2 - Minutes - November 19, 2007CITY C1F BOULDER, COLORE~DO
BO~~RL?S AND COM117ISSIONS l~iEETING SLT11i11~iARY FOR14i
N.41VIE OF BOARD/CONIMISSION: t~rater Resources l~dviso Board
DATE OF MEETING: November 19, 2007
NA11~iElTELEPHONE OF PERSON PREPARING SiJl~~iARY: Kaaren Davis, 303-441-3229
NA141ES OF RZEMBERS, COLJNCIL, ST~FF, ~ND INVITID GUESTS PRESENT:
BOARD 1tZEMBERS -Jun Knopf, Robin Byers, William DeOreo, Bart Miller, (I~elly DiNatale absent)
STAFF and CONSIJLTt~NTS - Ned t~rilliams, Bob Harberg, Ridge Dorsey, Bret Linenfelser, Carol
Ellinghouse, 7oel Smith and KC Hallett (Stratus Consulting), I~enneth Strzepek {University of Colorado),
Lee Rozaklis (Hydrasphere Resource Consult:~nts), Kaaren Davis, secretary.
V~~T TYPE OF11'IEETING BOLD ONE REGUL.ziR SPECIAL QUASI-7UL)ICIr1L
Agenda Item 1- Call to C?rder
The meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m.
Agenda Item 2- Meeting Minutes -October 15, 2007
11'Iotion: 11'Iiller -to accept the meeting minutes as presented.
Seconded: DeOreo
Vote: 4-0 in favor, NIotion passed
Agenda Item 3- Public pa~~ticipation and comment.
• Steve Pomerance: Proeided comments re~arding the Forest Serc,~ice request for new
easement on the Lakewood Pipeline. In 2004 the Forest Sen~ice requested alteration to the
2001 agreement and Council declined. If this comes back before t~JRE~B it is su~gested that
WRE\.~ get all communications from both sides. Williams responded that the Forest Service
had wantea easement changed for a long tune. t~lhen issues with the pipeline arose there were
potential allegations that the easement haa been violatea and thus the issue of changing the
easement arose a ain.
Agenda Item 4
Matters From Staf~-
• Fluoride in drinking water sho-~tage: Nationally there are some supply problems with
fluoride. City staff is working on receiving some eatra shipments to ensure addition of
fluoride to the city's drinking water uvill be aUle to continue.
• Continuing Source Water Master Plan {S«'1lZP) and Plant Investment Fee (PIF)
projects: ~~~RAB has representatiti~es for both. (~ouncil is cansidering liaisons. Wilson was
appointed to the S~~1ItiIP. Next meeting, Council will look at anather liaison to StR1Iti7P and
one ta PIF.
• ~'~'ater Resource Development Act (ti'~lRD~}: Still includes $10 million for Carter Lake
Pipeline. Funds ha}~e not been appropriated but the project is included in the WRDA.
Matters from Board -
• DeOreo: August tiy~ater consumption information is out. Consumption from January through
August is do~~n consideral~ly from 2006 as is revenue. Thai is beginning to be worrisome. Is
this an unusual drop? ~tiilliams: No, and revenues for 2007 are right on track for ~vhat was
anticipated in 2007. Hope to have the year-end data by the study session February 12, but do
not yet know if we will year-end data or only have January throu~ November.
• Miller: Commercial Industrial accounts do not actually lookto ha~~e many accounts in blocks
4-5.
• Miller: Western Resource Advocates ga~~e out the Top Drop l~wards. City of Boulder taok a
third place award. Congratulations to the city are in order. Infa is on the WRt~. website.
• Byers: The PIF study group is falling behind because the consultants have not been ready.
t~'hat is the delay? ti~jilliams responded the consultant requires a certain amount of
information before they can perform the analysis requested. That work was unable to be
completed on the original time frame so the November meeting was rescheduled to
accommodate the m~jority of the members' schedules.
WRr1B Sunun~T
November 19, 2047
Page N~. 1
Agenda Item 5 -Final recommendation on Industrial Pretreatment, City Code changes.
Dorsey and Linenfelser gave the presentation. Pretreatment staff has been working with the City Attorney's
Office to update Boulder Revised Code Title 11 Chapter 3 Industrial and Prohibited Discharges (BRC 11-
3). The purposes for the revision are: 1) to insert new code language and modify existing code language to
comply with changes to the Code of Federal Regulations - 40 CFR Part 403 published October 14, 2005, 2)
to insert a reference to Rules Concerning Treatment and Disposal Of
Amalgam Wastewater Within The City
Of Boulder, Apri121, 2007 and 3) correct a previously misstated flashpoint limit. Currently BRC 11-3 does
not comply with changes made to the Code of Federal Regulations. WRAB is being asked by staff to
approve these changes to BRC 11-3 in a final recommendation to City Council to keep Boulder's
pretreatment code current with federal and local regulations.
Public Comment:
• Bob Fiehweg: Most of my substantive changes were addressed. The Flashpoint issue is
significant. The 140 degree flashpoint is significant. It is more stringent and is in line with the
EPA regulations.
WRAB discussion included: What the flashpoint limit means and how that relates to safety. The
likelihood of the natural sun-setting of he amalgam wastewater rules as amalgam becomes increasingly
supplanted by composite fillings. The differences between the mandatory changes and the voluntary
changes. How the new guidelines for reduction of oversight would function. The comments from the board
provided prior to the meeting were addressed and questions answered. Some edits have been made
accordingly and were presented. The version presented to the board is not the final. Final formatting and
proofreading will be done by the City Attorney's Office prior to submission to Council. A preliminary
motion of approval was discussed but was determined to be unnecessary• as the item will be coming back
before the WRAB in December. WRAB elected to wait until the final document comes before them in
December to make a recommendation.
Agenda Item 6- Report about possible impacts of Climate Change on Boulder's water
resources/water supply.
Williams, Ellinghouse, Smith and Hallett (Stratus Consulting), Strzepek (University of Colorado) and
Razaklis (Hydrosphere Resource Consultants) made the presentation. City staff is working in cooperation
with Stratus Consulting and Hydrosphere Resource Consultants on a study of the potential effects of future
climate change on water supply availability for the city. Stratus was awarded a grant in September 2005
from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for the study. Stratus has generated
stream flow data under varying future climate conditions for the Boulder Creek basin based on global
climate models and local tree-ring based historic climate information. The consultants have completed runs
of the city's water system model using the generated streamflow data from the climate change results. This
computer model simulates operation of the city water system as it meets a specified demand level and
evaluates the ability of the city water rights portfolio to meet that demand without shortages. Work on the
study is nearing completion. Aone-day workshop is planned to present the result of the analysis to water
managers along the Front Range. This is an information item only. No WRAB action is requested.
Public Comment:
• Steve Pomerance: What is the center of the realistic probability curve? Consultant: Could get
much drier. Same model can produce very different outcomes.
• Pomerance: How close are we to a Colorado River Compact call? Consultant: 20 years at
least. But, if we have another winter below average we will start to see effects on calls from
downstream .
• Pomerance: Demand side. Any change on demand projections on climate side? Consultant:
Did not change demand much as statistics show that there is not much correlation between
dryness in one area and demand in another.
WRABDiscussion included: Policy considerations whichmay affect different climate change scenarios.
How the modeling is structured and the size of the cells used for calculation. How tree ring data is collected
and correlated. The potential effects of flooding on climate change climate change as opposed to drought.
WRAB Surrunary
November 19, 2007
Page No. 2
Management needs and strategies as related to the different emissions based scenarios and precipitation
models (average, dry and wet) for both the year 2030 projections and those for the year 2070. The effects of
current water law on Boulder's water system with respect to potential climate change models. State of
Colorado will begin a Water Availability Study in the Spring of 2008.
Agenda Item 7 -Update and discussion about the City Council Study Session in 200$ regarding
water budgets.
tk'illiams gave the presentation. The City Council has tentatively scheduled February 12, 2008 as a Study
Session date to discuss the Water Budget rate structure. Water budgets were implemented January 2007
and since then, the WRAB and staff have been collecting information and developing ideas about possible
changes to water budgets. Most recently the WRAB has reflected its thoughts through a motion approved
on October 15, 2007. In anticipation of the Study Session, a WRAB/staff consensus model similar to the
Carter Lake Pipeline topic has been suggested as a beneficial way to provide City Council with information
about the next step for Water Budgets. Staff is supportive of developing a WRAB/staff consensus and
would like to discuss the WRAB's interest and a possible schedule for the discussion and drafting of a joint
proposal.
Public Comment:
• None. Public comment was closed.
WRAB Discussion included: Which WRAB members would work with staff to develop a joint proposal
(DeOreo and Knopf will serve). Which issues should be covered in such a proposal. How to move ahead
over the next few years. Whether a review of the billing software is in order and what its capabilities are.
Agenda Item $ -Update and discussion about alternative approaches to the preliminary ~'4TOnderland
Creek/Fourmile Canyon Creek Flood Mitigation Plan.
Harberg gave the presentation. The Fourmile Canyon Creek and Wonderland Creek Major Drainageway
Planning - Phase A Report- Alternatives Analysis (Phase A Report) focuses on the development,
evaluation, and recommendations of alternatives to mitigate future flooding in both the Fourmile Canyon
Creek and Wonderland Creek flood hazard areas within the City of Boulder (City) and Boulder County.
The work was jointly sponsored by the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District (UDFCD) and the City
of Boulder, Colorado. The Phase A Report presents information regarding flood mitigation planning. City
staff has coordinated the flood mitigation planning with other objectives of the Greenways Program and
presented the report to the Greenways Advisory Committee. AT the October 15, 2007 WRAB meeting,
staff presented the Phase A Report. The purpose of this agenda item is to solicit any additional comments
and input on the Phase A Report from the WRAB members and public. This agenda item is scheduled to
return to the WRAB on December 17, 2007 to request a Final Recommendation.
Public Comment:
• Elizabeth Black: Is there some way to increase the channel capacity in the upper Boulder
Creek in order to increase the capacity above the 10 year flood level. Any way to supersize
local drainage improvements in the neighborhood? Harberg: Have reviewed the concept for
increasing drainage capacity. There is a legal issue concerning raising the water levels on
properties. Urban Drainage District refuses to participate in any plan that involves such an
action due to potential liability. Still have the dilemma about what to do about this issue for
the neighborhood in question. Barrow ditches {status quo) are historically difficult to
maintain. Evaluation and construction of alternatives is likely to be costly.
VtTRAB discussion included: The amount of public confusion regarding this issue. Alternatives for Githen
Acres mitigations. A request for any reflections regarding post-flood plans in terms of prevention.
Agenda Item 9 -Update and discussion about the status of the lease between the city and EyeOn
Solar for the purpose of construction and operation of a solar system at the 75t'` Street Wastewater
Treatment Plant.
Williams gave the presentation. On November 13, 2007, City Council was scheduled to consider a motion
to a rove a 20- ear lease between the cit and E eOn Solar for the ose of desi nand construction of
WRAB SurYUnary
November 19, 2007
Page No. 3
a solar photovoltaic (PV) system at the 75 Street Wastewater Treatment Plant, and to authorize the city
manager to approve the Agreement for Professional Solar Power Services in substantive form. Williams
reported that Council approved the measure to move forward so long as there are no substantive changes to
the agreement as presented to Council. This agenda item is to provide an update on the project to WRAB
and answer questions.
Public Comment:
* There was none, public comment was closed
VtrRAB discussion included: Concerns were expressed by the WRAB about getting background on EyeOn
Solar. t?~hat the energy cost of producing a Photovoltaic cell is. What the life span of the system is. t~'hat is
the vulnerability to flooding? The possibility of a new energy audit for the 75th street facility. Accuracy of
net metering and tracking of performance. The role of the Office of Em~ironmental Affairs in this. Update
was requested from staff. Concerns were expressed about errors in the contract as presented to Council.
WRAB urges better diligence in similar future agreements.
Agenda Item 10 -Rescheduling of January 21, 2008 and February 1$, 200$ meetings due to
Holidays.
Davis gave the presentation. The regularly scheduled dates for the Water Resources Advisory Board
(WRAB) meetings of January 21St 2008 and February 18th 2008 will fall on federal holidays. The City is
closed to daily operations on these holidays and thus it becomes necessary to reschedule the meetings for
January and February to other dates within those months. The fact of the Board Secretary's service to the
Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) as well as to the WRAB, further limits the available dates for
rescheduling in January and February as TAB will have regularly scheduled meetings on both January 14t"
and February l lth (unless the WRAB wants to meet without the Board Secretary). The WRAB has been
asked to review the available dates, discuss and choose alternate dates for the January and February 2008
meetings.
WRAB discussion included: A decision to meet on Monday, January 28th and Monday February 25~`.
Agenda Item 11-Discussion of schedule for future meetings.
Agenda Item 12- Adjournment
Motion: Motion to adjourn by DeOreo
Seconded by: Miller
Vote: 4-0 in favor, passed.
Meeting adjourned at 11:39 PM
Date, Time, and Location of Next Meeting:
The next WRAB meeting will be Monday, December 17 - 7 p.m., regular meeting, Municipal Services
Center, 5050 East Pearl Street unless otherwise decided by staff and the board.
These are summary minutes. Audio tapes for full record are available through Central Records.
Minutes approved by:
Date:
WRAB SurYUnary
November 19, 2007
Page No. 4