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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 10/13/2020 - CAMERON PEAK FIRE: WATER AND AIR QUALITY IMPACTSDATE: STAFF: October 13, 2020 Mark Kempton, Water Production Manager WORK SESSION ITEM City Council SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION Cameron Peak Fire: Water and Air Quality Impacts. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to inform Council of the status of the Cameron Peak Fire, the Fire’s potential effects on the City’s drinking water supply, air quality impacts, planned watershed restoration activities, and future land restoration and water treatment funding needs. GENERAL DIRECTION SOUGHT AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED 1. A 2% water rate increase is planned for 2022. Anticipating watershed restoration costs related to the Cameron Peak Fire, what feedback does Council have regarding moving the water rate increase up a year earlier to 2021? 2. The City of Greeley has volunteered to be the Project Sponsor for the Federal Emergency Watershed Program (EWP) which entails 100% up-front costs and a 25% cost match after reimbursement. What direction does Council have regarding the City partnering with Greeley and sharing the 25% cost match? BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION The Cameron Peak Fire (CPF) ignited on August 13th, 2020 in the Arapaho and Roosevelt Nation al Forests near Cameron Pass and Chambers Lake. The CPF is currently 125,000 acres with 22% containment at the time of this report (9/30/2020). As this fire and other regional fires continue to burn, the smoke has impacted local air quality. At this time, there are no known impacts to water supply infrastructure owned by the City of Fort Collins. The fire is burning primarily in the Cache la Poudre River watershed which provides approximately 50% of the annual drinking water supply for the City of Fort Co llins. Similar to the High Park Fire (HPF) in 2012, the aftereffects of the fire will likely affect the quality of the City’s raw water supply for some years to come. The aftereffects of widespread forest fires typically include increased and more frequent rain and snowmelt runoff, increased ash and sediment in the river, increased likelihood of mud flows, and an overall degradation of water quality, particularly after thunderstorms. In 2012, the City’s water supply experienced several of the effects of th e High Park Fire causing the Water Treatment Facility to go off the Poudre River for over 100 consecutive days and relying on 100% Horsetooth Reservoir water. We are fortunate that we have two independent water supplies. This is a result of excellent planning and foresight by previous Councils and staff. As the full impacts of the fire become more apparent, it is likely that the Poudre River will start to experience impaired water quality, particularly during Spring snowmelt and Summer thunderstorms in th e watershed. During these impaired water quality runoff events, the City’s Water Treatment Facility is able to continue to treat water. In cases where the water becomes too impaired to treat, staff can implement several options to prevent impaired water entering the City’s drinking water supply. These include Poudre River monitoring & shutting off the Poudre intake during rain storms, switch to 100% Horsetooth water (City has adequate water supplies in HT), utilize both sedimentation basins (Pleasant Valley Pipeline basin was constructed after High Park Fire), increase chemical October 13, 2020 Page 2 treatment processes, increased communication with customers, while maintaining all drinking water quality standards. While the Cameron Peak Fire (125,000 acres) has exceeded the acre age of the High Park Fire (87,000 acres), the water quality effects of both fires will likely be similar. The High Park Fire area produced several high turbidity, ash, and sediment laden river flows in 2012 and in 2013. However, the 2013 Flood had an advan tage in that it washed most of the sediment and ash out of the river system, resulting in improved water quality runoff from the HPF burned areas. It is unlikely that the CPF burned area will experience a flood of that magnitude again soon, so the effects of the CPF will probably be felt for a much longer time than those of the HPF. Staff has implemented several enhanced and new water quality monitoring measures to address impacts of the fire on water supplies. Two early warning water quality alert station s have been installed on the Poudre River upstream of the Water Treatment Facility’s Poudre River Intake. These systems provide treatment operators advance notice of when to temporarily bypass impacted river water. In addition, existing long -term monitoring programs have been adapted to capture impacts of the fire and storm sampling will assist in tracking watershed recovery and answering key questions about treating fire-impacted water. POST-FIRE WATERSHED RECOVERY The City plans to engage in post-fire recovery activities that focus primarily on protections for water supplies in the Poudre River Watershed including supply reservoirs and the Poudre River itself. Although treatment plans have not yet been developed, the type of work will likely focus on em ergency hillslope stabilization (e.g. aerial mulching and seeding), sediment catchment basins around reservoirs, and stream channel stabilization where persistent erosion occurs. All work associated with repairing damage to private assets like homes, build ings, roads, and other structures is being managed by Larimer County. For the Cameron Peak Fire, three general pathways exist for implementing the full scope of post -fire treatments and are detailed in the table below. The City is most likely to engage a nd assist in funding work through the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program and through supplemental treatments through the Local Recovery Group. Program Name Scope of Work Responsible Party Timeframe Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Summarize impacts within burn area; identify USFS values at risk; implements post- fire treatments on US Forest Service (USFS) Lands. US Forest Service As soon as possible following fire containment. Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) – Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Grant Program Identifies affected values on private and State Lands; recommends emergency hillslope stabilization measures. EWP Sponsor (City of Greeley) implements treatments. NRCS & EWP Sponsor; Cities of Fort Collins and Greeley, and other potential partners to cost-share the 25% match requirements for all treatments. Potential near-term actions to protect water supply reservoirs (Nov). Majority of hillslope treatments will occur late Spring 2021, following snowmelt. Local Recovery Group - Supplemental Treatments (beyond BAER & EWP) Address restoration needs not met by EWP or BAER by directing additional funding to targeted projects. Local Recovery Group members: work led by Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed, along with local agencies, water providers, businesses and non- profits. Mid- to long-term; 2021 and beyond. October 13, 2020 Page 3 The Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed (CPRW) on behalf of the Local Recovery Group is curren tly coordinating post-fire debris flow modeling to identify priority areas for treatments. This shared approach to priority setting will assist in coordinated application of treatments and will help to leverage financial contribution of all involved parties. Modeling work will be performed by the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute at Colorado State University. FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS Many uncertainties remain related to the extent and timing of the start of post -fire recovery work. The uncertainties include the fact that the fire continues to actively burn making the full extent of damage unknown, the ultimate number of cost-sharing partners, and that discussions with USFS and NRCS are ongoing about the possible eligible uses for EWP funds. The current estimate for the City’s cost-share is between $1.0- $4.3 million dollars. In cooperation with members of the Local Recovery Group, City staff are currently drafting contracts and Intergovernmental Agreements that could support the City’s engagement in post-fire recovery activities. It is anticipated that there will be some costs associated with this fire that will be the obligation of the Water Enterprise Fund. The table below summarizes the 10-year rate and debt issuance forecast that was presented to the Council Finance Committee in January 2020. It reflects the anticipated capital investment needs and ongoing operations and maintenance (O&M) expenses associated with the water utility for the next decade without the fire. Additional capital investments and O&M expenses resulting from the fire will require either realizing additional revenues through a rate increase, drawing down reserves ahead of the next debt issuance or delaying other capital investments. If the proposed 2.0% rate increase for 2022 were to be implemented in 2021 this would increase revenues in 2021 by roughly $600,000. This will be discussed further with the Council Finance Committee on October 19th . HORSETOOTH OUTLET PROJECT AND WATER RESTRICTIONS Water restrictions began on October 1st, per the City Managers Declaration and Order of Water Restrictions for Fort Collins Utilities. Fort Collins Utilities (Utilities) has been coordinating with the other water providers, who are also impacted by the Horsetooth Outlet Project (HOP), potential impacts from the Cameron Peak Fire, and severe drought. As of September 30, East Larimer County and West Fort Collins Water District have instated similar outdoor water restrictions. North Weld County Water District will be proposing water r estrictions to their Board in October and Fort Collins-Loveland Water District’s Board has decided to take a voluntary approach and is asking customers to stop uses, similar to the other districts’ water restrictions. Utilities staff have been focused on preparing for Oct. 1 by conducting the following efforts and will continue throughout the declared water restrictions: • Communicating with diverse and numerous engagement and outreach efforts, including but not limited to, a press release, print, web, and radio advertisements, numerous presentations to various community groups, direct mailing postcards to all Utilities customers, bill inserts July through November and customer notifications via email. • Reviewing 88 raw water registration and exception permits for new lawn installations and active/athletic playing fields to-date. • Responding to 333 emails and voice mails regarding HOP and water restrictions since July 2020. October 13, 2020 Page 4 • Developing a HOP water demands tracker that will be updated Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week and available to the public at fcgov.com/HOP to monitor progress towards the goal of 15 million gallons per day (capacity of the backup pump system). • Working closely with coordinating City Departments, such as Code Compliance and Environmental Services; and others. • Assisting impacted City Departments, such as Parks, Streets, Connexion and others, with permits, raw water registration and other water restriction guidance. More information regarding HOP and water restrictions can be found here: fcgov.com/HOP and fcgov.com/water- restrictions. Customer and community inquires can be directed to HOP@fcgov.com and 970-416-8040. ATTACHMENTS 1. Powerpoint Presentation (PPTX) 1 Cameron Peak Fire: Effects on Air and Water Quality Mark Kempton, Jill Oropeza, Lance Smith, Cassie Archuleta 10/13/2020 Presentation Outline •Cameron Peak Fire overview •Wa ter quality impacts and High Park Fire comparison •BAER process, watershed restoration, partnering, and projected costs •Financial considerations •Air Quality Update •Questions for Council 2 Questions for Council 1.A 2%water rate increase is planned for 2022.Anticipating watershed restoration costs related to the Cameron Peak Fire,what feedback does City Council have regarding moving the water rate increase up a year earlier to 2021? 2.The City of Greeley has volunteered to be the Project Sponsor for the Federal Emergency Wa tershed Program which entails 100%up-front costs and a 25% cost match after reimbursement.What direction does Council have regarding the City partnering with Greeley and sharing the 25%cost match? 3 4 JO1 Slide 4 JO1 [@Mark Kempton] - this is a possible replacement slide that includes both the map and the fire stats. The other text you had previously included, I added in the notes below. Feel free to use or not! Jill Oropeza, 9/29/2020 Photo Credit: Michael Menefee, CNHP, 2012 5 Wildfire Comparison •124,021 acres •~5% private land, ~95% federal land •Began August 2020 •93 structures, 31 homes lost •Long term watershed restoration is a key requirement •87,284 acres •~50% private land, ~50% federal land •Began June 2012 •259 homes lost •11 ,000 acres treated with mulch •100 days off Poudre River (100% Horsetooth water) •2013 flood washed ash and sediment from river Cameron Peak Fire High Park Wildfire 6 JO2 Slide 6 JO2 I think slide can be eliminated and the content included in the previous slide's talking points Jill Oropeza, 9/29/2020 Wa ter Treatment Response •Increase Poudre River monitoring & shut off intake during rainstorms •Switch to 100% Horsetooth water •Utilize both sedimentation basins (PVP basin was constructed after High Park Fire) •Increase chemical treatment processes (Alum and Carbon) •Increase communication with customers •Maintain all drinking water quality standards 7 Wildfire Impacts 8 Monitoring Water Quality Impacts •Real-time measurements for treatment operations •Early-Wa rning Water Quality Alert System •Collaborative long-term monitoring program •Post-fire recovery monitoring •Wa ter treatment studies 9 GS2 Slide 9 GS2 caption what we are looking at here Gretchen Stanford, 9/30/2020 Possible Recovery Pathways Post-Fire Recovery US Forest Service (USFS) Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Report USFS BAER treatments & long-term recovery plan NRCS Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program Mid-and long-term recovery, Local Recovery Group (Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed) Federal lands Private & state lands w/ limited opportunities on USFS land 10 •Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) program addresses immediate post-fire threats to life and property, on private and State lands •EWP Sponsor -60 days from the end of the event to request NRCS EWP assistance •EWP Sponsor awarded funds based on damage surveys •25% match requirement, 75% reimbursement from NRCS after work is complete Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) 11 •Secures funding for additional post-fire restoration needs •Coordinates with EWP and BAER treatments to maximize impact •Led by Coalition for Poudre River Watershed (CPRW) & Larimer County •Includes non-profit groups, local agencies and water providers Local Recovery Group 12 Estimated Timeline 13 Recovery planning begins USFS treatments completed Emergency protections EWP assessments Implementation of watershed treatments BAER report complete Prioritize treatments EWP Sponsor request Snow cover Planning & contracting EWP contract completion Future restoration planning September November Summer FallDecember -SpringOctober 2020 2021 Estimated Cost of Post-Fire Recovery 14 Estimated cost-share for City of Fort Collins*$1.0M -$4.3M Estimate Includes: •Implementation of EWP (minimal & enhanced scope) and supplemental USFS watershed treatments •Project management support (2 years) •Post-fire treatment studies •Other technical assistance (debris flow modeling) * Large uncertainty in cost due to unknown scope of federal EWP program. Wa ter Fund Financial Considerations 15 *A 2% rate increase is expected to increase operating revenues $500-600K annually 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 Rat e Inc reas e 0%0%2%0-2%0-2%0-2%1-3%1-3%1-3%2-4%2-4% Debt Is suanc e $55-65M $30-35M $209M of capital work is ex pec ted t o be needed between 2020 and 2030 in addition to t he c urrent capital appropriat ions $0.0 $5.0 $10.0 $15.0 $20.0 $25.0 $30.0 $35.0 $40.0 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019$ millions502 -Water Fund Available Reserves Air Quality Update 16 September 30, 2020 NOAA GOES-16 Satellite Image Regional Air Quality Index (AQI) Good Moderate Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups Unhealthy Ve ry Unhealthy 17 AQ Update N Cheyenne Fort Collins Denver Mullen Fire (WY) Cameron Peak Fire (CO) EPA F ire and Smoke Map: https://fire.airnow.gov/ Longs Peak 37 Miles “A” 5 Miles Local 18 AQ Update Longs Peak 37 Miles “A” 5 Miles 10/5/2020, 4pm (186 µg/m3) Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5)ConcentrationDate and Ti me Real-time AQ data and visibility images: fcgov.com/AQdata Questions for Council 1.A 2%water rate increase is planned for 2022.Anticipating watershed restoration costs related to the Cameron Peak Fire,what feedback does City Council have regarding moving the water rate increase up a year earlier to 2021? 2.The City of Greeley has volunteered to be the Project Sponsor for the Federal Emergency Wa tershed Program which entails 100%up-front costs and a 25 % cost match after reimbursement.What direction does Council have regarding the City partnering with Greeley and sharing the 25%cost match? 19 20 Mark Kempton, Interim Deputy Director –Wa ter Resources & Tr eatment mkempton@fcgov.com, office: 970-221-6692, cell: 970-682-4988 Jill Oropeza, Director –Sciences joropeza@fcgov.com,office: 970-416-2529,cell:970-568-6808 Lance Smith, Director –Utilities Finance lasmith@fcgov.com, office: 970-221-6524, cell: 970-213-0143 Cassie Archuleta, Manager, Environmental Sustainability, carchuleta@fcgov.com, office: 970-416-2648 Contact Information Communications and Outreach Internal •ICS team participant •Utility-wide Wednesday email •City intranet page •Collaboration with experts on media requests •Collaboration with Sustainability’s air quality team •Collaboration with CPIO External •Public Information Officer collaboration with federal, state and city organizations •Utility website fcgov.com/utilities/2020-wildfires •Customer account notifications and water quality reports communicated •Media requests –print, on air and film •Social media, including Facebook live events 21 22 Maximize water available during HOP Be prepared for changing conditions We need your help: City and community working together to reduce risk HOP Need: Reduce treated water demand to typical winter (indoor) levels this October. Wa ter Restrictions 23 NOT ALLOWED OCT. 1 ~ NOV. 30 •Lawn watering (residential and inactive areas of parks/fields) •Ve hicle washing at home •Pressure/power washing hard surfaces ALLOW ED •Drip and hand watering trees, plants, food production •Active/athletic fields, new sod/seed (permit) •Raw water (registration) •Indoor use Full list of water restrictions at fcgov.com/water-restrictions Looking forward: Strengthen Horsetooth infrastructure now, before anticipated fire-related runoff events in spring and after impact Poudre River •Reliance on Poudre River and reliable backup pump system Limited capacity based on winter (indoor) use •Cameron Peak Fire impacts to Poudre River increase likelihood of backup pump dependence •Ongoing hot and dry conditions driving high demand Restrictions Address Changing Conditions 24 25 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Million GallonsFort Collins Utilities Daily Water Demand CURRENT DEMAND HISTORICAL DEMAND GOAL THANK YOU!THANK YOU! Daily water demand has reduced significantly, but we still need your help. Stop outdoor water use to help us reach the goal water demand needed during HOP (15 MGD).