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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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ackie J. Aymon, Mayor
McCall City Council Special Meeting Page 11 of 11
September 26, 2014