HomeMy Public PortalAbout20200220_SAC_Minutes_Approved Watertown Stormwater Advisory Committee (SAC) minutes
February 20, 2020 4:00 PM @ Watertown DPW conference room
In attendance: David Stokes (SAC Chair), Matt Shuman, David Jay, Janet Buck, and Laurel
Schwab.
Absent: Steve Magoon
Visiting: None.
I. Welcome and Introduction of Visitors:
Meeting called to order at 4:02 PM.
II. Discussions/Actions
A. Approval of Meeting Minutes:
The Committee entertained a suggestion to move the approval of the meeting
minutes before the Brief Reports section. The minutes from the April 25, 2019;
July 18, 2020; August 22, 2019; September 19, 2019; October 24, 2019; and
November 21, 2019 meetings were unanimously approved.
III. Brief Reports/Status Updates
A. Committee membership: No news to report about a prospective Community
member for SAC. David Stokes suggested that the Committee consider
alternatives, like adding a Watertown High School student or a staff member
from one of the civil engineering firms in Town.
B. MS4 Permit:
Matt distributed a memo to the Committee which discussed the MS4/NPDES
Permit Year 2 Update. The memo
C. Watertown Elementary Schools and High School Projects:
David Stokes provided an update with respect to these projects, esp. from the
stormwater perspective. Committee members who had attended meetings
and/or reviewed documents added additional perspective.
D. Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program:
A public meeting on Watertown's participation in the state's MVP program was
held on 1/22, attended by 50-60 people. Stakeholder workshops had been held
on 12/19. Environmental issues (like more green space), infrastructure issues
(like "Green Infrastructure" and trees), and economic issues (like incentives for
landlords) were discussed. More intensive community engagements were
planned: a survey, more stakeholders workshops, and 1-on-1 meetings. Action
Minutes,Stormwater Advisory Committee meeting,02/20/2020 Pagel of 3
grants, which are part of this program will be awarded in late April. Mention of
the Resilient Watertown website and a dashboard were made.
E. Elementary School Panels on Human Impact and the Environment:
Janet Buck attended the panel discussion at the Hosmer School.
IV. Discussions/Actions (cont.)
B. Community Outreach Efforts:
Laurel mentioned the Trees & Climate Change Summit to be held on April 4,
2020. She will be speaking about trees and stormwater at the event.
C. Election of a New Chair:
As David Stokes steps away from the Stormwater Advisory Committee to fully
embrace his newly elected position as member of the School Committee,the
Committee entertained nominations for a new chairperson. David Stokes
nominated Janet Buck, who accepted the nomination. The nomination was
seconded by David Jay. The Committee unanimously elected Janet Buck to be
the new chair of the Stormwater Advisory Committee. Congratulations, Janet!
V. New Business/ Future Agenda Items/Stormwater Improvement Opportunities
Two items were brought up here: (1) DCR outfalls and the Phase II renovations of
Charles River Rd. (from playground to N. Beacon St.), and (2) Galen St. rezoning.
VI. Announcements
Next Meeting was announced for: Thursday. March 19, 2020 @a 4:00 PM.
Handouts:
1. MS4/NPDES Permit Year 2 Update memo from M. Shuman
Minutes,Stormwater Advisory Committee meeting,02/20/2020 Page 2 of 3
Handout 1
Minutes,Stormwater Advisory Committee meeting,02/20/2020 Page 3 of 3
11 TOWN OF WATERTOWN
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS (P) 617-972-6420
D
124 ORCHARD STREET (F) 617-972-6402
WATERTOWN MA 02472
Gerald S. Mee Jr.
Superintendent
TO: Members of the Stormwater Advisory Committee
FROM: Matthew Shuman, P.E., Town Engineer
DATE: February 19, 2020
RE: MS4/NPDES Permit Year 2 Update
Attached, please find a copy of MS4 Year 2 Requirements that was provided to DPW by Laura Schifman,
MassDEP Stormwater Coordinator. Below, please find updates regarding the Town's progress in
meeting its Year 2 commitments:
Public Education and Outreach
• Working with the Mystic River Watershed Association, the Town has printed brochures regarding
stormwater impacts of Dumpster Maintenance and Automotive Industries. These brochures will
be distributed by the Health Department, Zoning Enforcement, and Weights and Measures during
site visits/inspections. The brochures will also be posted on the web-site. Distribution of the
brochures will meet the public education requirement for businesses and industry.
• The Responsible Dog Ownership in Watertown brochure is available at the Town Clerk's office
and is being distributed with annual dog licenses.
• An education message was included in the Town Manager's fall newsletter related to the proper
disposal of leaf litter.
• Educational signage was installed at one of the bioswales on Edenfield Ave.
Public Participation
• DPW staff installed approximately 150 catch basin stencils at various locations during fall 2019.
• The annual requirements of the MS4 permit require the annual report to be submitted and
available to the public, with an annual opportunity to review implementation of the Town's
Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP). DPW requests that review of the SWMP be formally
placed on the agenda of a future SAC meeting.
NStormwaterAdvisory CommitteeWPDES February 2020 Updates.doc
Illicit Discharqe Detection and Elimination
• An Addendum to the Town's written IDDE Plan was developed and submitted to EPA to comply
with the additional requirements of the MS4 permit. The Town requested credit for its existing
IDDE program and exemption from the requirement to rank each outfall.
• The Town continues its IDDE program and posts quarterly updates to the Town's web-page at:
http://www.watertowndow.orq/181/Illicit-Discharge-Detection-Elimination-. Investigations in sub-
areas 6, 8, 11, 18, 20, 99, 109 and BEL continue.
• The Town continues to coordinate its IDDE and sanitary sewer inflow and infiltration (1/1)
programs. This year's 1/1 contract partially overlaps with sections of sub-area 99 that experience
high groundwater and have a high probability of sewer-drain communication. As issues are
identified in the drainage system through the IDDE program, the corresponding sewer areas are
reviewed as part of the 1/1 program. The Town has had success in reducing or eliminating
contamination in the drainage system by addressing deficiencies in the sewer system.
Construction Site Stormwater Manaqement
• DPW continues inspections of development sites during construction, including initial inspection
of erosion controls and final inspection. DPW sign-off is required prior to issuance of a Certificate
of Occupancy by the Building Department.
• The Town's Stormwater Management and Erosion Control Rules and Regulations will be updated
to address construction waste handling.
Post-Construction Stormwater Manaqement
• DPW continues to enforce the Stormwater Management and Erosion Control Ordinance.
• The Town is participating in a Technical Assistance program with the EPA related to nutrient
control. As part of the support, consultants will be reviewing the Town's Stormwater Management
and Erosion Control Ordinance and Rules and Recommendations and providing feedback on how
to update them to comply with the requirements of the current MS4 permit.
• The proposed settlement of various litigation related to the MS4 permit would move the deadline
for updating the Town's Ordinances from the end of Year 2 to the end of Year 3.
Good Housekeeping
• The MS4 permit requires that the Town take steps to ensure that no catch basin more than 50%
full. During Permit Year 2, the Town began collecting catch basin cleaning information using GIS.
Over 3,500 catch basins were cleaned. Information including depth of sediment, depth to pipe,
and depth to bottom of structure was also collected. This information will be used to develop an
optimization plan, although a second year of data is desired to finalize the optimization plan. The
initial data will be reviewed to provide preliminary recommendations for enhanced catch basin
cleaning to ensure that no catch basin is more than 50% full.
• The Town has completed a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Parks and Open Space
Management.
NStormwater Advisory CommitteeWPDES February 2020 Updates.doc
• The Town has engaged Weston and Sampson Engineers to develop Stormwater Pollution
Prevention Plans (SWPPPs) for the DPW property, the Howard Street laydown area, Ridgelawn
Cemetery, and the Recycling Center.
• DPW is in the process of developing an Operations and Maintenance Plan for municipally owned
Best Management Practices (BMPs).
• Two tree trenches will be constructed as part of the 2019 Road Reconstruction Program and ten
as part of the 2020 Road Reconstruction Program.
TMDL Requirements
• The Town selected four recently completed projects to evaluate the potential for phosphorus
reduction through redevelopment and installation of stormwater management practices. The
projects included: installation of sub-surface infiltration systems at the Municipal Parking lot,
redevelopment of 65 Grove Street, redevelopment of 655 Mt. Auburn Street (CVS), and
redevelopment of 570 Arsenal Street (Marriott Hotel).
• Phosphorus loads were classified as structural (from an infiltration practice) or non-structural
(change in land use or creation of pervious area from impervious area).
• The redevelopment or retrofitting of the four sites, when combined, provide a removal of
approximately 10.3 lb/year of phosphorus from the MS4. This is approximately 0.8% of the 1,283
lb/year of phosphorus that the Town is required to remove from the MS4.
• As part of the 2018 road reconstruction program, two tree trenches were installed on Edgecliff
Road. Phosphorus load reductions were estimated for these two structures at 0.18 Ib/yr, or
0.01% of the Town's required phosphorus load reduction.
• The Town continues to collate previous projects to estimate phosphorus load reductions as a
result of redevelopment.
• The Town continues to monitor the potential impacts of litigation on the TMDL requirements,
including phasing of the implementation plan and targeted phosphorus load reductions.
NStormwater Advisory CommitteeWPDES February 2020 Updates.doc