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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2014.09.26 Special MinutesMINUTES McCall City Council Special Meeting Joint Work Session with the McCall Planning and Zoning Commission Payette Lakes Cruise and Legion Hall - McCall City Hall (Lower Level) September 26, 2014 Agenda Call to Order Work Session Adjournment CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Mayor Aymon called the Special meeting of the McCall City Council to order at 2:00 p.m. Mayor Aymon, Councilor Giles, and Councilor Witte were present. Councilor Scott and Councilor Swanson were absent. City Staff present were Gene Drabinski, City Manager; Peter Borner, Public Works Director; Linda Stokes, City Treasurer; Nate Coyle, Airport Manager; Nathan Stewart, City Engineer; and BessieJo Wagner, City Clerk WORK SESSION McCall's Shoreline and River Environs Zone code requirements, enforcement, and development patterns Mayor Aymon, Councilor Gilles, Councilor Swanson, Councilor Witte Commissioner Apperson, Commissioner Callan, Commissioner Farnsworth, Commissioner Fereday, Commissioner Tunnel, Commissioner Thompson, and Commissioner Williamson, were present. Also present were Community Development Director Michelle Groenevelt, City Planner Delta James, City Engineer Nathan Stewart, Building Official John Powell, Permit Technician Cynthia Peacock, and GWAS Specialist John Driessen were also present. City staff reviewed the McCall City and the McCall Impact Area code requirements regarding development, drainage and stormwater management, enforcement, and challenges within the Shoreline and River Environs Zone. The Council and Commission viewed five projects approved within the last two years along the West side of lower Payette Lake and discussed landscaping, setbacks and structure design of each. McCall City Council Special Meeting Page 1 of 11 September 26, 2014 RECESSED AND RECONVENED City Council Only Councilor Swanson joined the meeting. Rate Study — Water/Wastewater Capital Needed Assessment and Discussion Peter Borner, Public Works Director, discussed the background of the wastewater treatment facility. The original wastewater treatment facility was built in 1980, making it about 34 years old. He stated that the wastewater facility was designed for a volume of about 2 million gallons per day and was a facultative lagoon system with aeration. He described the process that effluent comes in, was aerated, the good bugs digest the bad bugs, and it then moves from the primary lagoon to a secondary lagoon through a clarifying system. He stated that sand filtration was used intermittently in the past and currently chlorine was produced on site for disinfection. Mr. Borner stated that the critical issues facing the wastewater treatment plant are sludge buildup in the treatment lagoons, the intermittent sand filters ineffective for daily use, and that there was no headworks building. He clarified stating that a headworks building was the place where effluent comes in and where debris and the majority of the grit was siphoned off, and then it allows the effluent to go into the treatment lagoons. Mr. Borner stated that usually a bar screen was in place for the majority of the year, but when it gets cold it ices up and was ineffective. He continued stating that the on -site chlorine production was reaching its peak during high springtime flows. Mr. Borner stated that during that time there was not enough detention time in the chlorine contact basin and chlorine production was also maxed out. He stated that two years ago when the chlorine production machine had to be replaced it was replaced with a used piece of equipment, so the City needed to plan for a new chlorine production machine. He stated that the problem then becomes that the larger machine will not fit within the existing building, and the tanks needed to store enough chlorine to inject into the chlorine contact basin will not be large enough and cannot be housed in that building either. The question was asked about what was the biggest flow -limiting factor. Was it chlorine production? Mr. Borner responded stating that the City was really not at capacity on a daily basis. The problem comes in the springtime when dealing with I&I (infiltration and inflow). I&I was what actually limit capacity. He stated that if I&I were reduced then some of these problems would not exist. He clarified stating that the better problem would be to have reached capacity because of growth not I&I. He stated that as far as the current operation of the plant and making it a more effective wastewater treatment facility, these are the problems that have to be resolved. Another question was asked in terms of long-term forecasting. Was the detention area large enough to facilitate growth, in addition to ongoing I&I issues? Which portion of the plant would be expanded first, or would it be simultaneously? Mr. Borner explained that I&I was probably the biggest issue that the City needed to tackle because it affects not only the treatment facility but also the winter storage pond. He stated that if I&I was not resolved then the City would have to look at enlarging capacity of the treatment plant, and then somehow enlarging the capacity of the winter storage pond and how to get rid of effluent during the non -irrigation season. McCall City Council Special Meeting Page 2 of 11 September 26, 2014 Mr. Borner was asked to quantify how much of the flow was I&I. The City's current levels of I&I are right around 35%. That was an annual average, so in the spring it was probably more at 50% when water levels are higher, or possibly even higher. When looking at the normal daily flows in the springtime of 600,000 or 700,000 gallons per day and 2 million gallons are being pushed through, I&I was well in excess of 100%. Mr. Borner admitted that the City was never going to eliminate all of its I&I. There will be manholes or sewer mains that are unable to be accessed, so I&I of 15 or 20% would be a good goal to work toward. He stated that I&I was really going to be the thing that needed to be tackled to make sure that capacity does not get limited in the treatment facility or the winter storage pond. Mr. Borner continued, stating the next thing was the old blower system and building for aeration. The blower system at the wastewater treatment plant was as old as the plant was. The motors and fans are 34 years old and need to be looked at. Mr. Borner believes the City can get more efficient blowers that will blow more volume of air at a reduced cost of electricity with advances in technology that have occurred over the past 34 years. Mr. Borner added that the facility plan needed to be updated for reuse screening with preferred treatment alternatives, and future growth needed to be looked at with adjusted growth rates. He stated that since 2007 the City's growth rates have tailed off dramatically, and even now the City was barely pushing 3% based upon the building permits over the last year, so some assessments need to be made that will correlate with the TAG plan. He stated that way the City could plan out potential capacity increases at the treatment plant if they are needed. Mr. Borner turned his attention to the wastewater collection system, stating that there are 52 miles of pipe, 1,234 manholes, and 13 lift stations. He stated that some of the pipe had been in the ground for a long time. Some of the manholes are old and are starting to break down, and these are the areas where I&I problems are seen. He stated that sewer pipes break down over time and since sewer water was warm it promotes plant and root growth and breakage starts in these pipes. Mr. Borner stated that in the springtime when the ground water levels come up, the system starts getting infiltrated. The same was true for the manholes. He stated that infiltration of the manholes that are in disrepair happens when they are cracked and groundwater trickles into them. He stated that inflow was a problem, and that was a solution that could be solved much more quickly. Mr. Borner explained that three summers ago two thunderstorms passed through town, the second following the same path of the previous one, and when the second thunderstorm passed there was so much water that all of the lift stations hit multi -pump alarms, which indicated that it was not necessarily coming from the groundwater. He stated that significant part of the problem in the springtime or even during a high precipitation event was inflow through the top of the manholes into the sewer pipe. Another critical issue Mr. Borner described was that the City did not have slated a capacity or pipe rating study. He stated that this study was one of the recommendations from Horrocks Engineers as well as the I&I study. He stated that in order to track I&I in the pipe and the manholes, the City needed to be able to go into the pipe with a camera and look for where the water was coming from. This work probably needed to happen between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. when very few people are using the system. He stated that if cleaner water was found in the pipe at 3:00 a.m. it could be spotted by using a camera system to trace it to the source. McCall City Council Special Meeting Page 3 of 11 September 26, 2014 Mr. Borner added that the other issue that has never been looked at was the capacity of the pipes, which will be critical. Mr. Borner did not recommend a complete capacity study, because most of the original downtown area has already been built out, but as the Sewer District structure grows in areas outside of the city the Sewer District may have to attach in some places to the City's pipe. He stated that the City needed to make sure its pipes are large enough to add extra effluent into the system. Mr. Borner stated that this was one of those situations where the City has to work hand in hand with the Sewer District as they have new lift stations coming online, and that the City's lift stations at some point are large enough to handle those extra flows coming in. He stated that the City needed to get away from not including the Sewer District in its planning. Lift stations are expensive to replace and the City has 13 of them. He stated that the City needed to find ways to make sure that it was doing the appropriate maintenance on the lift stations so that their life was extended out as far as possible, going back to reducing I&I and reducing pump time, which was reducing the wear and tear on that infrastructure as well. Mr. Borner explained the special relationship between the City and Smith & Lovelace as the sole source provider for lift stations. He stated that the reason for this was to standardize pumps, connections, logic circuits, valves, anything that was associated with a lift station so that the parts shop can be standardized. It was that way currently with the City's backup generators. He stated that all the backup generators on the Public Works side all have the same motors so that oil filters and air filters and all the replacement parts that go into a generator have some commonality. He explained that as an alternative, Smith & Lovelace does make other types of lift stations besides the very expensive ones. Mr. Borner stated that all of the City's lift stations that date back 30 years are all Smith & Lovelace. He stated that being a sole source supplier allows the City to put out planned specifications for lift stations and the contractors cannot submit bids with an equivalent lift station of another brand, so the bids are competitive for the products that the City wants. He stated that from a staff level, they know how to fix lift stations from Smith & Lovelace, Public Works employees know exactly what parts to keep on the shelf, and the longer that they are experienced with these lift stations the employees can become capable of doing repairs that otherwise would require a specialist, so there was a benefit there. He stated that the commonality also lends itself to the operations and maintenance because they are all similar. One lift station to the next all works the same, but the staff members are trained on one and know how it works, even as new people are brought on board. Mr. Borner added that another critical issue on the collections side was the high inflow and infiltration (I&I) due to residential sump pumps. He stated that sump pumps are probably one of the most consistent major contributors to I&I, in addition to groundwater, because residents pump into their own sewer service. He stated that this can be detected by taking a camera down the line and waiting to see if a pump cycles on overnight. The City can detect clean water coming down the sewer, which indicates the presence of a sump pump. Mr. Borner stated that eliminating residential sump pumps was something the City really needed to take a strong stance on because it was a huge contributor to I&I. Along with that, Mr. Borner stated that another issue was household grease, making sure that people are keeping their systems clean. Mr. Borner stated that there would be a complete re -write of Title 6 in November and how household grease issues could be enforced will be addressed. He McCall City Council Special Meeting Page 4 of 11 September 26, 2014 stated that enforcing compliance with local businesses was one thing, whether it was a restaurant that produces grease or an industrial operation that produces some type of industrial waste, and the terms of operating that business dictate that they can be inspected at any time to make sure they are complying with proper disposal of their waste; however, private property was another issue. Mr. Borner admitted that it was difficult to regulate the private residences because the City cannot always provide a good alternative to draining into the sewer system. However, the City was working on this. He stated that Park Street was a good example; the residents now have a way that they can disconnect their sump pumps from their sewer service and send it to a drainage ditch, which is the appropriate place for the drainage to go. However, when a property is located in a low spot and there is no drainage ditch available, Mr. Borner did not feel comfortable telling the homeowner they could not pump into the sewer because there is nowhere else to send their discharge. He explained that if there was a flooding situation and there was nowhere else to pump to, and there was room in the winter storage pond, then the City would allow them to pump into a manhole until the appropriate drainage system could be put in. Mr. Borner stated that putting in more drainage ditches would allow the citizens an appropriate place to discharge their sump pumps. Mr. Borner added that the City could identify the problem areas through the use of camera work during the nighttime to identify known places that have a high I&I problem and tackle those first. He stated that places that are high and dry and do not see a lot of I&I are not a priority. The work that Horrocks did has identified those critical areas, and that was where the City needed to concentrate first with that camera work. Mr. Borner also added that there will be strong enforcement action if the voluntary request for compliance does not work. Mr. Borner then turned the discussion to the winter storage pond, stating that the pond was mandated by IDEQ and EPA. The pond holds approximately 280 million gallons and has an on - site pump station. He stated that the estimate to repair one pump was for $22,000 and currently there are two primary pumps. Mr. Borner stated that there was also a smaller pump that did not get used very often. He stated that one of the pumps was out for maintenance and rebuild, so it will be brought up to an almost as -new condition and at some point the other pump would need to be taken out and the same maintenance performed. As far as critical issues with the winter storage pond, Mr. Borner stated that the winter storage pond has never passed a leak test. He stated that the reuse permit and the draft staff analysis report both address leak testing, but the problem was the leak test was invalid because of the high level of groundwater. Mr. Borner explained that if the groundwater was not there a valid leak test could be conducted; however, even if the City showed a passing leak test the DEQ would consider it invalid due to the high groundwater. He further explained that this was why a leak test has not been done in the last few years. This issue was partially what led to the fourth amended consent order. He stated that inspecting the bottom of the winter storage pond was also a difficulty because of the heat in the summer and the safety factor of sending employees down into it, and the liner was not smooth on the bottom and sludge gets caught in the ridges. Mr. Borner stated that there was no practical way to try to clean the sludge out of the pond, and that sludge prevents the bottom of the pond from being inspected. He stated that the City met with the DEQ about the problem, and at that point the DEQ recognized that a different approach needed to be taken to inspect the bottom of the pond. McCall City Council Special Meeting Page 5 of 11 September 26, 2014 Mayor Aymon gave the illustration of a biopsy, and wondered if there was a similar way to biopsy a core sample of the sludge to see if it was bubbling up? Mr. Borner replied that the limiting factor would be the high groundwater. He stated that bubbling up did not necessarily indicate a leak, just high groundwater. He explained that when John Lewinsky walked on it last summer, he compared it to walking on the surface of the moon or walking on a waterbed because it undulated under his feet due to the high groundwater. Mr. Borner stated that the pond has an underdrain system that was being tested quarterly for contaminants, phosphorus and nitrogen, and it was there where Mr. Lewinsky thinks that on one quadrant there are higher phosphorus levels, and that section was for emergency discharge only. He stated that about 60 million gallons a year flow out from underneath the underdrain system which does not mean there was a 60-million gallon leak around the storage pond as it was also groundwater. Mr. Borner stated that the City did not know exactly what the contribution was from the winter storage pond and what was from the groundwater. Mr. Borner stated that another possible theory was that the phosphorus test may not necessarily be the correct test to apply there. He explained that once the correct test was administered per the fourth amended consent order; the staff will remain "hands off' in order for the data to have the highest integrity possible. He stated that it was going to cost money to have a company come up from Boise to do the sampling and then do the testing. He stated that by having a third party do the test it will eliminate any doubt about the validity of the testing during the year -long testing process that the City was about to undergo, which will also include the Payette River upstream and downstream of where the discharge goes in. He stated that it was important to have the data accurately collected first before thinking about making improvements. Mr. Borner continued stating that the DEQ was well aware that the winter storage pond can be a financial black hole and that the City could potentially spend a lot of money on this in the future. He stated that the City is trying to manage the public relations side to make sure the City was not doing something to affect Cascade Reservoir or the perception that the City was just discharging raw sewage into the river. He stated that the DEQ understood what the City's financial constraints are, and are trying to balance some of the realities with these constraints. Mr. Borner added that another important factor to maintaining the facility was having a large water supply source. He stated that one idea was taking water out of the storage lagoon in the summertime and then using a pump back system to pump out of that pipe and put it back into the storage pond. If it was done right the water supply source would help wash sludge and clean off the bottom of the pond, so that should be looked at. Mr. Borner stated that something that DEQ would like to see the City do, almost immediately, was the bypass piping. He explained that prior to the winter storage pond being constructed, the City used to pump effluent directly out to the mixing station and the farmers' fields. He stated that the effluent did not go into a winter storage pond. He also stated that currently the City could not hold back water for a long enough period of time in the treatment lagoons to effectively work on the winter storage pond. He stated that the idea with the bypass piping was that the effluent could go to the wet wells where the pump station was so that it could be pumped directly to the mixing station without it ever entering into the winter storage pond. Mr. Borner further explained that in years past when there had been dry years there may be two times a year when the pond was empty, usually around the first week of August, and then it fills McCall City Council Special Meeting Page 6 of 11 September 26, 2014 back up and a final discharge is done toward the end of the season. He stated that was a time when the Lake Irrigation District shuts down their water, so the pond actually gets emptied twice during the summertime. He stated that ideally the first time the pond was empty the valves should be turned and all the water could be drained out down to the farmers' fields, and that creates another three or four weeks to work on it, and potentially longer, if the City works with the farmers. He stated that if it was a dry year or under the reuse permit, the City might be able to get away with continuing into the month of September or later if the line could be cleaned out at the end of the year and through their spigots. He stated that the farmers' did not want the effluent to remain in their irrigation lines and center pivots all winter long as it can be corrosive and it cause some operational maintenance in the springtime. Mr. Borner explained that a section of the bypass piping was removed because the winter storage pond went online and it was not deemed necessary any longer, but this was an oversight by both the City and the DEQ and needed to be put back. The City was currently working on finding the original plans and specifications so they can be reviewed and see what was still there and what needed to be replaced to put the bypass pipes back into place. He stated that the City did not want the winter storage pond to go away, but it has problems, and the bypass piping would help a variety of things, not only for maintenance but also for analysis. He stated that when doing studies the pond needed to be isolated so that flow was going around it, and so this bypass piping will become a critical component in maintaining the winter storage pond. Mr. Borner pointed out that the fourth amended consent order was also a very important step in the process as it helps create a plan for the future. He stated that the work that the City was going to do over the next 12 to 18 months would lead to a facility plan that will present options as to how to repair the winter storage pond and fix some of these issues. He stated that other than the pump back system as an issue, the City told the DEQ its plan was to put water treatment wells in place upstream and downstream from the winter storage pond. This would assist the City to be able to see what the groundwater quality is, and then an intensive sampling program is needed on a monthly basis where data is collected for certain constituents that DEQ has asked for, which are listed in the fourth amended consent order. He stated that after that year's time the City's engineers will sit down with DEQ and talk about those results, and from that a facility plan will be developed as to what needed to be done as far as repair or construction, whether it was a new pond liner on the bottom or a permanent pump back system. Gene Drabinski pointed out the absence of a master plan for the entire system. Mr. Borner concurred that the City has a facility plan for the treatment facility only. He stated that there are a number of small plans addressing small issues, but there was no all -encompassing plan in terms of the collections system, winter storage pond, and treatment facility for the next 20 years. He explained that the DEQ was asking for a facility plan specifically in the fourth amended consent order for the winter storage pond, but what the City needed was an overall master plan so management has some direction. He stated that the City has been working from various revisions and addendums since the early 1990s, so a ground -up new master plan was definitely needed. Mr. Borner continued, stating that the water treatment facility that was built or online in 2002 was designed for a volume of 6 million gallons per day. When volumes are consistently pushing over 3 million gallons of production and both filters are used, DEQ was going to ask the City to start designing and constructing a third filter, because if one of the filters goes out of production McCall City Council Special Meeting Page 7 of 11 September 26, 2014 in the middle of summer the City cannot meet the demand. He stated that one of the questions that will come up in the rate study will be if water conservation principles are put into effect and the City was selling less water, what impact would that have to the City's revenue? He explained that one of the ways around this could be to limit irrigation. He stated that when thinking about a 5 million dollar capital investment into a third filter, it becomes easy to argue to limit irrigation. He also stated that the other possibility would be to add wells. He stated that in fact, the wells used to irrigate the golf course were originally intended to be used for water production for domestic water use, but could not supply enough water and therefore were turned over for irrigation of the golf course. Mr. Borner stated that the potential need for a third filter could become a critical issue and will be addressed with the new water master plan. He stated that though production was not currently at capacity, there was another issue about redundancy. He stated that it may be necessary to take one of the filters off-line and still be able to meet peak maximum demand. Mr. Borner discussed a pond located off Penstemen near the golf course that repeatedly fills up with alum sludge and has to be pumped into the wastewater treatment plant. He explained that the City uses an alum additive to the water to help with the suspended solid removal process. He stated that during the backwash process, all the backwash water goes to that pond and over time it fills up that pond and requires paying a service to have it drained. The City was looking at ways to handle the backwash sludge along with SPF. Mr. Borner stated that the area was residential and on the golf course and was not a suitable location for this pond. He stated that there needed to be a place for drying of sludge, for instance, and the City needed more physical room than they currently have. He states that was something the City would have to take a look at and come back to with some options. Mr. Borner discussed an operational issue with access to liquid chemical storage tanks within the wastewater treatment plant. He stated that the tanks were put in first and then built around and now they cannot be removed. If the situation arises where the tank farthest in needed to be replaced, all the other tanks would have to come out to reach that tank. In addition, Mr. Borner discussed issues with Legacy Park and Davis Beach pump stations. He stated that Davis Beach was a private beach that was dedicated to the City with a deed restriction that it only be used for recreational purposes. He explained that the City put in a pump building there, but the idea grew to add a bathroom and the building got larger, and there were issues with people being able to look out their windows and see the lake, and narrow access. He stated that last year the City was red -tagged by the City Electrical Inspector that the electrical feed into that facility was not properly sized or improperly grounded. He explained that it was an emergency situation, so the City brought an electrician on board to run conduit along the fence and then underground, which raised concern at Davis Beach. He continued stating that at Legacy Park the pump building was old; however it was still structurally sound, but it was an eyesore in the crown jewel of the City's park system. He stated that ideally the City should look at locating a new pump station at the golf course. The two lines meet, the one that comes from Legacy and the one that comes from Davis, and continue on to the water treatment plant. Mr. Borner stated that he would prefer to find a solution that eliminates both pump stations. He stated that this may have to be a long-term project, something that was looked at six or seven years out, but would help to have an answer for those who live nearby or are concerned about it. McCall City Council Special Meeting Page 8 of 11 September 26, 2014 Regarding water distribution, Mr. Borner revealed that there are 97 miles of pipe, 786 hydrants, and two storage tanks with a capacity of 1.2 and 4 million gallons. He stated that did not include the clear well, in case of an emergency, where there are several hundred thousand gallons at the water treatment plant. He stated that there are three booster pumping stations and a number of PRV (pressure reducing valve) stations to reduce the operating pressure in the system from high levels to moderate levels. He explained that critical issues with water distribution include replacement of all the cast iron, lead joint, and AC pipe. Mr. Borner stated he was a proponent of updating, and if roadwork was going to be performed, the updating needed to be performed before the roadwork and not after the fact. In addition, he stated that the water mains needed to be upsized; for example, the 6" pipe on Lake Street from Third Street all the way out needed to be upsized. He stated that the water master plan update that SPF was working on has indicated some upsizing around the Hospital for fire flow was needed. He also stated that there were some upsizing that needed to happen on Fireweed. Dead-end mains also need to be eliminated where possible to bring in cleaner water and increased pressure and volume for fire flow. He stated that by tying in dead-end mains with other water mains, water would circulate through that system and there would be a higher volume of water available to use for fire, and the water quality would improve. Mr. Borner also mentioned something that was not addressed very often with the large number of hydrants in use, but proper hydrant valve maintenance and replacement was an issue. He stated that with asset management the City was going to be documenting all of the hydrants. He also stated that an aggressive endeavor is to replace 700 hydrants and at one or two a year it would take a long time to replace them. On a separate note, Mr. Borner mentioned that there are some high pressures in the Rio Vista area that may require additional PRV stations. Lastly, Mr. Borner added that the new water master plan was in need of updating. Mayor Aymon asked about water main upsizing on Lake Street. Are there any agreements in place with ITD so that when they do rehabilitation on Lake Street the City would do water main upsizing at the same time? Mr. Borner answered that from the State Transportation Plan the City should know several years in advance if ITD was going to have a project. He stated that it has been challenging communicating with ITD due to turnover, and the City seems to have fallen out of the loop, but the City should know about this in advance. He stated that the City should have some plans ready on the shelf so that when these things happen they can be done together. Mr. Borner stated that for many years maintenance has been deferred under the "if it's not broke, don't fix it" principle. He stated that this maintenance has to be carried out to make sure that the water system works. The sewer costs valuable resources, both in time and money. He stated that there has been a lack of manpower, equipment, and resources. He stated that employees were shared between water, sewer, public works, and snow removal. Mr. Borner emphasized that there was work to be done in the wintertime, and the City needed to make sure that the employees are doing that work, even though there was cross -training involved. He stated that Part of the workers' certification process was time spent working in that system, and with five months McCall City Council Special Meeting Page 9 of 11 September 26, 2014 pushing snow for public works, it takes that much longer for them to become certified, which is important for the levels that the systems are currently at. He stated that senior employees are retiring and the next line of employees was several years out from being certified. He stated that the City must have a Responsible Charge Operator and a Substitute Responsible Charge Operator that are certified at the level of the City's systems, all five, including land application. Mr. Borner addressed the question of why the City should fix these problems now stating that deferred maintenance has become capitalized. He stated that saving money now by avoiding proper maintenance would only equate to more expensive repairs later and many capital improvements are required by IDEQ and EPA regulations based upon existing capacity, future growth, and redundancy. He emphasized that not fixing the system simply affects public health, welfare, and safety. Mr. Borner discussed what the City needed to do to fix the above -mentioned wastewater issues. Mr. Borner gave out handouts with prioritized items according to cost and when needed based upon DEQ mandate. He felt that the most important item in the wastewater area was to develop a plan for rehabilitation of the sand filters and get them working during the irrigating season. Mr. Borner gave out a list of projects by fiscal year. Planning projects for 2014 included updating the facility plan, sand filter rehabilitation plan, and sludge removal plan. Collections projects included ongoing I&I removal, lift station #7 rebuilding, and a SCADA upgrade. Work on the winter storage pond would be as directed in the fourth amended consent order, mainly the bypass piping plan and the relocation of the mixing station. Mr. Borner stated that the water master plan needed to be finished and include issues with the filter at the water treatment plan. Ongoing pipe replacement will continue along with the hydrant valve inventory and a replacement plan. He continued stating that projects for 2015 and 2016 include plans for a headworks building, capacity analysis, ongoing sand filter rehabilitation, and sludge removal. Mr. Borner stated that looking at the winter storage pond for 2015 involves bypass piping, mixing station relocation if not already done, and ongoing SCADA upgrades. Water treatment projects include an alternative for backwash sludge removal and improving access to the chemical tanks. Getting into 2016 and 2017, chlorine generation analysis will be a goal involving expanding the chlorine contact basin. Councilor Witte left the meeting. There was Council Consensus that Councilor Giles be assigned as the City Council Liaison to the Rate Study Team. Gene Drabinski left the meeting. Mayor Aymon asked about the bypass piping plan and the difference between the pump back systems. Councilor Swanson left the meeting. McCall City Council Special Meeting Page 10 of 11 September 26, 2014 Mr. Borner was asked to reiterate the importance of the sand filters. He stated that the sand filters are a critical component because they allow cattle to graze at the same time effluent was being applied to the fields. He explained that the Department of Agriculture would prefer to have a 15- day waiting period after application to bring in the cattle, to which the farmers are not agreeable. Mr. Borner stated that the compromised solution between DEQ and the Department of Agriculture was to utilize the sand filters to make the effluent ready for irrigation. He stated that in the springtime the detention time in the winter storage pond was diminished therefore the effluent from the winter and spring months has been in the storage pond long enough that the pathogens have settled out. He stated that even with effective chlorination there are some pathogens that cannot be killed, so they are collected out in the sand filter. At one time the City was discharging Class B water and was required to use the sand filters, but after changing to Class C the sand filters were not required and the use became intermittent. Mr. Borner was not sure the City will be running any of the sand filters next summer. The piping underneath the sand filters needed to be rehabilitated. There is a water main that goes underneath it as well, so more work has to be performed for sand filters to be fully operational. ADJOURNMENT Without further business, Mayor Aymon adjourned the meeting at 6:00 p.m. �•`` cCALL ''�•, ATTEST: BessieJo `a n• er, C. Clerk 9 S. 0rz *E 04: ackie J. Aymon, Mayor McCall City Council Special Meeting Page 11 of 11 September 26, 2014