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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWater Commission - Minutes - 11/18/2021 WATER COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING November 18, 2021, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Online via Zoom 11/18/202 1 – MINUTES Page 1 1. CALL TO ORDER 5:30 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL • Commissioners Present: Greg Steed (Vice Chairperson), Tyler Eldridge, Randy Kenyon, Paul Herman, Phyllis Ortman, John Primsky, Jason Tarry, Michael C. Brown, Jr. o Commissioner Michael C. Brown, Jr. joined the meeting at 6:10 p.m. • Commissioners Absent - Excused: Kent Bruxvoort (Chairperson) • Staff Members Present: Matt Fater, Ken Sampley, John Song, Eileen Dornfest, Mark Kempton, Lance Smith, Susan Strong, Jason Graham, Mark Thomas (North Front Range Water Quality Planning Association Executive Director), Basil Hamden • Members of the Public: Ben Jones 3. AGENDA REVIEW • Vice Chairperson Greg Steed briefly summarized items on the agenda 4. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION • None 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES VICE CHAIRPERSON STEED ASKED FOR COMMENTS AND REVISIONS ON THE MONTH DAY MINUTES. Commissioner Ortman moved to approve the October 21 minutes. Commissioner Tarry seconded the motion. Vote on the motion: it passed unanimously, 6-0, with Commissioner Eldridge abstaining due to his absence from the Oct 21 meeting and Commissioner Brown missing the vote due to late arrival. 6. NEW BUSINESS a. Staff Reports (Attachments available upon request) i. Financial Monthly Report (meeting packet only) WATER COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING 11/18/2021 – MINUTES Page 2 ii. Water Resources Monthly Report (meeting packet only) Discussion Highlights A Commissioner commented on the precision of water demand at 97% of the City’s projection for the year – they commented that if it were not for the wet month of May, the City might’ve been over projection. Two Commissioners mentioned that this was their favorite report to read monthly. iii. Memo: Quarterly Cameron Peak Fire Update (meeting packet only) Discussion Highlights A Commissioner commented that they’d driven up the Canyon recently and noted a lot of City and contractor activity up the Poudre River. They expect and are excited for more updates to come soon. iv. Memo: 2021 Sprinkler Checkup Program Report (meeting packet only) v. Halligan Water Supply Project Quarterly Update (meeting packet only; staff available for questions) Discussion Highlights A Commissioner inquired if it would limit the use of water released from the Halligan Dam if there had been a fire in the area and a rise in turbidity due do it. Project Manager Eileen Dornfest responded that one of the City’s responsibilities would be to manage released sediment. With a fire, there would certainly be an influx in sediment release, but the water would be conveyed to the water treatment plant, though ultimately it would depend on the level of turbidity. Another Commissioner asked about the general reaction of the new City Council to the cost of the project. Ms. Dornfest responded that her team has not released anything regarding costs to the new Council until they have a better cost estimate next year. The Commissioner commented on the perceived delay of the Army Corps of Engineers, but Ms. Dornfest responded that they wanted the Corps to hold on the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for an approximate 18 months while other details and information are gathered in order to minimize the potential for changes following a final EIS. The schedule is driven by the acquisition of the 401 Water Quality Certification. Another Commissioner commented that they were glad to see that the adjacent dam design had been finalized, to which Ms. Dornfest expressed gratitude to the Commission for its role in WATER COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING 11/18/2021 – MINUTES Page 3 procuring it. vi. Introduction to the North Front Range Water Quality Planning Association Jason Graham, Water Reclamation and Biosolids Director, and Mark Thomas, North Front Range Water Quality Planning Association (NFRWQPA) Executive Director, introduced the Commission to the NFRWQPA, which provides for local planning assistance and review of water quality projects involving wastewater conveyance and treatment systems, as well as nonpoint source best management practices (BMPs) in Larimer and Weld Counties. The City of Fort Collins is a longstanding member of the NFRWQPA. Discussion Highlights A Commissioner inquired about the annual budget of the NFRWQPA, which Mr. Thomas replied was about $160K. The City contributed on average about $30K annually, but through a restructuring of the membership criteria to a tiered design depending on agencies’ wastewater treatment size, this year’s contributions from the City was about $14K. Another Commissioner inquired into the staff size, to which Mr. Thomas responded that he is the sole staff member as manager of the association, while the executive committee—to which Jason Graham is the chairperson—makes the decisions, and the association members approve those decisions. Another Commissioner commented how it’s unfortunate that nonpoint sources don’t contribute efforts comparably to point sources and commended Mr. Thomas for the organization’s efforts. Mr. Thomas further explained that the association was originally intended to research point sources, but he delved into how recent GIS technology has made it possible now to make nonpoint source plans, and expressed how it’s an exciting time for the area of water quality and watershed planning as it’s becoming increasingly clear that researching nonpoint sources will fill the gaps in the data, e.g. nutrient loading, etc. Another Commissioner inquired if the association’s nonpoint source tracking invites other kinds of entities into the association, such as irrigation districts, and Mr. Thomas responded that it really has, and they’re also trying to reach out to other districts to form a unified approach regarding nonpoint sources. Mr. Thomas also elaborated on the resolution policy regarding conflicting boundaries between agencies, who are then required to submit information such as how they would serve the area, and the association membership decides with finality depending on the data which agency serves the area. vii. Stormwater Utility Overview WATER COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING 11/18/2021 – MINUTES Page 4 Matt Fater, Interim Utilities Deputy Director, and Ken Sampley, Director of Engineering for Stormwater and Development Review, presented this high- level overview of the Stormwater Utility, the third and last presentation in a series of Utility overviews for City Council in 2021. The Water Commission has previously seen the Wastewater Utility overview in January and the Water Utility overview in May of earlier this year. Discussion Highlights A Commissioner inquired whether the overtopping of the Poudre on College Ave still occurs, to which Mr. Fater responded that it does, though it’s reduced significantly with the implementation of the Whitewater Park. The flow tends to get outside of the banks upstream, so they’re looking to do further improvements after a feasibility study with budget in 2022, in partnership with Natural Areas and Parks. Another Commissioner asked about the motivating factor for new developments to adopt Low Impact Development (LID) guidelines, to which Mr. Sampley responded that it’s required by code as City Council had initially adopted the program in 2008, established the criteria in 2013, and updated it in 2016. Another Commissioner inquired about the financial projection for growth, project management, education, etc., as they relate to staff number and retainment. Mr. Fater responded that there is currently an organizational assessment through a third-party consulting firm that will look at and hopefully optimize staffing infrastructure for all three water-related Utilities to or above a national standard. Mr. Sampley also added that costs now also reflect potential ongoing maintenance requirements, including staffing requirements to perform the tasks. The Commissioner also inquired about the prioritization process of master planning efforts, such as how some basins are prioritized above others. They continued by considering a homeowner’s perspective and the accompanying justification if they were to see decades of improvements planned for an adjacent area. Mr. Fater responded that the process emphasized on targeting and removing structures at risk in the floodplains in accordance to a traditional benefit cost analysis, but they’ve lately been questioning whether that’s an equitable approach to prioritizing projects. Mr. Sampley added that there are new social equity lens and considerations for future planning and prioritization of projects. Even though a lot of the areas that the improvement projects are addressing are because they don’t meet the necessary criteria, there are underserved areas that are also prone to flooding and needs attention. Another Commissioner inquired if Operating Expense included debt, which it does not. Financial Planning and Analysis Director Lance Smith responded that it would be a 20-year debt, with rate increases of 3-4% a year to fund capital improvements. WATER COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING 11/18/2021 – MINUTES Page 5 b. Regular Items (Attachments available upon request) None 7. COMMISSIONER REPORTS None 8. OTHER BUSINESS a. Approval of 2022 Water Commission Work Plan A Commissioner voiced their opposition to graywater use in residential settings, and also wanted to emphasize the role of the Water Commission to focus on water quality and serving the community, regardless of political tides. Commissioner Brown moved to approve the proposed 2022 Work Plan with editions. Commissioner Eldridge seconded the motion. Vote on the motion: it passed unanimously, 8-0. 9. ADJOURNMENT 7:41 p.m. These minutes will be approved by the Water Commission on December 16, 2021.