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Home My WebLink AboutWater Board - Minutes - 12/07/2006I Fort Collins Utilities Water Board Minutes Thursday, December 7, 2006 Water Board Chairman City Council Liaison Ted Borstad 226-6158 David Roy Water Board Vice Chairman Staff Liaison Doug Yadon 484-3611 DeEtta Carr 221-6702 Roll Call: Board Present: Chairman Ted Borstad, John Bartholow, Paul Czarnecki, Eileen Domfest, Johannes Gessler, Gina Janett, Rami Naddy, Phil Phelan and Doug Yadon Absent: Board member Steve Balderson and Reagon Waskom Visitor: None Staff: Patty Bigner, DeEtta Carr, Kevin Gettig, Joyce Grenz, Jim Hibbard, Brian Janonis, Mike Smith and Susan Strong Meetin¢ Convened Chairman Ted Borstad called the meeting to order at 3:10 p.m. Public Comment No Public Comment Approval of Minutes — October 26, 2006 Board Member Joannes Gessler made a motion, seconded by Board Member Doug Yadon to approve the minutes of the October 26, 2006 meeting. The motion passed. Update on Pollution Prevention Activities Susan Strong, Environmental Regulatory Specialist gave a power point presentation on stormwater quality. Their mission is to ensure the City of Fort Collins complies with the environmental regulations and to sustain a healthy environment. Carol Webb is the Regulatory & Government Affairs Division Manager and Lois Rellergert, Errin Henggeler, and Susan Strong are the Environmental Regulatory Specialists. As a team, they are working on: Water Board Meeting Minutes January 25, 2007 Page 2 • Clean Water Act • Safe Drinking Water Act • Waste Regulations and Tracking to maintain CESQG Status • SPCC Plans • Wetlands Mitigation • Threatened and Endangered Species • MS4 Permit • MS4 Minimum Control Measures The City of Fort Collins is in the fourth year of their MS4 permit, which is a Municipal Separate Stormsewer System. This Citywide permit is required by the State under the Clean Water Act. Colorado State University, Poudre School District, Transfort, and POTWSs have separate permits. The purpose of our MS4 permit falls in line with the Clean Water Act to restore and maintain the integrity of the Nation's waters. Before the Clean Water Act, the industrial boom of the 1950s and 1960s produced critical environmental problems across the board. In response, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in 1970. In 1972 Congress passed Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments, which was amended in 1977 and became known as The Clean Water Act. It required: • Elimination of discharge of pollutants into the nation's waters; and • Achievement of fishable and swimmable water quality levels. During the 1980s, EPA added stonmwater to its regulation list. Stormwater acts as a conveyance and enters the waters of the state, causing temperature changes, siltation, fish kills, shellfish bans, and beach closures. Public education is one of the most important ways to stop stormwater pollution. The Environmental Regulatory Specialists have sent post cards and letters to the public and to various paint contractors and paint retailers and also have posters in the paint retailers stores. Door hangers have been created to use in areas that have had drain pollution. There is a Web Access for Citizens and a hot line that can be called. CSU is an Educational Partner. Latimer County has their own permit but we consult with them. There are also public meetings with citizen panels to help educate the public. The benefits of a Stormwater Quality Program are: • Improve aesthetics • Protect riparian areas • Increase property values • Educate the community • Reduce infrastructure and maintenance costs • Meet regulatory requirements • Reduce flooding Water Board Meeting Minutes January 25, 2007 Page 3 • Improve water quality • Prevent erosion • Preserve biological populations • Sustainable infrastructure The final term of the permit for the City of Fort Collins is in 2007. Watershed Protection Program Update Kevin Gertig, Water Production Division Manager gave an update on the Watershed Protection Program. Our Watershed Program includes the following waters: • Upper Cache la Poudre (CLP) waters at or above our intake, including the North Fork • Horsetooth Reservoir • Components of the Colorado Big Thompson Project (CBT) that impact water quality within Horsetooth Reservoir • Has been primarily addressed by Big Thompson Watershed Forum ■ Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District has taken lead on nutrient studies The Upper Cache la Poudre sample collection starts with: Routine sampling by City of Fort Collins Water Quality Lab (WQL): ■ Ten sites within upper CLP watershed (including the intake), sampled two times per year. (runoff and post runoff) • Raw Poudre at the FCWTF: weekly sampling Routine monitoring by Water Production staff: ■ Three sites within upper CLP, once per week during spring snowmelt ■ Poudre Intake: continuous on-line monitoring ■ Raw Poudre at the FCWTF: continuous on-line monitoring and grab samples by Process Control Lab ■ North Fork, above and below Halligan: routine sampling began in 2006 The special projects for upper Cache la Poudre are: • Project with George Weber: Cooperative Monitoring Program for CLP Source Water, working with Greeley and Soldier Canyon. • Project with Dr. Jim Loftis: Retrospective statistical analysis of upper CLP data collected and analyzed to date by WQL. • NISP/Glade Reservoir Project: address water quality issues, primarily organic carbon (TOC). • Halligan -Seaman Water Management Project: provide input on water quality issues. Water Board Meeting Minutes f January 25, 2007 Page 4 The future projects for the upper Cache la Poudre are: • Literature review of watershed studies and water quality and quantity studies conducted by others on the upper CLP. • Upper CLP Water Quality Monitoring Program: to be developed and documented by Dr. Jim Loftis and a graduate student: work to begin in 2007. • Characterization of the upper CLP watershed: including refinement and verification of work conducted by the CDPH&E for the 2004 City of Fort Collins Source Water Assessment Report. • Characterization study of TOC: to be conducted on both upper CLP & Horsetooth waters to determine the effect of different TOC characteristics on TOC removal during treatment and the subsequent impact on disinfectant byproduct formation (i.e., TTHMs). The next part of Kevin's presentation was on Horsetooth Reservoir. The Horsetooth Reservoir Monitoring and BWTF Activities for 2006 were: • Participate in Big Thompson Watershed Forum (BTWF) — Kevin is on board of Directors; in -kind and cash contributions. • Attend work sessions and meetings related to nutrient loadings, water quality monitoring, data analysis, Horsetooth Reservoir 303 (d) listing. • Water Production staff collect Horsetooth Reservoir water samples. • Water samples analyzed by WQL. • Ongoing data analysis & submittal of data to BTWF. • Documentation of the City's Horsetooth Reservoir Monitoring Program (goals, procedures, QA/AC, etc). The update on the Chronic Wasting Disease for 2006 was: • FCU continues to keep abreast of research • Detection — currently working with a PhD student in the CSU Cell and Molecular Biology College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences on new detection method for prions in water — findings to be reported in 2007 • Recent paper on mechanism of transmittal of CWD in the environment These programs are used with the least amount of duplication possible for economic purposes. The data for some of these programs goes back to the 1980s. On the reports for 2007, there will be statistical information from all the testing. Committee Reuorts Conservation and Public Education They did not meet. Water Board Meeting Minutes January 25, 2007 Page 5 Engineering They did not meet. Legislative, Finance and Liaison Issues They did not meet. Water Supply They did not meet. Other Business Chairman Ted Borstad received a flyer on Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District Headquarters on Public Policy Dialog Water Conservation. Several of the Water Board members received the flyer. Chairman Ted Borstad felt that this would be a good meeting for the Conservation and Public Education Committee to attend. Board members of that committee said they would attend. Chairman Ted Borstad and Doug Yadon met with City Council Liaison David Roy on the draft of the 2007 Work Plan. Councilman Roy had only one small change to the draft of the 2007 Work Plan. They had an hour-long discussion and went through the plan item by item. Councilman Roy expressed interest and appreciation for the Water Board. The Water Board has a good relationship with Councilman Roy. Board Member Doug Yadon said that talking to Councilman Roy had retriggered the thought regarding the two four-year terms that a person can serve. In many cases, a person is not able to serve the full eight years. Board member Doug Yadon feels that with the complex issues confronting the Water Board, they need experienced members. Councilman Roy is aware of this and may make a recommendation to lengthen terms for those who really want to serve. Board Member Doug Yadon asked that Staff Liaison DeEtta Carr help him in drafting a letter regarding this matter to present to the Water Board for approval. This will be done at a future time. Election of officers will take place in February or March. Adjournment The Board meeting adjourned at 5:10 p.m.. Board Member Doug Yadon made a motion to adjourn, and Rami Naddy seconded it. i Joy c re z, Water Board cretary