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HomeMy Public PortalAboutCouncil Minutes 2004 12/02 PMMINUTES McCall City Council Special Joint Meeting with the Payette Lakes Recreational Water and Sewer District Board December 2, 2004 Table of Contents Call to Order Pledge of Allegiance Public Comment Business • AB 04-170 Sewer Issues Consent Agenda • Payment Approval List for Warrant Registers for input dates between 12/03/04 and 12/03/04 Adjournment CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Mayor Eimers called the regular meeting of the McCall City Council to order at 6:06 P.M. Mayor Eimers, Council Member Bertram, and Council Member Robertson answered roll call. Council Member Greer arrived at 6:45 P.M. Council Member Muller was excused. A quorum was present. Members present from the Payette Lakes Recreational Water and Sewer District Board were Jerry Vevig, Ed Catlett, Carolyn Johnson, Ross Mayfield, and Bill Weida. City staff members present were Bill Keating, Public Works Director; Shawn Kohtz, City Engineer; Tammy Zokan, City Attorney; Dan Irwin, City Clerk; and Lindley Kirkpatrick, City Manager. PUBLIC COMMENT Printed 1/14/2005 Page 1 of 8 December 2, 2004 City Council Minutes Galen Shaver, 13775 Nissula, stated that his family's residence is located in the middle of the agricultural lands where the treated effluent is applied. He stated that he was involved in discussions about the project since it was first proposed. He stated that throughout those discussions, promises and assurances were made from the Department of Environmental Quality that the residential wells in the area would be continually monitored for contamination. He stated that DEQ was also supposed to monitor the spraying of the effluent to make sure that the application wasn't occurring during high winds or when standing water was present. He stated that soil testing was supposed to occur and that the animals on the fields where spraying occurred were supposed to be rotated on a regular basis. Mr. Shaver stated that DEQ hasn't fulfilled its promise to monitor the environmental effects caused by irrigating with the effluent. He stated that the welfare of the public should be the highest priority in any proposed solution determining how to apply the effluent. Bill Killen, Attorney for the Payette Lakes Recreational Water and Sewer District, stated that the he believes the land application required periodic monitoring but wasn't sure of the specific requirements. Bill Burke, Payette Lakes Recreational Water and Sewer District, stated that the proposal to use unblended effluent would require stringent monitoring by DEQ. He believes that there may be some confusion in the public about what monitoring tests are required for the land application of the blended effluent and what tests would be required of the proposed 1:1 application. Martin Thiede, 280 Buckham, stated that he is concerned of the possible contamination to the groundwater by irrigating with the effluent. He stated that he has received documentation from other areas where medicines and other contaminates had infiltrated the groundwater when irrigating with effluent. He would like to see the results of the monitoring tests. Council Member Robertson suggested that Mr. Thiede contact the Department of Environmental Quality in order to obtain the results of the monitoring tests since they aren't administered by the City. Charles Taber, 815 Pinedale, stated that the problem of sewer storage appears to be magnified by the number of building permits being issued. He stated that there are rumors of a building permit moratorium, but he doesn't believe it has been discussed by the City Council. Mr. Taber stated that he believes a building permit moratorium would be a good policy to implement until the City can identify the problems with the infrastructure. Hearing no further comments, Mayor Eimers closed the public comment at 6:28p.m. Printed 1/14/2005 Page 2 of 8 December 2, 2004 City Council Minutes BUSINESS AGENDA Shawn Kohtz, Holladay Engineering, gave a PowerPoint presentation regarding the firm's findings relating to the problems in the sewer system. Mr. Kohtz stated that the 1996 facility plan identified the most critical areas in the system of need of inflow and infiltration (I&I) repairs. He prepared a map identifying the repairs which have been made to the sewer system by the City over the last ten years. Mr. Kohtz stated that a substantial amount of repairs have been made to the system, and the City has concentrated the repairs around the downtown area and the lake due to the environmental concerns. Mr. Kohtz stated that the estimated amount of I&I entering the system was measured when the 1996 facility plan was developed. The plan estimated that during the peak runoff season, a total of 670,000 gallons per day of I&I entered the system. Mr. Kohtz stated that the City has made a number of repairs to the system since the development of the facility plan, but there are no measurements to gage the effectiveness of the I&I removal. Mr. Kohtz stated that the city owns the oldest part of the sewer system so the repair needs are known. The City will begin measuring the effectiveness of its I&I repairs in the spring by comparing current flow rates with those identified in the 1996 facility plan. Board Member Catlett asked if there was any current data available to show the repairs made by the City had a positive effect on reducing the levels of l&l. Mr. Kohtz stated that there wasn't a means of quantifying the data as other areas in the system could be deteriorating. Mr. Kohtz stated that he had also studied what the effect of the recent growth would be on the capacity of the system. Mr. Kohtz stated that based on the number of building permits issued after September 2003, 161 hookups are dedicated to be served by the sewer system. An additional 522 hookups are dedicated to be served by the system for new developments which have recently been issued will -serve letters. Mr. Kohtz stated that his firm made an evaluation of the remaining capacity of the wastewater treatment and disposal system. He stated that the Wastewater Treatment Facility would be able to serve an additional 2900 dwelling units and the Winter Storage would be able to serve an additional 836 dwelling units. Mr. Kohtz stated that because of the lack of land application by the farmers, it is unknown how many additional dwelling units can be supported by that component of the sewer system. Board Member Weida stated that the numbers presented by Mr. Kohtz show that the City will exceed its allotted system capacity at 556 dwelling units based upon the agreement it has with the District. Mr. Kohtz stated that based on the growth of the City, the capacity of the storage pond will be reached in 2006-2007. As a result of this bottleneck, the City hasn't issued any Printed 1/14/2005 Page 3 of 8 December 2, 2004 City Council Minutes new will -serve letters for sewer connections to new developments since October 28, 2004. Mr. Kohtz stated that despite the I&I repairs to the system being made by the City, the only solution may be to use the emergency discharge permit. He stated that the permit requires a 60:1 dilution ratio of the effluent in order to discharge it into the river. He estimates that approximately 15% of the plant could be discharged per day. The idea of discharging into the river would like to be avoided at all costs because of public perception. Board Member Catlett asked if it would be advantageous for the City to create an incentive program to install low -flow toilets. Mr. Kohtz stated that the effect would only provide minimal help to the overall problem. Council Member Robertson asked what the expense would be to turn the effluent into potable water. Mr. Kohtz stated that the effluent currently can't be turned into potable water, but DEQ is revising the regulations of how the effluent can be utilized. A break was taken from 7:35 P.M. to 7:42 P.M. Matt Uranga, JUB Engineers, stated that the City's responsibility in the project ended at the mixing station. He stated that the flow of the blended effluent past the mixing station was the responsibility of the irrigation district. In 2003, it was discovered that the pond was leaking 30 million gallons during the non -irrigation season and 20 million gallons during the irrigation season. He stated that the pond has a maximum capacity of 270 million gallons and the data shows that it is 60-70 percent full before the repairs to the pond liner were made. As a result, it is conceivable that the pond will reach its storage capacity during the spring runoff. Mr. Uranga stated that the 1996 facility plan identified 2300 acres which would be irrigated with the treated effluent at a rate of application of 24 inches per year. He stated that the equated figures would allow 449 million gallons of treated effluent to be utilized for irrigation. However, he stated that it has been found that a much smaller amount of irrigation water has been used over the past three years. Mr. Uranga stated that 185 million gallons were used in 2002, 219 million gallons in 2003, and only 180 million gallons were used in 2004. Mr. Uranga stated that the 1996 flow rate was evaluated to determine the capacity needed for the storage lagoon. He stated that at the inception of the project it was known that not a lot of extra storage would be available. He stated that the NPDES discharge permit was obtained to allow for an alternative solution should a high flow year occur or if the irrigators didn't need or want the water. Mr. Uranga stated that when the project was originally developed it wasn't a question of if a discharge into the river would occur, but when it would occur. Mr. Uranga stated that he had talked to the farmers to see why the 24" of irrigation per year wasn't being used on the J-Ditch Pipeline Association (JDPAI) Cooperative lands. He stated that he found some farmers have more water rights than they can use, while Printed 1/14/2005 Page 4 of 8 December 2, 2004 City Council Minutes others are cut short during the irrigation season as they don't have enough. One irrigator claimed that there is significantly less irrigation usage than what NCRS had cited, and estimated that only 8" to 16" was used each irrigation season depending on weather and the terrain. Mr. Uranga stated that the City should review the two and three way agreements to see if they have legal leverage. He stated that the facility plan identifies 2300 acres for use of the effluent, but he has discovered that there are only 2000 acres. Mr. Uranga stated that the City should have the right to ask the JDPAI Association why the 24" of irrigation per year isn't being used, and how many acres are actually being utilized for the application of the blended effluent. Mr. Uranga stated that the agreements with the farmers allow them to break their 20 year contractual agreements if they are able to provide an equal amount of acreage somewhere else. Mr. Uranga stated that the 1996 facility plan addressed the potential problem of a bottleneck occurring in the storage lagoon and recommended the City pursue the concept of 1:1 land application, provide I&I reduction, secure more land for application, and pursue the possibility of obtaining a high rate land application permit. Mr. Uranga stated that the existing irrigation lands should be evaluated to determine if the figures cited in the two and three way contractual agreements are correct. He stated that the amount of acreage and the number of inches of irrigation used per year should be examined to see if they are accurate. He stated that the City and District may have some legal leverage in the agreements if inaccuracies are found. Mr. Uranga stated that operational modifications should be made to ensure the effluent is available for the whole irrigation season. He stated that a history of interruptions hasn't allowed the effluent to be available to the farmers for the entire season. He recommended that the pumping station be made ready to provide the irrigation district with the treated effluent beginning the first day of the season, and to minimize any downtime of the pumping station. Mr. Uranga stated that the irrigation district's flow meter should also be checked to ensure the 3:1 dilution is being met, and that the amount of treatment isn't being mixed at a higher ratio. Mr. Uranga stated that the farmers were initially supportive of the 1:1 concept, and only one person voiced their disproval of the idea. He suggested that the City and District meet with the JDPAI Cooperative, NRCS, and irrigation district to see what has changed to make them unreceptive of the concept. He stated that the application of the unblended effluent isn't intended for use during a normal irrigation season. He stated that the effluent would be utilized by the farmers in case the irrigation season is prematurely cut short. Council Member Robertson asked if the farmers have seen any benefit from irrigating with the treated effluent. Mr. Uranga stated that he has been told the production of grass hay has increased. Board Member Weida stated that the JDPAI Cooperative had indicated that they would have to build an entirely new pipeline if the 1:1 concept was approved. He stated that it Printed 1/14/2005 Page 5 of 8 December 2, 2004 City Council Minutes was their belief that the new pipeline would have to be established so the treated effluent wasn't mixed with unblended type. Mr. Uranga stated that a simple flushing of the pipes with clean water would eliminate the need to install a new pipeline. Board Member Weida stated that section eight of the two way agreement specifies that the farmers and irrigation district are required to take the effluent regardless of whether they require it or not. Mr. Burke asked if Mr. Uranga knew what the monitoring requirements of the blended effluent were. Mr. Uranga stated that he believes the City is only responsible for monitoring the effluent up to the mixing station. Any monitoring required thereafter would be the responsibility of DEQ. Board Member Weida stated that if the numbers are skewed, the Board and Council need to work with what is known to be factual and see if a solution to the problem can be made. Board Member Catlett asked how much it would cost to develop a treatment plant that would have the ability to treat the effluent at a higher level so it could be utilized in other areas such as a golf course. Mr. Uranga stated that he would estimate the cost to be between eight and ten million dollars. Mr. Uranga stated that he believes the irrigators have misconceptions about the concept of the 1:1 program. He suggested that representatives from the City and District meet with the irrigators to make sure the facts of the program are known. Mayor Eimers asked if anybody had a recommendation on who could act as an intermediary for contacting the irrigators. Mr. Killen suggested that somebody call Barry Albert, former director of the NRCS, to see if he would give direction on the best way to approach the farmers utilizing the effluent. Bill Weida stated that a committee needs to be formed between the two entities in order to develop long range plans. Board Member Weida stated that he would like to see the membership of the Joint Powers Board restructured by expanding the number of members. Council Member Bertram suggested that the Joint Powers Board be structured with two City Council members, two Board members, staff from both entities, and an intermediary. It was decided that the Joint Powers Board would be comprised of Council Members Robertson and Eimers, Board Members Weida and Vevig, City and District Staff, and an intermediary. Printed 1/14/2005 Page 6 of 8 December 2, 2004 City Council Minutes Mr. Kirkpatrick stated that the City is currently not issuing will serve letters to developers proposing new subdivisions. He stated that the process is different than a moratorium on building permits, as a moratorium is a specific term defined in the Idaho Code. He stated that any developer who has already gained final plat approval has been issued a will serve letter and can be hooked up to the sewer system. Council Member Robertson stated that this is a serious issue which must be addressed proactively. He stated that the problem may be resolved in the spring depending on the amount of progress made with the farmers and what is found out. He stated that they must get a handle on the numbers in order to arrive at a solution. Council Member Bertram stated that she doesn't want to see a moratorium placed on the development of infill areas. Mr. Kirkpatrick stated that the numbers shown by the engineers indicate that the City has reached its capacity in the sewer system. A possible solution to allow new will serve letters to be issued would be to have the development community provide I&I reduction in exchange for approval of their project. In order for such a proposal to work, the City Engineer would first have to determine how much benefit I&I repairs would make. Mr. Burke stated that the problems with the sewer system are resulting in the need for a great deal of money to fix the issues. The step screen and sludge removal project will cost almost one million dollars, and the need for a new plant may be pending. A meeting for the Joint Powers Board was scheduled for December 17th at 1:00 P.M. The City Council agreed to set the next City Council Meeting for December 15th at 6:00 P.M. CONSENT AGENDA Mayor Eimers moved to approve the Consent Agenda. Council Member Robertson seconded the motion. In a voice vote, all Council Members voted aye. The motion carried. ADJOURNMENT Without further business, Mayor Eimers moved to adjourn. Council Member Robertson seconded the motion. In a voice vote, all Council Members voted aye. The Council adjourned at 10:28 P.M. Printed 1/14/2005 Page 7 of 8 December 2, 2004 City Council Minutes Kirk L. Eimers, Mayor ATTEST: Dan Irwin, City Clerk Printed 1/14/2005 Page 8 of 8 December 2, 2004 City Council Minutes