Minutes - Water Resources - 8/20/2001 DRAFT
WATER RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD
FINAL MEETING MINUTES
August 20, 2001
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT
Robert Fiehweg, Jeannette Hillery, Vicki Naber; Gil Barth and Cal Youngberg were absent.
STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT
Ned Williams, Douglas Sullivan, Bob Harberg, Dick Smith (Love and Associates), Vanessa
Bonner, secretary
AGENDA ITEM 1
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 7:07 p.m.
AGENDA ITEM 2
Approval of June 18, 2001 and June 25, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Jeannette Hillery motioned to approve the minutes from June 18, 2001.
Vicki Naber seconded.
The motion passed unanimously, 3-0. Cal Youngberg and Gil Barth were absent.
Jeannette Hillery motioned to approve the minutes from June 25, 2001.
Bob Fiehwei! seconded.
The motion passed unanimously, 3-0. Cal Youngberg and Gil Barth were absent.
AGENDA ITEM 3
General Citizen Participation
There was none.
General Citizen Participation was closed.
Water Resources Advisory Board
Full Minutes
August 20, 2001
Page 1
AGENDA ITEM 4
Public hearing, discussion and Board recommendation to the City Council on revised
floodplain map changes for Bear Canyon Creek from Foothills Parkway upstream to
Broadway.
Douglas Sullivan presented the revisions to the floodplain map for the study area. Love and
Assoc. remapped the drainage way to take into account numerous construction projects over the
last 10 years. These projects include 5 underpasses and various channel improvements that take
many homes out of the floodplain. The last re-mapping was done in 1983.
If the floodplain map restudy is adopted, 122 structures will be removed from the 100-year
floodplain, 50 structures will be removed from the Conveyance Zone (CZ) and 77 structures will
be removed from the High Hazard Zone (HHZ).
The scope of the project is Bear Canyon Creek west of Foothills Parkway. The city received an
e-mail from a citizen that was in the high hazard zone before the re-mapping, according to one of
the maps. He said he is still in the high hazard zone but now he has to get flood-insurance. Also,
now that he is confirmed in the HHZ he will have significant building restrictions on the
property. Sullivan says he is following up with the citizen. Given the proposed changes, there
will be only one structure, this residence, in the HHZ. Some structures are being put back into
the flood zones at Foothills and Arapahoe due to incorrect previous mapping. Construction due
to the new hospital will also affect the mapping.
Staff is asking WRAB to recommend the proposed changes.
Citizen Participation and WRAB Comment
Patrick Sandham, 715 Gilpin Drive, Boulder, 80303, has the residence that would be located
in the high hazard zone. He asked the city to mitigate the situation by constructing a berm to
keep him in the CZ and out of the HHZ.
WRAB Discussion
The Board discussed making improvements to single lots and protecting individual structures.
The city does not protect individual structures from floods. There was probably an initial
mapping error that left him out of the HHZ. Williams said that his home value is reflective of the
market price in Boulder, although he faces significant building restrictions. The staff can
investigate types of mitigation but the city cannot pay for it. His insurance rate will not change.
Dick Smith mentioned that with improved topographic data since the last study in 1983, the map
more accurately reflects land use changes. Also, building regulations within the city of Boulder
are more stringent than restrictions in Boulder County, the State of Colorado and the nation.
Sandham asked if anyone else has been in this situation with Wonderland and Four-Mile Canyon
Creeks. Williams said that all structures in those flood zones have been identified and that the
Water Resources Advisory Board
Full Minutes
August 20, 2001
Page 2
city is more apt to acquire property in the flood zones rather than try to mitigate with berms and
levees. Williams asked Sullivan and Bob Harberg to verify the accuracy of the data with regard
to Mr. Sandham's property. Smith said he would evaluate the depth of floodwater at the location.
Williams summarized the discussion with the following three points. First he said that the city
will let FEMA complete their process before the city effectuates its changes with respect to the
HHZ and CZ. Secondly, he said that more communities are moving toward using the HHZ
product number as a tool for evaluating life/safety issues. Finally, he recommended bifurcating
the study and submitting only the upstream portion to FEMA, but FEMA may request the full
scope.
Jeannette Hillery motioned to approve the staff recommendation to the City Council on the
revised floodplain map changes to Bear Canyon Creek from Foothills Parkway upstream
to Broadway and to verify Mr. Sandham's situation and have the staff verify the previous
study on the conveyance versus the high hazard zone.
Vicky Naber seconded.
The vote was 3-0 in favor of the motion. Cal Youngberg and Gil Barth were absent.
AGENDA ITEM 5
Public hearing, discussion and Board recommendation on Plant Investment Fee increases
in water, wastewater and flood control beginning January 2002.
Ned Williams gave a brief presentation about the increases to utility rates recommended by the
Integrated Utilities Group and the staff. There was an article in the Planning and Development
Service newsletter to contractors. Also, the city manager is recommending to the City Council to
increase PIFs and the increases are in the proposed budget.
There will be an open house to discuss the increases on August 27 and the issue will be discussed
at the City Council study session on August 28. On October 2 and 16, the City Council will
begin deliberation and adoption of the 2002 budget with the PIF increases. The staff has
received limited feedback so far.
The utilities staff has been working with Housing and Human Services to phase in the increases
in PIFs for affordable housing projects.
Citizen Participation and WRAB Comment
There was none.
Water Resources Advisory Board
Full Minutes
August 20, 2001
Page 3
WRAB Discussion
As had been discussed earlier, Boulder has been undercharging for PIFs when compared to other
communities. The numbers presented were essentially the same numbers presented to the Board
during the previous two meetings. The staff will be encouraging water conservation by
increasing PIFs for irrigation. There will be more zones with fewer gpm per zone.
Rates at the wastewater treatment plant are lower than for those in other communities because
the last big project at the WWTP was paid for by grants. The next construction project will be
identified over the next year or two. Other communities are further along in identifying
necessary projects.
The Board supported the study and agreed that it was time to update the PIFs.
Jeanette Hillery motioned to accept the staff recommendation as written.
Vicky Naber seconded.
The vote was 3-0 in favor of the motion. Cal Youngberg and Gil Barth were absent.
AGENDA ITEM 6
A. Matters from the Board
• Vicky Naber asked about operations at Boulder Reservoir. Ned Williams explained the fall
operations schedule and why the reservoir had been emptied. He said that the Res has gone
into fall operations hours and it has been drastically emptied to inspect the dam. This happens
once every five years. If the inspections go well, the Res will be refilled by September 10.
• Vicky Naber asked about Crestview West and the lowered groundwater level in Silver Lake
Ditch. Ned Williams explained the situation in that area to Naber. The city installed clay
barriers and pipes to prevent run-off but some utility work may have lowered the water level.
No one knows the real reason the water level is so low. It may be temporary and due to the
dry weather last year. The geology hasn't been analyzed. It may be the use of more well
water in the area. There has mostly been anecdotal evidence about the water flow.
Groundwater quantity and quality are issues in the North Boulder area.
• Bob Fiehweg asked about Ordinance #1780, signed by the mayor of Boulder on April 6,
1954 to fluoridate drinking water. He said the record of fluoridation goes back longer than
reported. He asked what the basis for the ordinance was. Ned Williams will provide info to
the Board about fluoridation. He spoke about the citizen task force formed in Ft. Collins.
There is a representative from the County Board of Health and a Water Board member. There
is a pro-fluoridation and an anti-fluoridation representative. They have not held any public
meetings yet but these will happen soon.
• The Board made a comment that the Barker Reservoir meetings had been helpful.
Water Resources Advisory Board
Full Minutes
August 20, 2001
Page 4
B. Matters from the Staff
• On August 27 there will be a public education meeting on FEMA at the East Boulder Rec
Center from 6:30 to 8:30. They discussed whether or not there would be a mailing to Skunk
Creek residents.
• The City Council approved the South Boulder Creek process for public input and evaluation
of alternatives. The staff has requested $250K to fund additional studies.
• Gil Barth is the WRAB representative to the Greenways Advisory Committee.
• The staff is planning a study session with the City Council on floodplain regulations with a
focus on 100- and 500-year flooding, critical facilities and changes to current codes.
• Eben Fine Apartments will close on August 30th. The city is in the process of deconstructing
the building and working with Resource 2000 to recycle building materials.
• Dick Brasher, a Project Engineer in Transportation, left the City of Boulder. Also, Joe
Perone, the Director of Transportation for Public Works, resigned and his last day will be
August 31. These key vacancies in the Transportation Division may result in an overall
revamping of the organization.
AGENDA ITEM 7
Discussion of Future Meeting Dates and Agenda
The regular meeting on September 17, 2001 may be cancelled due to a lack of agenda items to
discuss.
AGENDA ITEM 8
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 8:52 p.m.
Date, Time, and Location of Next Meeting:
October 15, 2001, 7:00 p.m., regular meeting, at the City Yards Lunchroom, 5050 East Pearl.
Minutes approved by
Date
Water Resources Advisory Board
Full Minutes
August 20, 2001
Page 5