Minutes - Water Resources - 4/16/2001 DRAFT
WATER RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD
FINAL MEETING MINUTES
April 16, 2001
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT
Robert Fiehweg, Jeannette Hillery, Cal Youngberg, Vicki Naber; Gil Barth was absent
STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT
Ned Williams, Carol Linn, Brad Segal, Robin Madel, secretary
AGENDA ITEM 1
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 7:10 p.m.
AGENDA ITEM 2
Approval of March 26, 2001 Meeting Minutes
The minutes were approved and signed.
Jeannette Hillery motioned to approve the minutes.
Cal Youngberg seconded.
The motion passed unanimously, 3-0. Gil Barth was absent and Vicki Naber had not
arrived yet.
AGENDA ITEM 3
General Citizen Participation
There was none.
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AGENDA ITEM 4
Election of new WRAB officers (Staff - Ned Williams).
Bob Fiehweg was elected Board Chair.
Cal Youngberg nominated Bob Fiehweg.
Jeannette Hillery seconded the nomination.
The vote was unanimous at 4-0.
Jeannette Hillery was elected Board Vice-Chair.
Bob Fiehweg nominated Jeannette Hillery.
Cal Youngberg seconded the nomination.
The vote was unanimous at 4-0.
Cal Youngberg was elected Board Secretary.
Vicki Naber nominated Cal Youngberg.
Jeannette Hillery seconded the nomination.
The vote was unanimous at 4-0.
AGENDA ITEM 5
Staff presentation and discussion of the 2002 Utilities (Water, Wastewater and Flood
Control) Budget including the 2002-2007 Capital Improvement Program and Monthly User
Rates.
Ned Williams presented a preliminary draft of the budget items. He gave the highlights of the 3
utilities.
Carol Linn gave a presentation about the rate study being done and the anticipated rate increases.
Ned said that the budget would be presented again in May or June for acceptance of staff
recommendations. The budgets are due to the city manager's office by 6/8/01. The city manager
will present the budgets to the City Council in August or September. On 5/8/01 there will be a
citywide budget study session with the City Council.
Ned discussed the budget in four sections. Each section was followed by questions from the
WRAB.
The Water Utility Fund: the fund financials and the CIP were reviewed. Revenues of $16-
$17M and operating expenses were discussed. The specifics of the CIP for 2002 and 2003 were
reviewed.
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The Windy Gap fund financials were also reviewed. The money from the sale of Windy Gap
water is used for water and raw water projects and not for distribution or treatment projects. The
projected income from the potential sale of Windy Gap water shares to the Calpine Corporation
was not incorporated into this budget.
WRAB Questions
Cal Youngberg asked about the inflation rate used for operating expenses. Ned said that 3.5%
was used. Cal also asked about the drop in the actual budget from $8.6M to $8.2M. Carol said
that it was a result of how the carryover is shown. Because it is shown as encumbered, the budget
decreased. Ned discussed revenue projections. He said that the city takes a conservative
approach so that actuals are greater than projections. The have varied from 1% to 7% over the
last few years. Bob Fiehweg asked if there had been any net impact from the Automated Meter
Reading (AMR) program. Carol Linn said that there has been a reduction in costs because fewer
readers and vehicles are needed. Ned said that the full impact from the meters would be seen at
the end of 2003 after all of the meters are converted. The installation will be probably be
completed by 2002. Right now, approximately one-third of the city has AMR meters.
Cal Youngberg asked about the extra $1M for pipeline replacement. This was identified in the
Treated Water Master Plan (TWMP). He asked if the $31/2 M cost increase for the WTP was
identified in the TWMP. Ned said that it was.
The Wastewater Utility Fund: the fund financials and the CIP were reviewed. Revenues of
$7M, operating expenses and the specifics of the CIP for 2002 and 2003 were discussed.
The total revenue listed was $9M and the operating expenses were $6M. No bonds are
anticipated in 2002.
WRAB Questions
Bob Fiehweg asked about how the integrity of the collection system compares to the integrity of
the water distribution system. Ned said that they are of a similar age and that the wastewater
collection system doesn't experience much failure. There is a 10% infiltration and inflow factor
and the main problems are from roots and grease. Overall the collection system is in better shape
than the distribution system. He said that there are not many clay pipes left in the system.
Ned said that the majority of the WWTR CIP goes into the wastewater plant. Improvements to
the system will be made for nitri fication/denitrifi cation and a UV disinfection system will be
added to eliminate chlorine use.
The Flood Control Utility Fund: the fund financials and CIP were reviewed. Revenues of $3.5
to $4M, operating expenses and specifics of the CIP through 2004 were discussed.
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WRAB Questions
The operations reserve goes down in 2004, mainly because of big projects like the South Boulder
Creek Flood Plan. There is $1M available in the event of a flood to allow the city to buy
property. There is money for Goose Creek to complete it up to Folsom. Flood Control is one of
the three funds that contribute to the Greenways Program.
The Greenways Program: the specifics of where the funding comes from and how the funding
will be spent were discussed.
$150K comes from Flood Control
$150K comes from Transportation
$150K comes from the Lottery Fund, which is administered through Parks and Recreation.
$450K total budget.
$150K goes toward Greenways maintenance for weed control, environmental restoration, water
quality enhancements, and urban reforestation.
$300K will be used for capital programs.
At this point, staff is working on completing the Greenways Master Plan.
Citizen Participation and WRAB Comment
Alison Richards, 470 University, Boulder, is a TAB member and said that the TAB did not get
to see the Greenways budget information. She asked about the budget for Skunk Creek and why
it is not budgeted after 2000. She said that the $236K shown to construct an underpass doesn't
seem adequate. She asked about the current Greenways maintenance budget and how the future
budget will impact construction. She asked about the cost of acquiring 299 Arapahoe and if the
whole cost was shown on the budget sheet.
WRAB and Staff Comment
Ned Williams addressed Alison's questions. He said he needed to ask Annie about the Skunk
Creek budget. He said that current Greenways maintenance budget calls for transportation and
flood control to contribute $250K and that these programs would continue. There is a
supplemental amount of $150K from the lottery fund that raises the total to $450K. Alison
pointed out that the budget takes a lot away from construction.
Bob Fiehweg asked why a maintenance item is listed in the CIP. Ned said that the funding comes
from the CIPs of three departments. He said that along with completing the Greenways Master
Plan, the city is discussing the organization and structure of the program. The budgetary focus is
moving toward maintaining what is already completed and building fewer new paths. The city
will be looking for additional funding for additional construction.
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Jeannette Hillery asked about the $150K and whether that will include South Boulder Creek
improvements. Ned said that the city will continue with Phase A and B work and will issue a
bond of $3M for construction in 2003.
Ned said that the cost of purchasing 299 Arapahoe for $1.8M does not cover the entire project.
The total project cost is $2M. The city is paying $1.5M and Urban Drainage is contributing
$0.5M.
Carol Linn discussed the utilities rate study being conducted by Integrated Utilities Group. She
said the last study was done in 1995. The goals of the study are to update the rate model, update
the plant investment fees and survey the communities. She said the results would be presented
with the budget at the May or June WRAB meeting. She said major changes in the rate structure
are not expected.
WRAB Questions
Cal Youngberg asked if the study is examining the cost of service for different classes of
customers. Carol said that it is. Vicki Naber asked about promoting and enforcing water
conservation especially in affluent communities like Boulder. Carol said that block rates can be
increased but that alone will not do it. She stressed the need for education about water
conservation.
Jeannette Hillery said that part of the increase should be for education about increasing treatment
to meet SWDA standards. Carol said that the fees are based on a current asset valuation or on a
hybrid that incorporates improvements in the cost. Jeannette said that we should educate the
public about the changes coming up. She said that the surveys that have been done show that
people are willing to pay for improvements.
Bob Fiehweg asked in what year the study would fix plant improvements. Carol said that those
details had not been worked out yet. She said that they would be meeting to talk about a schedule
and whether to work from a current value model or a hybrid of current value plus improvements.
Brad Segal talked about using water conservation as a demand side management technique -
creating block 3 (penalty rates) would produce additional revenue that would allow for treatment
plant expansion. He asked whether this would be a desired income. Ned said that it would not be
wise to base projections on receiving the additional income from penalty rates since they are not
assured. Cal Youngberg pointed out that getting a bond to cover the cost of expansion would
raise rates for everyone.
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AGENDA ITEM 6
A. Matters from the Board
■ Jeannette Hillery talked about the South Boulder Creek Floodplain Meetings. She said the
tone of the meetings has calmed down since the county announced that they wouldn't take
away any mobile homes. She said that it seems like the majority of people feel good about
the process. She said there has been good participation in the reach meetings and Alan Taylor
deserves accolades. She said that the city has been very proactive and that has been very
helpful. She passed on information that FEMA is going to conduct a workshop about getting
flood insurance. She said that ditch maintenance has been a big concern for people at the
reach meetings. People want to see more water flowing through the ditches as a means of
storm water control. She acknowledged that the ditch companies don't have a lot of money
and that there is low maintenance. She asked about how the city could encourage
maintenance.
■ Bob Fiehweg said that the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment-
sponsored Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) meeting would be held on Monday April 23,
2001 to discuss the 2002 303D list.
■ Vicki Naber asked if the Calpine Corporation had signed an agreement with Aurora yet. Ned
said that they hadn't.
B. Matters from the Staff
■ The first Barker Reservoir meeting held at Boulder High School was successful. There were
about 35-45 residents there from both Boulder and Nederland. They discussed the typical
issues: water quality, recreation, energy, history, and stream flow. The public meetings will
continue. The Town of Nederland is most interested in recreation and redevelopment of the
west end of the reservoir (i.e. doing something with the wastewater treatment plant).
■ Design for Lakewood Pipeline is continuing. Staff is waiting until 5/7/01 when the appeal
period is over to finalize the designs. The 80-90% complete designs will be submitted to the
US Forest Service in the next week or two.
■ The orientation for new board members was held on April 3. Bob Fiehweg and Gil Barth
were both there.
■ A meeting to discuss improvements to the mid to upper reaches of Bear Canyon Creek and
floodplain mapping will be held on April 23 at St. Andrews Church on Baseline at 5 pm.
■ Ned has been discussing the Greenways Program with Joe Perone from transportation. The
staff would like to schedule a joint TAB and WRAB public hearing to review the Greenways
Program. There has been some disagreement over the staff recommendation about which
board is appropriate to use for a single point of contact. There will be a meeting with Lisa
Morzel on Tuesday April 17 to discuss the arrangement.
■ The staff is working with Lafayette on an Inter-Governmental Agreement to take water from
Boulder Creek upstream of the WWTP outfall. The agreement will go through a public
process and will be presented at a future TAB meeting if the scheduling works out. This
work accounts for $1M in the utilities CIP.
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AGENDA ITEM 7
Discussion of Future Meeting Dates and Agenda
The next meeting will be held at the City Yards in the lunchroom. The new space will provide
unlimited time for meetings, easy parking and the setup is better for meetings.
AGENDA ITEM 8
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 8:52 p.m.
Date, Time, and Location of Next Meeting:
May 21, 2001, 7:00 p.m., at the City Yards, lunchroom located at 5050 East Pearl.
Minutes approved by
Date
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April 16, 2001
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