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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWater Board - Minutes - 02/20/2020WATER BOARD REGULAR MEETING February 20, 2020, 5:30-7:30 p.m. 222 Laporte Avenue, Colorado River Community Room 02/20/2020 – MINUTES Page 1 1. CALL TO ORDER 5:33 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL • Board Members Present: Michael C. Brown, Jr. (Chairperson), Jason Tarry (Vice Chairperson), Kent Bruxvoort, Jim Kuiken, Steve Malers, Phyllis Ortman, John Primsky, Randy Kenyon, Cibi Vishnu Chinnasamy • Board Members Absent - Excused: Nicole Ng, Greg Steed • Staff Members Present: Theresa Connor, Katherine Martinez, Mariel Miller, Liesel Hans, Jill Oropeza, Richard Thorp, Molly Saylor, Carol Webb, Andrew Gingerich • Members of the Public: Rich Stave 3. AGENDA REVIEW • None 4. INTRODUCTION OF NEW BOARD MEMBER Chairperson Brown invited new Water Board Member Cibi Vishnu Chinnasamy to introduce himself. Board Member Chinnasamy is a graduate student from India pursuing his Ph.D in water resource planning and demand management offered by the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Colorado State University; he is excited to see water planning on a large scale and learning more about community water resource management. 5. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION • None 6. APPROVAL OF MINUTES • Chairperson Brown asked for comments on the January 16 minutes. A board member suggested a few minor revisions. Board Member Malers moved to approve the January 16 minutes with the minor revisions noted. Board Member Ortman seconded the motion. Vote on the motion: it passed unanimously, 9-0. WATER BOARD REGULAR MEETING 02/20/2020 – MINUTES Page 2 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Officer Elections i. Chairperson Mike Brown summarized Chairperson and Vice Chairperson responsibilities, and asked for nominations. Board Member Bruxvoort stated that he and Board Member Malers had discussed serving as officers. A board member requested information on prior service in these roles. Board Member Malers served as Chairperson in 2015-16 and Board Member Bruxvoort served as Vice Chairperson in 2018. Vote on Board Member Malers for Chairperson, starting in March: 8-0 unanimous, with one abstention. Board Member Malers abstained. Vote on Board Member Bruxvoort for Vice Chairperson, starting in March, 8-0 unanimous, with one abstention. Board Member Bruxvoort abstained. The Water Board thanked Board Members Malers and Bruxvoort for volunteering, and thanked Chairperson Brown and Vice Chairperson Tarry for their service. b. Staff Reports 1. Financial Monthly Report No report this month; it is in process. The 2019 Year-End Report will be available in late March. 2. Water Resources Monthly Report (meeting packet only) A board member requested that staff add the Lincoln Street gauge permanently to the monthly report since the Poudre Canyon gauge is frozen. 3. Mitigating Plastics Pollution (Attachments available upon request) Utilities Deputy Director/Water Board Staff Liaison Theresa Connor gave a summary of the City Council priority on Poudre River health related to microplastics and macroplastics pollution. Council asked staff to research this topic. Environmental Sustainability Senior Specialist Molly Saylor and Watershed Program Manager Richard Thorp presented an overview of this research at the February 9 Council Work Session, and shared the presentation with the Water WATER BOARD REGULAR MEETING 02/20/2020 – MINUTES Page 3 Board in advance of deeper stakeholder and community engagement in late Q1 and Q2. 10% of waste going into the Larimer County Landfill is made of plastic. The presentation included information on sources of microplastics, current and proposed future actions, microplastic pollution pathways, mitigation options and benefits, common single-use macroplastics, peer communities’ best practices and successful approaches, and next steps (including community and stakeholder input, awareness campaign, data collection, and June 9 Council Work Session). Discussion Highlights: Board members commented on and inquired about various related topics including a request for education: reason elimination is important and what problem is being solved; whether it’s a visual litter issue or water quality-related issue, or both; Mr. Thorp stated concerns about microplastics and effects on aquatic life, in water treatment and water quality; known fact marine life is negatively affected by plastic; microplastics can be breathed in, causing adverse health effects; it is a rapidly-evolving science. Ms. Saylor explained macroplastics, which degrade into microplastics; environmental concerns; whether a baseline exists compared to City of Greeley water (no); whether sources of microplastics can be determined (yes, by shape and other methods); potential impact of future policies; importance of early action and data collection; whether staff plans to present a benefit cost analysis to City Council along with fees and bans (difficulty estimating cost due to lack of toxicology analysis); policies require Triple Bottom Line analysis (social, economic, environmental); 2014 repeal of plastic bag fee before implementation; known plastic impacts on wastewater and stormwater; microfiber and synthetic fibers in clothes shed microplastics; issue of online purchases and Council’s concerns about packaging; extreme hypothetical example of being forced to use disposable plates, cups and utensils in event of drought; society’s move from glass to plastic bottles; makes sense to address the issue now regardless of whether a cost benefit analysis is available, versus many government policies begin with good intentions, therefore a cost analysis is necessary; whether future water quality reports will contain information on microplastics concentrations (staff doesn’t have an answer at this time). WATER BOARD REGULAR MEETING 02/20/2020 – MINUTES Page 4 4. Wastewater Collection System Operations (Attachments available upon request) Director of Water Field Operations Andrew Gingerich gave an overview. The presentation included maintenance goals and benchmarks, system replacements, review of challenges (risk of failure, likelihood and consequence), review of Stover Street Trunk Main Replacement, communications campaigns (“What Not to Flush, “FOGS Clog” Fat-Oils-Grease) and potential policy updates. The construction crew replaces about 1.5 miles of the system annually (350 years for total system replacement). Discussion Highlights: Board members commented on and inquired about various related topics, including cost of replacement; sewer service from sewer main to home is homeowner’s responsibility; request for advice: staff suggested developing a maintenance plan with trusted plumber; $150 average to clear out sewer service line from main to house; standard to scope the sewer service line before purchasing a house how much of budget is triage versus proactive action; most people today have finished basements, meaning costly repairs in the event of a sewer backup. c. Regular Items i. Water Shortage Action Plan (Attachments available upon request) Water Conservation Specialist Mariel Miller provided an overview. The plan is supported by the Water Supply & Demand Management Policy, and is in alignment with the City’s Strategic Plan and other plans. It’s been seven years since a water shortage; opportunity to communicate with community members to be better prepared for future shortages, which will occur more frequently according to the Water Supply Vulnerability Study; timeline and process (internal and external feedback, including research and community water use priorities survey); staff met with 800 people over 65 meetings and processed 1,300 survey responses; proposed updates align with other City- related plans. Staff proposes eliminating excess water use surcharge increase during a water shortage. Next step is request for approval (first reading) at March 17 City Council. WATER BOARD REGULAR MEETING 02/20/2020 – MINUTES Page 5 Discussion Highlights: Board members commented on and inquired about various related topics including developing additional short term water supply; staff can update plan if surcharge needed; Utilities Deputy Director Carol Webb explained rationale for staff recommendation to eliminate excess water use rate increase during a water shortage; Water Resources Manager Donnie Dustin stated he’d prefer to focus on permanent solutions but acknowledged that some solutions must be temporary; the issue of being unprepared on supply issue if only focusing on conservation; question on the word “action” in the plan; table of reductions and quantifying large items (outdoor landscaping reductions, for example); unsure of fairness vs impact issue; minimizing impacts to rates could be a goal, for example; possibility of discussing the issue with farmers; water rentals; good quantification of impact by staff, and suggestion to give sense of practicality; question of connection to wastewater treatment facility, water temperature and other regulatory issues (Ms. Miller stated she had many discussions with the Water Production Manager and Water Quality Services Manager on source water treatment and water quality issues); suggestion to expand Poudre School District collaboration to use marquees for announcements and distribute informational DVDs for students to take home; Ms. Webb expressed appreciation for the board’s feedback. Board Members Malers moved that the Water Board recommend to City Council adoption of the proposed amendments to the Water Supply Shortage Response Plan, including the name change to Water Shortage Action Plan, with the following change: deletion of the water shortage rate increase for excess water use surcharges. Board Member Bruxvoort seconded the motion. Discussion on the motion: None Vote on the motion: it passed unanimously, 9-0. 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS (COMMITTEES, EVENT ATTENDANCE, ETC.) A board member inquired about PFAs (Perfluorooctanoic acid) found in fire retardant chemicals), found in some water supplies south of Denver near the Air Force base; staff and a board member shared information: there’s work on this at national level; these are “forever” chemicals that do not disperse; difficult to treat; PFAs may be in groundwater or in stormwater system if there’s a fire; finding it in downstream intake supplies; used at one point in children’s pajamas as a fire retardant; came up quickly in federal legislation; found WATER BOARD REGULAR MEETING 02/20/2020 – MINUTES Page 6 at Air Force base in Colorado Springs two years ago due to fire-fighting, which generated action at federal level; found in California; generally, PFAs are from surfactants foam used for fires at airports and the Air Force base. 9. OTHER BUSINESS None. 10. ADJOURNMENT 7:50 p.m.