the St.Vrain supply system, or north to Horsetooth. . Data from a synoptic study conducted in the fall of 1995 show that phosphate levels in the upper Colorado River, above Shadow Mountain Reservoir, in Grand Lake and in the Big Thompson, before it flowed into Lake Estes, were all about the same, but there is a definite increase in phosphate as the water flowed from the Adams Tunnel down through the Big Thompson Canyon and east slope structures. At the dam where the water flows out of Lake Estes, the Phosphorous was three times as high, and near the Dilly Tunnel was six times as high. Water Utilities Board Minutes January 23, 1997 Page 11 "Dr. Goldman says that, in order to control it, we need to locate and limit the most significant sources of total phosphate," Mr. Alexander continued. What are the sources of phosphate? Some of the answers are speculation. Golf course fertilization could be one. High populations of large free roaming animals are also likely sources. (Elk populations are large and increasing.) There are community and individual septic systems in the Estes Park area. Domestic wastewater discharge is coming into the system. A significant horse population exists near Lake Estes, particularly in the summer. "These are all places where we need to collect some additional data," Mr. Alexander said. The current data taken in the fall is "just a snapshot. It doesn't tell us how the system behaves throughout the area." He went on to say that identification and limitation of total organic carbon (TOC) input to the system need to be addressed because of concern about disinfection byproducts and also because TOCs, as they decay, deplete oxygen in the water. Samples taken during the 1995 Fall Synoptic show that TOC varies according to the nature of the source. The patterns may shift during other times of the year. Virgin streams in the fall averaged 2 mg/l. "EPA would like surface'water sources, and groundwater sources too, to have levels of 2 mg/l or lower at the first point where disinfectant is added," he pointed out. Data from the Poudre indicate that spring runoff produces relatively high levels of TOC as the snow melt flows through the dead pine needles and other vegetative matter on the forest floor. More monitoring is needed to understand the transport and fate of TOC in the water of the CBT system. "When we gathered all the data we could find on the system, and looked at the turbidity records over a period of time, we noticed that water at the Soldier Canyon Outlet had become less turbid since the mid 1980s." This may seem beneficial, but algae growth may have initially been limited by the lack of light penetrating into the water. "We have seen a strange turbidity pattern emerge over the 20-year span (we gathered the daily records and averaged them by year)." He displayed a graph that showed raw water intake annual average turbidity from 1977 through 1995. He noted that he did not include 1977 because a mudslide blocked the outlet at Soldier Canyon that year, and the Reservoir had to be drained so modifications and repairs could be done. The whole process stirred up a lot of mud so the turbidity level was very high. When you remove 1977 and look at the pattern, a big lazy S appears. Since 1985, the water has become much clearer, allowing more light penetration, and that in itself could have caused increased algae growth in the reservoir. "In 1989, we hit our first big manganese event. The years 1989 through 1993 were bad years for manganese; 1994 lessened somewhat, 1995 was significantly better, and in 1996 we didn't have dissolved manganese in the water entering the plant." During that same time period, the Division of Wildlife made some modifications to the food chain in Horsetooth. "Through the 70s they were perplexed because the sports fish in the Reservoir weren't growing at as rapid a rate as they did in other reservoirs." They decided that the supply of food was limiting their growth, so the DOW stocked rainbow smelt. The sports fish started gaining weight faster than they had in years past, and then everything stopped and conditions returned to where they Water Utilities Board Minutes January 23, 1997 Page 12 were previously. Now it's hard to find any of the rainbow smelt or the Zooplankton that is their food source; and the growth of the sports fish has declined. The Phytoplankton population has increased to the point where it is causing drinking water problems. "The water getting clearer may have helped the smelt to overgraze the Zooplankton," Mr. Alexander surmised. The cause of the historic decrease in turbidity has not been determined, he concluded. Dr. Goldman and his associates in ERA have recommended that the Utility identify the sources of phosphorus and TOC in the larger CBT watershed. There is considerable curiosity about what is occurring with the suspended sediments, the turbidity in the system. Why is it changing, what can we anticipate in the fixture and are those same changes happening in the other reservoirs in the system? They also recommend moving the raw water intake to 15-10 meters below the surface (this will be considered in the Master Plan in the months ahead); keep the reservoir as full as possible which helps the water quality; begin to develop a more favorable fish stocking strategy with CDOW; and, they encourage the Utility to work closely with the people who participate in managing water quality in the system. "It is all tied together," he emphasized. The conclusions were: • A continued watershed study is necessary to fully understand the intricacies of the watershed. • A concerted effort should be made to identify and minimize the sources of contamination that increase health risks and treatment costs. • Other stakeholders should become involved in sharing the burden and benefits of regional watershed management. • Fort Collins should take an active role in getting a regional watershed management and protection program started. The watershed program here is still in its infancy. There is definite benefit to the City in continuing the studies and pursuit of improvements, with or without the involvement of others. However, all stakeholders will benefit and far more could be accomplished with an effective regional approach. It would be good for the City to keep its current program going while sharing the results with others and working towards a broader long term political approach. Mr. Alexander said that staff is not asking the Board to take any action at this time, but he would welcome comments and questions. He plans to take the presentation to the North Front Range Water Quality Association, NCWCD, and perhaps other municipalities that are served under the Northern District. Eventually, there needs to be a partnership with Greeley "if we want to do the same sort of thing on the Cache la Poudre. There is a lot of development happening here, and it's going to affect Water Utilities Board Minutes January 23, 1997 Page 13 water quality," he stressed. "We need to get the people who manage land use in the rural areas tuned to how their actions will affect the future of water quality," he added. Mr. Clopper asked if staff has budgeted funds to continue to monitor the water quality. "Yes, we have put money into the budget to continue this program," Mr. Alexander replied. John Barnett suggested that Mr. Alexander give his presentation to the Larimer County Planning Commission and the Board of Commissioners because they are the ones involved in land use planning in the areas of Estes Park and the Big Thompson Canyon. Bob Havis wondered how total organic carbon concentrations compare with other areas in the U.S. "That's an area that is just beginning to get a lot of study," Mr. Alexander responded. The measurement of TOCs is coming to the Utility's attention because of the recent focus of the Information Collections Rule and the proposed Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule. EPA has proposed modifications to treatment techniques. The methods for TOC measurement are in flux right now. "I can't answer what the baseline is across the country, because we don't have a large enough data base currently to say what is typical," he said. "What's driving, if anything, the time frame for when the problems with the watershed are addressed? Are you waiting for EPA to finish the rules on phosphorus?" Alison Adams asked. "There aren't any regulations driving that right now. There is discussion and a pending approach to this in the new Safe Drinking Water Act," Mr. Alexander responded. "They have recognized at several levels that the focus of the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act need to be more closely consolidated. Essentially, they have been managed separately. Now they realize that it all has to come together. From a federal standpoint, that's coming, although it is probably a few years away. "What I hope will drive it for us is to try to find evidence that the water quality is deteriorating and what the causes are, which will compel other entities to participate with us in this. That has been sufficient motivation in other areas of the country for them to start watershed management programs," he concluded. Mr. Herrmann asked when the water splits and part of it goes down the Big Thompson and part of it stays in the canal, why is it being run down the canyon; to basically maintain the stream flows? "They have a number of drivers that dictate how to operate that system," W. Alexander began. "Loveland has power generation; there are Loveland water decrees; they must meet minimum stream flow there; there are some people who can't be served unless it flows that way," he explained. "There are a number of factors in the operation of the system that we have to take for granted. They are doing the best job of managing that system to satisfy the demands that are on the Northern District and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation now. We must superimpose the water quality model on top of that to see what the results are of the different operating strategies. Once there is data, we may be able to input into their operating plan for the system." He emphasized that we can't interfere with other people's rights or needs for that water. Water Utilities Board Minutes January 23, 1997 Page 14 Mr. Herrmann assumed that there was no justification for in -stream flows with CBT water. "There are places where they have definite requirements," Mr. Alexander answered. "Is it a legal requirement against CBT?" "Yes it is," Gene Schleiger from the District replied. "We have fish flow requirements. In reality, we prefer not to bring any more water down the river than we have to, because we bypass the power generation units. Unless the system is totally full, we try to take everything out of Olympus Dam and through the Flatiron system. We aren't picking up any of the diversion out of the Big Thompson River that actually gets into Horsetooth. Only in times of minimum flow when there is capacity can the District actually skim the River at Dilly Tunnel, bring it around and drop it back in. There could be a mixing effect that goes on during that limited time, but that's a very small volume of water." It was asked if Loveland and Greeley have had the impact on their reservoirs that Fort Collins has. "It hasn't hit them as hard as it has hit us for different reasons," Mr. Alexander replied. Horsetooth seems to have received the poor quality water, so that affects Fort Collins' and the Tri-district's water; both have had to treat for manganese. He explained that Greeley takes their water through a long open canal and puts it in some ponds ahead of their plant, so it becomes re -oxygenated. Dave Frick asked about the Boyd Plant. That is in a different watershed, Mr. Alexander said. "They are working closely with Fort Collins. They actually see worse quality because of the eutrophication of Boyd Lake than we do at Horsetooth. There has been some mediation work on that system with the help of Larimer County. "Has Loveland noticed deteriorating quality in their reservoirs," Mr. Frick asked. "They have had a few problems, but not on a large scale; they actually have very little storage in their system," Mr. Alexander responded. Tom Sanders asked if the Utility has isolated any contamination in Horsetooth due to recreational use. Also with the heavy development around Horsetooth, are we worried about fertilizers and septic tanks? "Yes, we've had those concerns," Mr. Alexander replied. The County Health Dept. is quite concerned about that, and are on top of trying to make sure the systems up there are in good shape. Much of the development on the south end ofHorsetooth is served by a sanitation district rather than a septic system. The sewage is lifted over the hill and is treated at South Fort Collins Sanitation District. "We are concerned about the integrity of that system; we want to see those pump stations stay in good service," he stressed. "We are concerned about fertilizers, but we aren't doing anything at this time. Eventually there may be a need for a public education program to make people aware that they live in a watershed," he said. There is currently some publicity through the Park Service. The people who operate the marina are very aware of their responsibly to help protect the area. They have a sanitary pump -out system and are very careful with the handling of fuel. They are well prepared with absorbent material for cleaning up a spill in the event of one occurring. "We can speculate that the motor boats and the wave action may have contributed to the initial turbidity in the reservoir. As the active storage area is washed by the wave action, that may be what's contributing to the better clarity of the water, as the suspended materials are washed out of the outlets; but that's just speculation," he repeated. Water Utilities Board Minutes January 23, 1997 Page 15 Mr. Bartholow thinks it's very important to look upstream, but he thinks we should probably look downstream to some degree too. "Just for perspective, do you have any idea what the phosphorous concentrations or phosphate comparisons would be coming out of, for example, Fossil Creek Reservoir near the time in September when you did your sampling." "I'm sorry, I'm one of those guys that works at the water treatment plant and I look upstream," Mr. Alexander laughed. "Would you think it would be wise, as a City, to consider what phosphate concentrations you are imposing on those downstream of us?" "We all live in somebody's watershed," Mr. Alexander responded. Mike Smith said the City does water quality modeling downstream of the wastewater plants. "Do you have any idea for comparison, what the phosphate levels might be?" Gale McGaha Miller answered that, for the treatment plants, the total phosphate tends to run about 8-12 ml/L before it is discharged into the receiving stream. "That compares to .06 at the Dilly intake at that time," Mr. Bartholow pointed out. "It's really a different system down there. We're not discharging into anything that will become a drinking water supply for anybody until it's in the middle of Nebraska in the South Platte River," Ms. McGaha Miller replied. "The agricultural users seem to like the phosphate at that range," she added. Dave Lauer brought up the question he had directed to staff a few months ago: the possibility of redirecting some treated effluent from DWRF from Fossil Creek Reservoir to the Poudre River. It seemed to Mr. Lauer that phosphate levels were probably higher at Fossil Creek Res. than desirable and that posed a problem; possibly more of a problem than at Lake Estes and downstream of Lake Estes. "I was trying to see if there was an agreement on the part of the Board and staff that cleansing part of the effluent by allowing it to flow into the River instead of the Fossil Creek Reservoir might be a good option." He still thinks that might be a good option. When staff brought this to the Board in July, they concluded that they didn't recommend doing or excluding one or the other at that time, and that there is a need to remain flexible on this issue. Mr. Alexander said he didn't feel qualified to respond. to Mr. Lauer's question. He said that Dr. Goldman has cautioned staff about jumping to any conclusions on what is found on the upper reaches of the system until there is enough data to really understand it; and definitely not to try intervention until we know. "There is the risk that you're going to cause more problems than you will cure. At this point what I'm hoping we can do is get a lot of participation to set up a monitoring program, gather the data, analyze it and share it and determine where to go next," he concluded. "What is the health risk with TOC?" Tom Brown wanted to know. "When TOC combines with chlorine in the treatment process, it forms very low levels of compounds called trihalomethanes; things like chloroform. Tests show that, at very low levels, it can cause cancer in laboratory animals. We have been regulated since 1974," Mr. Alexander responded. A new round of regulations will include haloacetic acids, and there is a group of five of those. The industry is recognizing that they need to refine their methods of standardizing with regard to what to focus on; i.e. what is going to be measured and what level we are trying to reach. Water Utilities Board Minutes January 23, 1997 Page 16 OTHER BUSINESS NCWCD Letter to City Manager This item was discussed briefly at the December meeting. Dave Lauer asked that it be discussed further at the January meeting. Background Dave Lauer expressed concern about a letter that the Northern District sent to the Fort Collins City Manager about Greeley's proposed Cache la Poudre Canyon Gateway Park. The NCWCD Board of Directors passed a resolution about this at their November 8, 1996 meeting. The park would be located just downstream of the mouth of the Canyon on lands currently owned by the City of Greeley. The District attached a copy of a letter they sent to the GOCO Board of Directors voicing their concern over "spending a significant amount of public money on the proposed "Gateway Park" located at the confluence of the North Fork and the mainstem of the Poudre River at the site of the now retired Fort Collins Water Treatment Plant No. 1. In the letter the District recommended that "Canyon Gateway Park" be investigated and seriously considered as a viable alternative to "Gateway Park." In essence, "Canyon Gateway Park at its location would not be affected "by future water development on the Poudre River." Mr. Lauer is concerned that this "displays a fundamental difference in focus on the river and the canyon, and what they represent to the future of Northern Colorado." Gene Schleiger came to the meeting to speak for the District. Mr. Lauer had met earlier with Eric Wilkinson, General Manager of the District. Mr. Lauer shared some of his concerns and those of Friends of the Poudre about this situation. There have been about 150 people in the Fort Collins community working for the past 8-10 years to try to establish Gateway Park at the old water treatment plant site. He referred to the letters sent to the Fort Collins City Manager and to GOGO as explained above. Friends of the Poudre became quite agitated about the implications in those letters after all the work that had been done to get the City's endorsement for the park. Moreover, the District had written letters previously supporting the idea of the park, and the same is true for the City of Greeley. "Now there seems to be a change of heart." At their meeting yesterday, Mr. Wilkinson explained that the District's purpose in writing the letters was to protect their ability to control the water rights they have on the Poudre, so the next time they are required to appear at a water court hearing, they could demonstrate their due diligence in maintaining those water rights. Mike Smith explained that basically it is a conditional water right for Grey Mountain Reservoir. "What Friends of the Poudre would like to see is another park, rather than an alternative park on those 80 acres that the City of Greeley owns, primarily for parking, because there isn't enough room at the water treatment plant site," Mr. Lauer said. He also mentioned that they would like a trail between the two parks so people could hike up instead of driving. "We don't want to see the commitment on the part of the City of Fort Collins or Larimer County derailed by an alternative park being proposed," he asserted. Water Utilities Board Minutes January 23, 1997 Page 17 Mr. Clopper recalled that the Water Board had discussed this in the late 1980s. "Did we take a formal position endorsing the creation of a Gateway Park? I think Council did." "I don't recall the Board taking a formal position," Mike Smith replied. Gene Schleiger said that the Northern District is not proposing a new park. The City of Greeley has approached the District suggesting an alternative site, and "to that end we would support it." He also related that the District has not opposed Gateway Park in the interim realizing that there has been a group working hard to create a park at the old treatment plant site for a number of years. The District filed water rights applications for a reservoir at that site a significant number of years prior to that. "That conditional water right is still viable and is being pursued for development. When that will occur, we don't know," he acknowledged. The letter to GOCO was written expressing the District's concern. "We are a public funded operation. We don't think it is in the best interests of the citizens to spend money to develop a park knowing that at some point it's going to be under several hundred feet of water." The City of Fort Collins has known of the District's plans for many years. He emphasized that the District supports the multiple use of recreation as well as land use. "Unless Gateway Park is intended to be a `silver stake through the heart' of the District's project, we don't have a problem with the interim use," he insisted. He emphasized that the CBT project provides a good part of the area's water supply. The District Board believes that it is necessary for present generations to develop water supply for future generations. John Bartholow asked what constitutes due diligence for Grey Mountain these days. Mr. Schleiger said that there must be engineering studies, studies on the availability of water, surveying, environmental assessments, etc. Mr. Bode said he doesn't think what constitutes due diligence is well defined, but the District must show that they have been diligent in pursuing that project. "You need to renew your diligence every six years, and you must be able to show that your are making significant efforts to develop the project," Mr. Schleiger explained. He also explained at length some of the problems that impact future development in the current climate. The conclusion is that there is only one tributary that has available water, and that's the Poudre River with about 318,000 ac-ft. "Where do you think the people who need water in the metro area are going to start looking?" he asked. He pointed out that if the District walks away from their water rights on the Poudre River, there will be an application for a new right for what's left. If the Grey Mountain Project is not built, the majority of that water is already in Thornton's conditional rights. "Somebody is going to develop a system up there," he contends. Mr. Bartholow asked Dave Lauer if his group's intention is to put a "silver stake through the heart" of the District's project. "All I can say at this point is there is a significant number of people in this community, Denver, Greeley, Loveland, Estes Park, and all the smaller surrounding communities, who do not think that building a dam on the Poudre River and flooding the first seven miles of it, is in the best interest of either this generation or any generation beyond this one," Mr. Lauer responded, "and we will stand by that," he added. He referred to an article in a 1995 issue of Atlantic Magazine, Water Utilities Board Minutes January 23, 1997 Page 18 which "is an excellent summary of what happens when man traps water in large quantities for long periods of time." It seems to Tom Brown that the proposed Gateway Park is just a small impediment to building Grey Mountain Dam versus the larger impediment of some general public feeling against a dam today. The interim period between now and when a dam might be built, is probably quite a few years. "Who knows what's going to happen in the long run? Personally I'm not too worried about spending some money in the interim to develop a park. I think we'll get our money's worth even if a dam is built at some point." Tom Sanders thinks, in the long term, we must have a dam because of the pressure for what is considered the only available water left in the area. What concerns him is that the "Gateway Park" issue will become a "dam versus no dam"confrontation. Mr. Herrmann pointed out that the Utility has already made the land available for the park. "The City's Parks Dept. is taking the lead in that effort, and when they have meetings they invite the Utility," Mike Smith said. "When you consider the cost of the road and the cost of the park, it's trivial," Mr. Herrmann contends. Mr. Lauer emphasized that there is no intention of developing it into a full fledged urban or suburban park. "We want it as pristine as possible." Howard Goldman observed that it appears that different sides are lining up to do battle. "It isn't Friends of the Poudre vs. the District. That's not the real problem." It seems to him that the problem is that if the District doesn't show due diligence on their water rights, they may lose the water to some metro entity that "may get the water somehow. What can the District do to preserve its right short of building a dam? It doesn't seem that a dam must be built for the needs of Northern Colorado." "You need to understand that whenever the time comes, the Northern District will not be the entity building Grey Mountain or any other facility," Mr. Schleiger explained. "We may be the entity that other people come to as a managing agency, e.g. the Southern Pipeline, when they have the need for water. We do not have the funds, nor do we have the ability to raise the funds to build a reservoir for Northern Colorado water. It will be entities such as the City of Fort Collins, the City of Greeley, Public Service, or whoever down the road deems the need for the water and the power. Hopefully, Coloradans are smart enough to take advantage of it before out-of-state interests can do that. There are also demands outside of Colorado for peaking power, generation. The number one thing that is going to determine when and where that project is built, and how it's built, is when those entities that need it step up and'say, here's the financing to do it," he said. He reiterated that the District must go through the 6-year process to maintain that diligence. He added thai it is necessary to be very serious about whether you want to build the dam or not, because going through the process of due diligence has become very costly. Water Utilities Board Minutes January 23, 1997 Page 19 Concerning the interim period, Mr. Schleiger went on to say that every letter that has gone to the City Manager, the Mayor, to GOCO, etc. has emphatically stated that the District was not opposed to Gateway Park in the interim. The District has been told, however, that once the park is built it will be almost impossible to convince people of the need to inundate a public park with a reservoir. "We just want people to be aware of the situation. We have tried to be as honest, forthright and open with people as we can, and at the same time, we want to make the best use of public money," he concluded. Mr. Herrmann concluded that "you can be pro park whether or not you are pro dam." He recalled, in the Board's discussions about this in the late 1980s, that they felt the park was a good idea and he thinks that the economics of the park are such that it should not influence the dam one way or the other. John Barnett thinks the issue of the park shouldn't be allowed to become a battle ground over the dam. "That would be divisive and damaging to intelligently settling a very controversial issue down the road when there is a need to build the dam. I think the park is a good idea in and of itself. If the District is right, I'll know someday if it's a good idea to build a dam; right now I don't believe it is." "Let's not forget that the City of Fort Collins owns the land for the proposed park. If the City decides sometime in the future that there needs to be a dam, they own the land, and ultimately, it will be their decision," Mike Smith pointed out. ACTION The Board discussed a draft of the 1997 Water Utilities Board Work Plan at their December meeting. That draft was prepared by a committee comprised of the WUB Co -presidents and Vice presidents, committee chairs and staff. The Board made suggestions for revisions to the draft plan in December. The revised plan included in Board packets incorporated those suggestions. After discussion, Dave Lauer moved that the Water Utilities Board adopt the 1997 Work Plan as revised. John Barnett seconded the motion. The Board voted unanimously to adopt the plan. Discussion: John Bartholow pointed out that at the last meeting there was discussion about renaming Water Conservation and Public Education to something like "Public Outreach" and include finance there as well since it would have the most direct relationship with the public. It was also suggested that have Legislative stand by itself in the Legislative and Finance Committee. One member was strongly in favor of Finance standing by itself. Mr. Clopper pointed out that the existing committees do not necessarily correspond directly to all items. There is overlap in many cases. Alison Adams also pointed out that perhaps the legislative item corresponds more with the Liaison Issues Committee. Water Utilities Board Minutes January 23, 1997 Page 20 Mr. Clopper said, for purposes of the work plan, "we have everything that can fit on a plate for 1997." He thinks that re -structuring the standing committees is totally separate. It was decided that if the work plan is not a blueprint for the committees, the draft work plan was fine, and that it be kept as it is, at least for this year. ST FF FPORT Due to the lateness of the hour, Mike Smith said, unless the Board had questions, the information for these items had been included in the packets. Update: Meadow Springs Ranch Agreement Mike Smith related that the City Manager informed the Council that, as far as he was concerned, the land on the ranch was not going to be sold, and should be taken off the market; the Council agreed to that. Update: Regional 201 Study Cale McGaha said that there was little new to report since the last meeting. "We are basically on the same time frame. We anticipate having the first public participation in late spring." Agenda Item for Discussing Method for Reducing Size of Board Mike Smith suggested that the Board may want to discuss the method for reducing the size of the Board, perhaps as an agenda item. Some Board members have expressed their concern about the current method which is established in the City Code. "You probably have until May to present your ideas to the Council, if not, the size will be reduced by attrition; that means the three people who are up for re -appointment in 1997, will not be re -appointed." The Board agreed that this item should be on the agenda for February. Bylaws and Mission Statement The revised bylaws will be available from the Assistant City Attorney to discuss at the February meeting. Alison Adams said that it may be a good time to develop a mission statement, as well as tackling some of the other items under "other" in the work plan. Mr. Clopper recalled that the sense of the Board last time was that a mission statement should really be cast back into the Code as opposed to the bylaws, and let the bylaws stand as simple rules of operation, but he agreed that developing a mission statement as soon as possible, is important. John Barnett suggested that in February the Board talk first about how to develop a mission statement. George Reed said there are some proposed changes in the City Charter coming up which might affect the mission statement. Recently, he read a statement established through resolution by the Denver Water Dept., to focus on a regional perspective for water. He doesn't think the City of Fort Collins has a similar regional focus. For that reason, and others, he wasn't sure the Board was ready to write a mission statement. Mr. Clopper said that the closest thing the Utility has to the Denver resolution, is a Water Supply Policy written in 1988, and adopted by Council resolution. There is a regional Water Utilities Board Minutes January 23, 1997 Page 21 participation and cooperation element in it. He asked for and received a copies of Utility mission statements from staff, which he will share with the Board. Water Supply Committee Meeting Report John Bartholow reported that the Committee had a wide ranging discussion. They talked about Denver or any of the southern populated areas "coming up and taking our water," and how that relates to what the mayor seems to be interested in with respect to her "nightmare about water raids on Northern Colorado," and how that relates to a vision, as distinct from a nightmare. "We had trouble coming up with what that really meant." Was it a division of water or a division of land use, and exactly what was the relationship between land use and water use? Dave Frick related that it seems that everything is driven by "the nightmare." "Are we trying to preserve agriculture; are we trying to preserve our own water for municipal purposes? What is our ultimate goal and our ultimate vision. All we worry about is somebody else taking away our water, and not thinking about why we are trying to preserve our water supply." He came away from the meeting thinking that the Board should develop a vision of that, along with where the City and the Water Utility fit into that as far as participating in the process. Mr. Barholow said the Committee also talked about coming up with some alternative visions and perhaps some levels of those that the Committee could bring back to the Board. In some ways this relates to the mission statement. They discussed having Robert Ward, a member of the Mayor's "Regional Water Commission," take the Drought/ Water Supply Policy to a meeting of that group. (They are meeting today.) Howard Goldman thought this was a good time to talk again about the District meeting this morning. He said this was the first time he has experienced a group of people sensibly wanting to respond properly, step by step to this issue. "It seems like they have a good start on that process. All we need to do is continue to participate in that process. They are saying, "lets inventory what we have, and decide what we need to do to protect what we have, and still try to accommodate the people around us." Mr. Clapper suggested that Mr. Goldman get the Liaison Issues Committee involved with the Water Supply Committee. He proposed that they have a joint meeting, perhaps prior to the February Board meeting. Since there was no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:05 p.m. Water Utilit s Board Secretary