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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/17/2012 Work Session"City of Springfield Work Session Meeting M IN U'I'ES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2012 The City o£ Springfield Council met in a work session in the Jesse Maine Meeting Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, September 17, 2012 at 6:00 p.m., with Mayor Lundberg presiding_ ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Lundberg and Councilors Pishioneri, VanGordon, Wylie, Moore, Ralston and Woodrow_ Also present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi, A.s si stant City Manager Jeff Towery, Ciiy Attorney Matthew Cox, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff. I . Stormwater Education Update_ Environmental Services Manager Ron Bittl er presented the staff report on tfiis item_ The City of Springfield Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP) established goals, policies, and implementation actions that would acfi ieve the City Council's long -term obj actives and ensure compliance with the City's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (]TIPDES) Phases Il Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit, which was currently under formal review for renewal by the Oregon Department o£ Environmental Quality (DEQ). In support of the SWMP's Minimum Control Measure # 1 (Public Education and Outreach on Stormwater Impacts), City staff had developed a number of community programs_ The City's NPDES Phase 11 MS4 stormwater permit was issued in January, 2007 and expired December, 201 1 . A timely permit renewal application was flied in June, 201 1 and was currently being reviewed by the DEQ. At this time, the City was operating under an administratively extended permit until the permit was renewed by DEQ. The SWMP was first adopted in 2004 and readopted in February, 201 3. The SWMP provided policy and management guidance for activities affecting stormwater throughout the City_ It was intended to help the City meat States and Federal water quality requirements and to meat local water resources management objectives. The SWMP included six minimum control measures, each with a series of Best Management. Practices and measurable goals that the City would implement. The Federal NPDES siormwater program placed significant emphasis on public education to reduce storm water pollution and increase watershed health. As such, the City had also placed significant emphasis on Minimum Control Measure #1, Public Education 8e Outreacfi on Stormwater ]irtpacts. In recent years, staff had developed and implemented a number o£ stormwater education and outreach programs in order to increase awareness and stewardship throughout the community including Clean Water Gardens, Canines for Clean Water, Clean Water University_ and Adopt -a -W aterway_ Mr. Bitter noted that when George Walker, who served as the Program Supervisor for Storm water, retired from the City after 36 years his position was field vacant during the reorganization_ Bill Hamann, tfie Pre - Treatment Supervisor, was now supervising both programs. The MS4 permit, which guided activities in the siormwater program, was issued by the Department o£Environmental Quality (DEQ) January 2007 with an expiration date of December 201 1. One of the requirements o£ permit City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes September 17, 2012 Page 2 renewal was to submit an application within 180 days of permit expiration. In doing that, they were granted administratively extended permit conditions. The City was in that process with DEQ now with Senior Environmental Services Technician Sunny Washburne leading that effort. That was significant as this was the second round of the MS4 Phase2 Permits. Springfield was the first to go through the renewal process so the State was watching carefully. The permit had grown from about seven pages to twenty -one pages. This morning, the City submitted thirty-plus pages of comments. Staff was also working in the annual report for the stormwater program. Mr. Bittler presented a power point presentation. There were seven key outcomes for stormwater. Those outcomes were listed in Chapter 4 of the Stormwater Management Plan. Each contained supporting policies and implementation actions. Goals 5, 6 and 7 all had a public education component included. The other part of the Stormwater Management Plan was the 6 minimum control measures. These measures were Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements for the City in the Plan and were listed in Chapter 5 of the Stormwater Master Plan. Each of the control measures had a number of best management practices and measurable goals. Minimum Control Measure 41, public education outreach on stormwater impacts, was the focus of tonight's presentation. There were seven different best management practices and a number of measurable goals listed under this outcome. Rachael Chilton and Meghan Murphy would discuss how staff interfaced with the community in the City's education outreach program. Rachael Chilton, Public Information Education Specialist with the Development and Public Works Department referred to a slide on the Federal NPDES permit program which had a lot of emphasis on outreach and education. Staff had been active over the last 5 -year permit cycle in producing a number of educational outreach efforts, and that would be continued. Clean Water University was a program developed for all of the 5h grade classes in the Springfield School District. This program was a series of ten one -hour workshops based on water and water quality, and one '/z day field trip to the regional wastewater treatment facility in partnership with Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC). During the 2011/12 school year, which was the first full year of the program, Ms. Chilton conducted 12 classes with a total of 360 students. She discussed the workshop and the different activities the students participate in during the program. The students took a five question pre -test at the beginning of the program and a post -test on the last day. Ms. Chilton said there were ten class subjects in the program. The classes were divided as follows: Introduction; Incredible Journey; What's in the Water; Water Quality (2 classes); Aquatic Macroinvertebrates; Wastewater (field trip): and Graduation. She provided information on each of the subjects. This fall, Ms. Chilton had 9 classes scheduled with 270 students. Because of the popularity of the classes and the large classes, she may need to organize volunteers to take on some of the classes. She was also talking with Springfield Utility Board (SUB) about incorporating a drinking water component to the program. Ms. Chilton spoke regarding Canines for Clean Water. This program was started in Hillsboro and Springfield had taken it and added components that had been very popular. The program encouraged pet owners to pick up after their pets. The City held pledge events at dog parks and set up booths at the Farmer's Market and other local events. There were currently over 155 pledgers. Those pledging received a bandana for their dog and had their dog's picture taken for the website. They also received a bag holder for their leash. Also as part of that program, they provided signs for businesses and City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes September 17, 2012 Page 3 homeowners. A wall calendar had been created for 2012 and Ms. Chilton was currently working on the 2013 calendar which highlighted several councilor's and staff member's dogs. They would continue with the calendar and pledge events. Councilor Wylie asked about microinvertebrates. Ms. Chilton showed a photo of one, a mayfly. She invited Council to attend a class. Meghan Murphy Water Resources staff spoke regarding the Clean Water Garden Program. When rain water fell in undeveloped areas, it soaked into the ground, infiltrated and recharged our groundwater aquifer, the source of our drinking water. It also made its way to creeks. Development added a lot of impervious surfaces that water couldn't soak through, such as roof tops, driveways, parking lots, etc. Rainwater that hit those impervious surfaces ran off quickly which could cause problems. One of the problems it caused was flooding, channel instability and erosion, it put a strain on the City's stormwater system, and increased stormwater pollution. To help combat the problem, the City developed the Clean Water Gardens Program. This was a series of how -to brochures for homeowners showing how they could implement techniques at home to better address runoff. The brochures were displayed at places such as Jerry's Home Improvement, BRING Recycling and all of the different nurseries in town. Over 4000 brochures had been taken by the public over the last two years. Ms. Murphy discussed each brochure. The first was a Rain Garden brochure. A Rain Garden was a sunken garden bed that collected and treated runoff from rooftops, patios, driveways or other impervious surfaces. She referred to a slide of a local rain garden. If a homeowner put in a rain garden and let the City know, they received a rain garden recognition sign from the City to put in their yard and a recognition packet. People were encouraged to use pervious surfaces, such as pavers, rather than impervious surfaces to address runoff. Rainwater harvesting was another way to address this issue. People could use large rain barrels for collecting water from the downspout. Naturescaping encouraged residents to plant native plants in their yards that took less watering and were more beneficial for wildlife. Streamside gardening encouraged residents to plant native plants near water features which provided a canopy cover helping to cool the water for fish and other wildlife. Invasive species such as blackberries displaced native species and could take over an area. Residents were encouraged to remove invasive species and replace with native plants. Demonstration areas were a way to increase citizen awareness and showcase what a rain garden could look like. In a partnership with the University of Oregon through the Sustainable City Year Program, and the Springfield School District, a demonstration project was scheduled to be built next to the Brattain House and Two Rivers/Dos Rios Elementary. The next steps for this program included a traveling booth, a workshop series, demonstrations, a map and tour of demonstration sites, and education aimed at pesticide and fertilizer use. Ms. Murphy discussed the Adopt -A- Waterway program. Springfield was between the Willamette and McKenzie Rivers and both had a lot of urban tributaries that weren't in the best of shape. Some common problems were garbage, lack of native vegetation, lack of shade making the water too warm, and invasive species. She referred to some photos of areas facing those problems. Staff proposed developing this program by having community groups adopt a section of a City owned stream or public water quality facility. The group would sign a 2 -year agreement to have two work parties per year for things such as litter pick up, invasive species removal and planting of native species. Each group would receive safety training and sign a liability waiver. A site plan would be created and a recognition sign would be placed at each site. The next steps for the Adopt -A- Waterway program would be to implement a pilot project, evaluate and refine the program, and contact community groups to promote the program. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes September 17, 2012 Page 4 Ms. Murphy described the desired outcomes of the Stormwater Education Programs: Increase community awareness of stormwater issues and how citizens can protect stormwater; Protect and enhance Springfield's waterways; Generate a watershed -based stewardship ethic in the community; and Meet the requirements of Springfield's stormwater permit. As they went through the programs, they were always evaluating, making changes and coming up with new ways for people to change their behavior. Councilor Moore asked if Springfield permitted separately from the City of Eugene. Ms. Murphy said Eugene had a different permitting process due to their size. Springfield did work with them closely as water resources ran across boundaries. Councilor Moore suggested partnering with Lane County Extension Service who was holding a Fall Festival on September 21 at the Adult Activity Center in Springfield. They were looking for people who might want to set up vendors and displays and this could be a good fit. She noted the concerns of citizens about their wastewater and stormwater fees and asked if there was some way to provide education for those citizens. She appreciated the great job staff was doing educating students. During a presentation by Willamalane it was noted how important clean water was for our citizens. She asked if people realized they were paying to have clean water in Springfield through those fees. She asked if they could put an insert in the SUB bill to promote the idea that the fees paid for wastewater and stormwater helped keep our water clean. Ms. Murphy said they did put inserts in the SUB bill twice a year; one covered rates and fees and the other highlighted the stormwater education program. Councilor Moore said perhaps they could have something that read, "Thank you for these fees that you pay that benefit the whole community". Ms. Chilton said people could be encouraged to tour the wastewater plant. Mr. Bittler said he liked Councilor Moore's tag line approach and felt it could be useful. Councilor Wylie asked who issued the permit and what it was about. Ms. Murphy said it was issued by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The permit was for our water systems. The City was required to fulfill the six minimum control measures noted earlier, which included education. Councilor Wylie asked how often the permit was renewed. Mr. Bittler said it was a five -year permit cycle. It was now expired, but our draft permit was under review. If we stayed on schedule, Springfield could have a revised permit by the end of the calendar year. Councilor Wylie asked if DEQ did site visits. Mr. Bittler said the City was required to report annually. Each program had goals and measurable outcomes within the parameters of the six minimum control measures. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes September 17, 2012 Page 5 Ms. Murphy said the DEQ could come to Springfield at any time. Mr. Bittler noted that Eugene was audited this year and did fairly well. Councilor Pishioneri asked if they had mitigation plans for sloped development regarding collecting and disbursing runoff. Ms. Murphy said there were safety considerations and guidelines for rain gardens. Councilor Pishioneri said there was a large amount of hillside development in Springfield that depended on pervious surfaces for stability. He asked if there was a grant program for the water barrels. Ms. Murphy said they didn't have a program to provide rain barrels, but had looked at grant opportunities and would continue to look for those types of funding options. Referring to hillside development, she noted that not all sites were suitable for a rain garden or impervious surfaces. Councilor Pishioneri suggested buying rain barrels wholesale at a lower rate and passing that savings along to the citizens. Councilor VanGordon asked how many rain gardens were in Springfield. Ms. Murphy said at this time there were only a handful. Some people may not notify the City if they did put in a rain garden and some people may not put in a rain garden because of the work involved. People wanted the information, but putting in a rain garden could be involved. She explained. Mayor Lundberg thanked them for the presentation. There was so much information, she would be interested in having another presentation or follow -up for Council. It was great that they started with the kids, but the adults also needed the information. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:05 p.m. Minutes Recorder — Amy Sowa Christine L. Lundberg Mayor Attest: Ow U�- Amy So City Recorder