WATER/WASTEWATER TASK FORCE MEETING

1) CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order by Councilor Paul Wulf.

2) INTRODUCTIONS

Introductions were made. Members, staff, and citizens were in attendance as noted below.

3) CITIZEN INPUT

Rob Kissler, Keizer Public Works Director, presented a letter to the Task Force complimenting the work and the end draft product of the Technical Supplement to the Salem Stormwater Management Plan and the Salem Drainage System Improvement Plan. He noted a number of concerns the City of Keizer has with regard to the Plan (letter distributed to attendees and attached for file copy). Concerns include the need to involve all local jurisdictions, net affects of development on downstream property, and 100-year floodplain protection.

4) MINUTES

Minutes of November 18, 1999, were unanimously approved as written. (Charley Waters stated the motion, seconded by Wendy Kroger.)

5) REVIEW OF DRAFT STORMWATER MASTER PLAN

Tim Gerling, Assistant Public Works Director, was introduced to present an overview of the Draft Stormwater Master Plan, along with Steve Downs, Utilities Planning Engineer.

Tim briefly reviewed the adoption schedule which includes work from January 20, 2000 through July 20, 2000 (copy attached for file).

Steve Downs gave a brief overview of the process used to get to the point of having draft documents for review. He presented the Draft Stormwater Master Plan by using the Table of Contents (copy attached for file) and gave a brief explanation of each section of the Draft Plan. The components of the Stormwater Master Plan are the Stormwater Management Program Plan (Technical Supplement) and the Drainage System Improvement Program (DSIP).

On February 28, there will be a report to City Council on the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the 4d Rule which both have an impact on the City of Salem and other local jurisdictions.

Tim presented a (copy attached for file) representative list of Stormwater Management Program Plan (SMPP) early action items including within one year, two years, three years, and four years, and discussion followed.

Also presented was an explanation of the DSIP POTENTIAL DETENTION OPPORTUNITY SITE EVALUATION MATRIX used to screen possible detention sites (copies attached for file information). Tim stated that there are very few potential sites. If a site is found and needed, it should be locked in before a subdivision is built in the location.

The issue of modeling was discussed and the idea that it is useless when so much rain falls as did in the 1996 flood. Tim stated that most bad things that happen in floods happen quickly, but worse in slow motion floods.

JB Summers stated that bigger culverts, bigger pipes get water down faster, but the City of Keizer is still going to have to spend the same amount of money in either case. A good open discussion is needed - protect children and animals, or protect for 50-year flood?

There is nothing noted on Mill Creek or on Pringle Creek for detention, so we have to look at what opportunities there are on Mill Creek for detention.

Discussion at this point turned to a preview of the next Task Force meeting scheduled for March 9. There will be an overview of big questions surrounding financing. The financing policy paper will be brought forth at that meeting. Discussion will include options for levels of funding.

Mike Gotterba pointed out that there is limited mention of watershed councils in the Draft Plan, but there is a lot of money out there which could be used to accomplish some of the surveys and other necessary studies and wonders if that isn't a key strategy identified in the Plan to make sure that we use all the resources available. Wendy Kroger agreed and said that one of the things that the Stormwater Advisory Committee (SWAC) wanted to do was make sure that all resources were tapped into. Frank Mauldin stated that there is a culvert study being done now by Pringle Creek Watershed Council. They have been identifying all the culverts in the Pringle Creek Watershed that might give various information. That is something the City was going to do with contracting. Mike indicated that there are four watershed councils in the City now, but there is nothing on the Little Pudding. There would be a payback there to get something like that going.

Steve Downs commented that the Willamette River Restoration Group is another possible source of help.

Councilor Bennett questioned how much Urban Service Areas will drive where the funds are spent? Tim Gerling responded that he thought “very little.” He noted that there were huge costs associated with the USAs in Lone Oak and West Salem, in the neighborhood of a million to a million and a half dollars each. He thinks there would not be as much impact as street bond.
Councilor Wulf asked if this Plan outlines issues that would be the 100-year protection insurance policy or is this 50 years or 30 years or 10 years? Steve stated that FEMA streams are considered 50-year, non-FEMA are open and 25- year storm, pipe system it is a 10-year protection. Paul shared a concern about being on the cutting edge versus using current technology. Steve responded that on Table 6-10 there are allowances for meeting various unknowns such as meeting ESA requirements. They are placeholder numbers for things you don't want to rush into. Paul then asked about the mandate that all rain drains are sealed to storm system at schedule 40 pipe, essentially the same pipe in the sewer inside the house. Are there alternatives being looked at to take care of surges from rain such as just letting the drains run onto the landscape? That has been identified as one of the policies the Public Works Director gives the opportunity to approve alternative systems. The problem is either lousy soils or water on top of soils with no place to go.

JB Summers asked if the current NPDES permit requires adoption of this Stormwater Master Plan by a certain date. (Steve replied that it is supposed to be adopted by the end of the second year.) (JB) So it is the adoption of the SWMP that allows simultaneous approach to developing stormwater SDCs. So we are putting together a book to adopt even though it is significantly incomplete? Tim Gerling stated that yes, and that is not inconsistent with the way it works with the SDC methodology. Somewhere you have to have a document that says these are the specific projects that you then base your dollars on. The total list of projects drives the dollars. At the end of each year, the master plan will be re-evaluated. The master plan represents a starting point.

Frank Mauldin pointed out that at the March 9 meeting the funding amount for stormwater capital improvements will be revealed. The SDC's will be based on what the City can afford to pay, not the laundry list of all possible projects. The Cost of Service Analyst will separate the sanitary sewer charges and the stormwater charges. It will be phased in over a period of time because it is going to be a difficult phasing. There will be winners and losers. The big loser is going to be those with big impermeable areas - big commercial shopping centers with parking lots, industrial areas, etc. There is also a quality part of this. A lot of the big parking lots are giving bad quality and we are going to have to have a rate incentive to get them to clean that up. So they will have one rate if they have cleaned it up and another if they don't. This is going to be a complicated separation process of getting stormwater out of the rate structure. You will see strategies come out of the COSA.

Keizer Mayor Newton stated Keizer is really gratified to see that this is being put together and bring closure to the plan. This is a very positive step for the whole area. Capacity is okay for the time being in Keizer. Keizer's concern is that suddenly water increases dramatically during rain event whereas it used to take days to have the water get to have the water get to bank full along the creek area and now it is a matter of hours. So there is some development going on over north county that is probably causing this pattern. We are okay for right now, but further development is our concern right now. The greatest concern is Labish. Labish has lots of capacity and Keizer has asked to pump water out from behind the dam into the river to get that additional capacity during those events. Working very diligently to get some additional control on that. Willing to pay for that to occur.

Paul Wulf requested that staff come back to the Task Force at the next meeting after reviewing the letter presented by Keizer with comments as far as stating the most logical way to address their concerns.

6) OTHER

Frank Mauldin announced that on March 2, the City has been invited by the Marion-Polk Building Industry to present the financial plan to them. That is one week prior to the Task Force meeting. Is there any Task Force member concern? None stated.

7) ADJOURN

Meeting adjourned at 12:55 p.m.

These minutes are transcribed from notes and the tape recording of the Task Force meeting on February 10, 2000, as an overview of the meeting. They are not verbatim. The tape recorded meeting is available for review in the Office of the Public Works Director. The attachments are to the file copy only. Copies of the attachments were distributed at the meeting and by mail to those unable to attend the meeting.



Linda Nelson, Staff Assistant II
February 16, 2000

Attachments:
Attendance Sheet (file copy only)
Presentation Materials (file copy only)