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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWater Board - Minutes - 01/22/2009Fort Collins Utilities Water Board Minutes Monday, January 22, 2009 Water Board Chairperson City Council Liaison Doug Yadon, 484-3611 David Roy, 217-5506 Water Board Vice Chairperson Staff Liaison Gina Janett, 493-4677 Robin Pierce, 221-6702 Roll Call Board Present Chairperson Doug Yadon, Vice Chairperson Gina Janett, Board Members Gary Wockner, Duncan Eccleston, Eileen Dornfest, Steve Balderson, Johannes Gessler, Reagan Waskom and Phil Phelan Board Absent Board Members David Pillard and Mike Connor Staff Present Laurie D'Audney, Dennis Bode, Kevin Gertig, Brian Janonis, Jim Hibbard, Robin Pierce, Terri Bryant, Patty Bigner, Susan Smolnick and Meagan Peil Guests None Meeting Convened Chairperson Doug Yadon called the meeting to order at 5:32 p.m. Introduction of New Board Member Duncan Eccleston is the new member of the Water Board. He is interested in working with water topics, people and how the two intersect. He has a Master's degree in Watershed Science from Colorado State University. He now works with a small consulting firm locally and has been a kayak guide. Public Comment None Minutes of December 8, 2008, Meeting Board Member Gessler moved to approve the minutes from the December 8, 2008, meeting. Board Member Balderson seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously. Water Conservation Plan Board Member Phelan chairs the Conservation and Public Education committee and led the discussion of this item. The version of the letter presented to the Board represents changes to the original letter and is not the final version. The letter is part of the packet for the Water Conservation Plan and subject to input from the Water Board for presentation to Council at the February 24, 2009, work session. Vice Chairperson Janett motioned to send this letter to Council. Board Member Gessler seconded the motion. Discussion: Under the heading, "Purposes of Conservation, the fourth bullet states, "less need for storage facilities such as Halligan Reservoir ". Was the intent of that to show smaller storage or no storage? The intent was to show an example of a storage facility. There was mention of adding less gravel pit storage, and it was decided to note the Halligan option. Board members suggested removing the reference to Halligan Reservoir from the sentence and replacing it with something relating to less storage capacity. It is implied in this sentence there is no need for Halligan Reservoir. A motion for an amendment to the original motion was made to leave Halligan Reservoir out of the sentence for clarity and replace it with wording for need of less water storage. Chairperson Yadon seconded the motion. Board Member Wockner indicated his intent to vote no if this moves forward. The Two Forks project was denied because the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) stated water needs could be met through conservation. Board Member Wockner believes our needs can also be met through conservation, not with water projects. Conservation should eliminate the need for water projects and reservoir storage. The amended motion passed with the vote of 5 to 3 with nay votes from Vice Chairperson Janett and Board Members Phelan and Wockner. The original motion to forward this letter to Council with the Water Conservation Plan passed with a vote of 7 to 1 with the nay vote from Board Member Wockner. Water Board Annual Report Chairperson Yadon sought input on the 2008 activities of the Board, including reported and voted upon items. Please read the draft and submit your feedback to the Chair and Staff Liaison Robin Pierce by Monday. Discussion: In reading the section on the Boxelder Sanitation Plan, did the Board send a memo to Council? The minutes will be reviewed for a record of whether a memo was sent. Committee Reports Engineering Committee (Board Member Balderson): The Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) presentation was very informative, and Dr. Nichols from Colorado State University did very well in presenting the information. Water Resources and Treatment Operations Manager Kevin Gertig will be able to update us when he has further information. Water Conservation Committee (Board Member Phelan): No report. Legislative, Finance and Legal Committee (Board Member Pillard): No report. Instrearn Flow Committee (Board Member Wockner): No report. Water Supply Committee (Board Member Waskom): No report. 0 Also, with elections in February, the committee members need to remember what committees they serve on and remember the minimum number of members for quorum at those meetings. Staff Reports Treated Water Production Summary and Water Supply Outlook from Water Resources Manager Dennis Bode is showing high snow fall in the high country. Snow information will be brought to future meetings. Water Engineering and Field Operations Manager Jim Hibbard updated the Water Board on the Nature School variance appeal. The Nature School went to City Council on an appeal of the Board's decision, and Council initially upheld the Water Board's denial of the variance. Then at the following meeting, Council was asked to do a findings resolution. After discussion there with the applicant, it was remanded back to the Water Board. Since that time, the applicant has asked to postpone it indefinitely. What were the two action items? The original hearing motion was regarding the flood variance and mitigation, and the motion failed 3 to 3. The second item was to uphold the Water Board's decision, and it passed 4 to 2. At that point, City Council held a findings hearing to determine what was seen and not seen by staff and the Water Board. There was a motion which passed as a formality for further consideration of a mitigation plan prepared by the applicant which staff and the Water Board had not seen. The paper mentioned something regarding Timnath being involved in the Boxelder Storniwater Plan; please explain. Who will be paying for that? City residents will be paying for half of a stormwater project planned by the Town of Timnath. The City will be paying up to S2 million from the self insurance fund. We were not going to participate in the plan and Timnath did not want to wait for Boxelder's decision. The decision was made as part of mediation, so the project could move forward. Other Business Staff Liaison Robin Pierce is seeking approval of the 2009 meeting schedule. Vice Chairperson Janett motioned for adoption for the 2009 meeting schedule, and Board Member Balderson seconded the motion. Discussion: Board Member Wockner proposed a friendly amendment to the motion, changing the meeting time back to the afternoons. The request for the friendly amendment was denied by the maker of the original motion. Board Member Wockner motioned to amend the time from an evening meeting to a 3:00-5:00 p.m meeting time. Board Member Phelan seconded the motion to amend. How does staff feel about the time being changed? Staff agreed with this proposed change. The amended motion passed with a vote of 9 to 1 with a nay vote from Vice Chairperson Janett. Motion to accept work plan with the meeting time change from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. passed. 3 N New Business Board Member Wockner asked whether the Windy Gap Project had been discussed with the Water Board. Utilities Executive Director Brian Janonis verified it was discussed a long time ago with the Board. Technically, the City is not a participant, but PRPA (Platte River Power Authority) is. The City is mentioned because it is our water supply. Board Member Wockner would like to have this on the work plan and would like to see the Water Board involved with the Windy Gap Project. Vice Chairperson Gina Janett would like more information regarding the adopted Climate Action Plan, because it encourages tree planting. Staff Liaison Robin Pierce will send a copy of the adopted plan to board members. NISP (Northern Integrated Supply Project), Glade Reservoir and Halligan Reservoir have been brought up by the Corps of Engineers, and these will be combined into one impact statement. This was brought to our attention by the Corps Project Manager Chandler Peter. The supplemental environmental impact statement would include Halligan and Glade Reservoirs, which could recommend combining them. Assistant City Attorney Carrie Daggett commented on the combining of the projects. The goal is to do a common analysis so it results in one package. Each of the three projects would be its own decision, but the common analysis would be applied to the projects. This was suggested for consistency. Board Member Wockner commented on the Water Policy. The City of Fort Collins Light and Power division revamped their Energy Policy, and likewise, he would like to see City Council look at the Water Supply and Demand Policy. It would be helpful to seek direction from Council soon, because of the time involved in granting an approval for policy review. Utilities Finance Budget Manager Terri Bryant updated the Water Board regarding the bonds for the Mulberry Plant. Our bonds sold and received a 3.86% rate, saving over $4 million. Chairperson Yadon will have his last Water Board meeting in February. He is resigning as Chairperson and from the Water Board due to a work conflict and nearing his term limits. He will miss this time with the Water Board and would like to thank everyone. The Water Board commended Robin Pierce for being a great staff liaison. Future Agenda Items Board Elections Committee Membership Adiournment The meeting was adjourned at 7:01 p.m. Submitted by Meagan Peil, Board Secretary Fort Collins Utilities Approved by the Board on , 2009 Signed MeaganPei] ate 4