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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 2/27/2018 - Memorandum From Adam Jokerst Re: Halligan Water Supply Project Status Update, Fourth Quarter 2017Utilities electric · stormwater · wastewater · water 700 Wood Street PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.221.6700 970.221.6619 – fax V/TDD 711 utilities@fcgov.com fcgov.com/utilities M E M O R A N D U M DATE: February 20, 2018 TO: Mayor Troxell and Councilmembers FROM: Adam Jokerst, Water Resources Project Engineer THROUGH: Darin Atteberry, City Manager Jeff Mihelich, Deputy City Manager Kevin R. Gertig, Utilities Executive Director RE: Halligan Water Supply Project Status Update, Fourth Quarter 2017 ______________________________________________________________________________ Bottom Line Please find attached a Fourth Quarter 2017 Status Update on the Halligan Water Supply (“Halligan Project”). CC: Water Board DocuSign Envelope ID: 076EEC4C-A3BF-426D-93BD-9AB3D53394D9 HALLIGAN WATER SUPPLY UPDATE PROJECT Fourth Quarter 2017 BACKGROUND The Halligan Water Supply Project will enlarge Halligan Reservoir, an existing reservoir on the North Fork of the Poudre River, to help meet future water supply needs. The population for Fort Collins Utilities’ Service Area is projected to increase by 45,000 by 2065, and the current water supply is not enough to support that growth under City policy, especially during a drought. The project would expand the reservoir by about 8,100 acre-feet (AF) by increasing the height of the existing dam by 25 feet. For context, an average single-family home served by Utilities uses almost a third of an AF of water each year. In order to enlarge Halligan Reservoir, the City requires permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and other federal and state agencies. Before issuing permits, the Corps will produce an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which will be published for public review and comment. The EIS will describe the environmental impacts of the project, along with impacts of other alternatives to enlarging Halligan. HALLIGAN RESERVOIR SURFACE AREA Halligan Dam Existing Surface Area Enlarged Surface Area PROGRESS UPDATE City staff, consultants and the Corps made significant progress during the fourth quarter of 2017. Developments include: • Submitted a “Showing Document” to the Corps that provides supplemental information and the City’s position on project benefits, such as flow improvements and wetland formation, not currently addressed in the draft EIS. At a length of nearly 1,200 pages, this is a substantial City work product. • Met with Corps Omaha District leadership. Another meeting with Omaha Corps staff is anticipated in late-February to discuss Corps feedback on the Showing Document. • Continued writing the draft EIS, which is approximately 80 percent complete. Most EIS work has been on hold pending review of the Showing Document. • The Corps anticipates releasing the draft EIS later this year. The draft EIS has been delayed so that new information from the Showing Document can be incorporated. • Met with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and local landowners to discuss plans for future public recreation at Halligan Reservoir. • Provided outreach on the project to the Governor’s office, the City’s congressional delegation and environmental organizations. • Refined minimization, mitigation and enhancement measures for the Halligan enlargement. The City will release a conceptual mitigation plan concurrently with the draft EIS. N DocuSign Envelope ID: 076EEC4C-A3BF-426D-93BD-9AB3D53394D9 PERMITTING SCHEDULE As previously mentioned and reported to City Council, incorporating the Showing Document into the EIS will delay the federal permitting process. A revised schedule for other project milestones will be provided in the forthcoming cost update. For more information, visit fcgov.com/halligan. Adam Jokerst, Water Resources Project Engineer • 970-221-6672 • ajokerst@fcgov.com Auxiliary aids and services are available for persons with disabilities. V/TDD 711 Utilities Throughout 2017, staff prepared a comprehensive cost update for the Halligan Project to address uncertainties in the federal permitting process, changes in the timeline and refinements to project requirements. The update is the most thorough evaluation of project costs to date and includes an independent contractor estimate of construction costs. Updates were discussed with the Water Board at a Feb. 1, 2018, Work Session. Water Board suggested certain modifications to the methodology used in the cost update and adjustments to the timeline, which staff are currently addressing. Staff intends to provide Council a memo detailing the comprehensive cost update in March. That memo will provide a detailed account of past and future expenses. Project expenditures in the fourth quarter of 2017 totaled $200,000. BUDGET DocuSign Envelope ID: 076EEC4C-A3BF-426D-93BD-9AB3D53394D9