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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Water Resources - 7/15/2002 DRAFT WATER RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD FINAL MEETING MINUTES July 15, 2002 BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT Robert Fiehweg, Jeannette Hillery, Vicki Naber, Ken Wilson; Gil Barth was absent STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT Ned Williams, Bob Harberg, Donna Scott, Douglas Sullivan, Alan Taylor, Corey Stelljes, Robin Madel, secretary AGENDA ITEM 1 Call to Order Bob Fiehweg called the meeting to order at 7:11 p.m. AGENDA ITEM 2 Approval of June 17, 2002 Meeting Minutes Bob Fiehweg said that he had asked about the sale of water rights to Louisville and not to Broomfield, as was written into the notes. The minutes were changed in writing. Ken Wilson motioned to approve the minutes as amended. Vicki Naber seconded. The vote was 4-0 in favor of the motion. AGENDA ITEM 3 General Citizen Participation There was none. General Citizen Participation was closed. Water Resources Advisory Board Full Minutes July 15, 2002 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM 4 Public hearing and WRAB recommendation regarding the policy objectives and action items pertaining to flood mitigation, stormwater quality and general drainage issues as part of the update to the Stormwater and Flood Management Utility Master Plan (Douglas Sullivan). Bob Harbert introduced the topic by giving the background of the plan and explaining the need for the update. He said that the last update to the plan was in 1989. At that time it was called the Comprehensive Drainage Utilities Master Plan (CDUMP). Harberg said that the staff wants to change the name in the update. The last update identified three problem areas and Harberg gave updates to those areas. The three areas include: • The lack of adequate revenue for capital improvements identified in adopted master plans for the major drainageways and storm sewer collection systems; • The lack of a complete, fully integrated flood hazard mitigation program; and • The lack of a stormwater quality program that assesses and mitigates stormwater impacts to Boulder Creek and its tributaries. The staff has identified three major issue categories in the current update process: • Stormwater Quality • Stormwater Drainage • Floodplain Management Since the last update the staff has used GIS to explore the extent of the mapped floodplain and property evaluations. Corey Stelljes, an intern with the city from the University of Wisconsin, discussed the GIS/mapping/property evaluation project that is being used as a basis for updating the floodplain portion of the master plan update as well as to evaluate the financial impact of flooding to the city. Stelljes said that the city and county has a listing for a building value, the number of acres that would be flooded and the number of properties with structures for every property in the GIS database. Stelljes used the database information to obtain a total building value that would be affected by flooding. The analysis was based on current regulatory mapping and doesn't reflect new floodplain information. Donna Scott discussed the stormwater quality portion of the master plan update and the Watershed Approach to Stream Health (WASH) InterAgency Agreement (IGA). Scott reviewed the policies, management objectives and action items of the stormwater quality portion of the master plan. Water Resources Advisory Board Full Minutes July 15, 2002 Page 2 Stormwater quality objectives include the following: • complying with water quality regulations (accomplished through the WASH IGA); • reducing run-off, • improving the quality of run-off; and • instituting stream protection programs Scott discussed the WASH IGA and asked the WRAB for a recommendation to the city council. The program includes implementation of six minimum control measures that address the impact of stormwater runoff on water quality and stream health. The WASH project uses a collaborative approach to creating cost-effective solutions to stormwater problems. WASH participants include Boulder County, the cities of Boulder, Longmont and Louisville, and the towns of Superior and Erie. Scott reviewed the goals, objective and approach of the program and the regulations with which the program is intended to comply. WRAB questions covered participation by the surrounding communities that aren't listed in the memo and the budget associated with the project. Scott discussed the other elements of stormwater quality included in the Master Plan update. Bob Fiehweg suggested that the plan emphasize the city's service as an integrated function for stormwater quality. Bob Harberg said that the city would have to prioritize its stormwater quality management through establishing a workplan so that resources can be effectively utilized. Douglas Sullivan discussed stormwater drainage policies, objectives and action items for local drainage and nuisance drainage issues. The policy objectives for stormwater drainage includes the following: • Maintain and preserve existing and natural drainage systems; • Reduce and manage developed runoff, and • Eliminate drainage problems and nuisances WRAB questions pertained to the impacts of policy changes on design requirements and the planning department processes. Alan Taylor discussed the policies, objectives and action items for floodplain management. Objectives for floodplain management include: • preserving floodplains; • being prepared for floods; • helping people protect themselves for floods through education; • preventing adverse impacts and unwise uses in the floodplain through regulations; and • accommodating rather than controlling floods Water Resources Advisory Board Full Minutes July 15, 2002 Page 3 Taylor said that the staff is currently evaluating the costs associated with the floodplain management programs. A guiding principle for the city is to balance floodplain fees with the activities that are being done. WRAB Questions WRAB questions included the schedule for completion of the master plan. Bob Harberg said that the staff plans on having a draft available for review after the first of the year. He said that although the Independent Review Panel exists to review information about the floodplain, there is no such entity to review the stormwater quality portion. Jeannette Hillery advocating using utility bill inserts to educate the public about the information in the plan. Bob Fiehweg asked whether or not the staff wanted a formal WRAB recommendation for the plan. Harberg said that at this point the staff is requesting WRAB feedback but a formal recommendation regarding the master plan update is not necessary. Bob Fiehweg asked for information about impacts to the watershed from forest fires. Jeannette Hillery motioned to recommend to the city council to approve the Watershed Approach to Stream Health plan and pursue the InterAgency Agreement. Ken Wilson seconded the motion. The vote was 4-0 in favor of the motion. AGENDA ITEM 5 A. Matters from the Board • Ken Wilson said that he would like to see a survey of the biggest water users in the city and their usage this year versus last year. Ned Williams said that the staff has not evaluated water usage on a property by property basis. Williams said that most commercial and industrial facilities would not show a significant reduction in interior use but those facilities would show an exterior use reduction. • Ken Wilson asked about acceleration of repairs to leaks in the system. He asked especially about repairing Kohler Reservoir. Bob Harberg discussed the existing schedule for repairing leaks and why it is arranged the way it is. Harberg said it would be difficult to take Kohler Reservoir out of service at this time because it is used to regulate water pressures in the system. The staff is waiting for water demand to reach its low in late October to make necessary repairs. Harberg said that because the city has no storage all three reservoirs couldn't be taken off-line at the same time. Once Kohler Reservoir is taken off-line, it will take three-four months to complete the repairs. The staff is currently evaluating the effectiveness of different liners. Wilson suggested that it might be more cost-effective to increase funding for the program for water pipe replacement. Bob Fiehweg pointed out that that program has been expanded over the last few years. Wilson suggested having a target percentage value for leakage as part of the drought response plan. Water Resources Advisory Board Full Minutes July 15, 2002 Page 4 B. Matters from Staff • Ned Williams discussed the agenda item that was sent to the city council about the long-term impacts of the drought. Three elements of the long-term management strategy include water resource evaluation, water supply management and water demand management. Williams said that the watering restrictions are working for now because the staff is seeing enough water savings that we are at or below our target values. Also, the city has been issuing violation notices since June 10, 2002. Williams said that by the end of September the city would need to continue to practice or increase voluntary indoor water conservation. Williams discussed the shift in source water to manage water treatment demands. Bob Fiehweg said that he thought it would be helpful to have a watering schedule that is consistent with other communities. Fiehweg suggested a regional approach to drought management. Ken Wilson asked to have an outline presented at the August 2002 meeting for moving forward with long-term water conservation. • Ned Williams said that the city of Louisville has decided not to pursue purchasing shares of Windy Gap water from the city of Boulder. • Ned Williams said that the Middle Boulder Creek Water Source Management Plan would be presented to the city council on July 23, 2002. • Ned Williams discussed the work Douglas Sullivan is doing on the next phase of the Goose Creek channel to Mapleton Mobile Home Park. The utilities department is working with the housing department to determine what to do with the MMHP site. • Ned Williams said that Lakewood Pipeline is under construction and Sugarloaf Road is closed during the day. Work on the pipeline is progressing although at a slower pace than originally planned. • Ned Williams announced that the 2003 city budget would be presented to the city council on July 16 at a study session. The budget as a whole will be discussed and a major issue will be sales tax reduction. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 9:52 p.m. Date, Time, and Location of Next Meeting: The next regular meeting will be Aug. 19, 2002, 7:00 p.m., at the City Municipal Services Center, 5050 East Pearl. Jeannette Hillery announced that she would be unable to attend the August 2002 meeting. Ned Williams said that the meeting would cover the status of the drought. Minutes approved by Date Water Resources Advisory Board Full Minutes July 15, 2002 Page 5