HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - City Council - Meeting Date: 10/19/2010 1'?:i City of Glendale
i i Council Sustainability Committee
GLENIp Minutes
October 19, 2010
10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Council Chambers Conference Room 8-2
Council Sustainability Committee Members:
Present were Councilmember/Chairperson Yvonne Knaack (Barrel District), Vice Mayor Steve
Frate (Sahuaro District), and Councilmember David Goulet (Ocotillo District)
City Staff Members:
Becky Benna, Larry Broyles, Jon Froke, Stuart Kent, Doug Kukino, Jo Miller, Stephen Rot, Sherry
Schurhammer, Pam Wertz, Michelle Wilson, Bob, Manginell, and Marilyn Clark
I. Approval of Minutes-Council Sustainability Committee Meeting of September 21, 2010
Chairperson Knaack called for a motion to approve the minutes for the September 21, 2010
Council Sustainability meeting. Councilmember Goulet made a motion to approve. The motion
was seconded by Vice Mayor/Chairperson Frate. The minutes from the September 21, 2010
Council Sustainability Committee meeting were approved as written.
II. Presentation -Storm Water (New Requirements)
Michelle Wilson, Environmental Program Manager, Environmental Resources presented this
agenda item. The presentation is outlined below:
Glendale has a separate sanitary sewer and stormwater collection system. In homes and
businesses, water from sinks, baths, toilets, and washing machines go into the sanitary sewer
system. This wastewater goes to the wastewater treatment plant where it is treated to remove
contaminants prior to discharge.
Unlike the sanitary sewer system, stormwater travels across impervious surfaces such as roofs,
parking lots, and roads picking up contaminants along the way. The stormwater is then
discharged without any treatment to nearby retention basins, drywells, and washes.
Studies conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) show that stormwater runoff
as one of the leading causes of existing water quality impairments. The same regulations apply
nationwide, whether it is an area like Glendale with seven (7) inches of rain each year, or an
area like Pensacola, Florida with 65 inches of rain. Contaminants carried in stormwater may
include sediment from construction, fertilizers/pesticides/herbicides from lawns and gardens,
oil, grease, and toxic chemicals from motor vehicles, heavy metals from motor vehicles and
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industrial areas, yard waste and litter, viruses, bacteria, and nutrients from pet waste and septic
systems, paints and solvents.
Where does the water go?
In Glendale, water travels through man-made gutters, channels, storm drains, or other
conveyances to surrounding washes such as Skunk Creek, New River, and the Agua Fria River.
These canals, diversion channels, and washes are considered to be "Waters of the U.S." The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
(ADEQ) regulate discharges, including stormwater, to Waters of the U.S. Today Glendale has
184 miles of stormwater pipes, over 5,100 inlets, and over 1,200 outlets and headwalls that
make up the stormwater system. Additionally, there are five (5) monitoring stations where
stormwater samples are collected and analyzed for pollutants.
City-Wide Storm Water Permit
The Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Permit, commonly referred to as the MS4 permit,
regulates stormwater discharges from the city to the Waters of the U.S. Glendale's original
MS4 permit was issued in 1999. EPA issued a new MS4 permit to the city on August 27, 2010.
That permit is valid for five (5) years. During the issuance of new permits, it is typical of
regulatory agencies to add new requirements. The new permit is an unfunded mandate that
includes approximately 75 new or enhanced tasks that must be performed. To date, Phoenix
and Mesa have been issued permits and Tempe has been issued a draft permit. The City of
Glendale permit is similar in nature to the permits issued to these other cities.
Summary of New Requirements
One of the elements of the program includes the implementation and enforcement of a
storm water ordinance and procedures to enforce the ordinance. Historically, Glendale has used
a combination of various city ordinances to enforce stormwater requirements. The new permit
requires cities to implement a consolidated ordinance specific to stormwater to better enhance
the enforcement of the permit requirements. Staff is working on a draft stormwater ordinance
to meet the permit requirements and anticipate bringing the ordinance to Council for approval
in the near future.
The new requirement also asks that cities increase the number of inspections at municipal,
industrial, commercial, and construction sites. In the past, Glendale only conducted stormwater
inspections at certain industrial and municipal facilities. The new permit requires all cities to
include commercial facilities that may contribute to stormwater pollution such as automotive
repair, restaurants, and other facilities that handle chemicals. Glendale will have to conduct a
minimum of 100 stormwater inspections a year, which represents an approximate 10-fold
increase. The city will have to prepare spill prevention plans and conduct inspections at city
facilities that store greater than five (5) gallons of hazardous materials that have the potential
to contact stormwater. All construction projects will require an inspection within one (1) year
following completion.
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The program also emphasizes increased training, increased inspections, and maintenance of the
storm drain system. The city will have to provide new employee and enhanced refresher
training to approximately 200 municipal staff members for performing inspections and
recognizing discharges to the city's storm drain system. Refresher training is required every
two (2) years. Inspections and maintenance of the storm drain system require increased
reporting to document what has been performed.
Another component of the new permit is to compare storm water samples to set standards and
investigate any exceedances. During rain events there are five (5) monitoring stations where
samples are collected for laboratory analysis. The city will now be required to compare the lab
results to regulatory standards to verify if there has been an exceedance. In the event of an
exceedance, the city is required to investigate what may have contributed to the exceedance.
Additionally, the city may be required to implement additional best management practices to
reduce pollutants.
Evaluate Low Impact Development Standards for Incorporation into the Planning and
Development Process. We will be required to evaluate Low Impact Development Standards for
incorporation into the planning and development process. Low Impact Development is a
method of designing sites to mimic natural hydrology, prior to development, by retaining and
reusing stormwater on the property. This may include a variety of design features ranging from
passive features such as use of curb cuts or pavers to direct stormwater to plants, or active
features such as rain water catchments.
The Development of a Storm Water Management Plan. Within one year of the new permit,
Glendale will be required to have a written Storm Water Management Plan in place that details
how all the permit requirements will be implemented. The plan must be posted on the city's
website.
Annual Reports and Fourth Year Reapplication Submittal. Although Glendale has historically
submitted annual reports, there is a new report format that is much more detailed.
Additionally, a comprehensive reapplication submittal will be required in the fourth year of the
permit.
Teamwork
There are many departments that have responsibilities under the new permit. Without their
commitment and teamwork Glendale would not be able to meet these new requirements. For
almost two (2) years, representatives from impacted departments have been meeting monthly
to educate and discuss upcoming requirements, and to evaluate the best way to meet the
permit expectations. The following are some of the departments involved, and their
responsibilities under the new permit:
Utilities (Pretreatment, Wastewater Collections, and Distribution) will conduct commercial and
industrial facility inspections. They are responsible for inspections and handling issues at
outfalls to Waters of the U.S. They will also deal with any sanitary sewer overflow and
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wastewater issues, in addition to carrying out inspections and providing maintenance for the
storm sewer system.
Environmental Resources (Water Conservation) is responsible for public education, and will act
as a consultant to internal departments regarding stormwater issues. They also have the task
of reviewing laboratory information.
Engineering is responsible for the Stormwater GIS System, the inspection of construction sites,
and the completion of the Drainage Master Plan and Capital Improvement Plan.
Code Compliance takes responsibility for enforcement requirements with respect to pool
draining, trash, dumping, and dust, and will also assist other departments in the enforcing of
the stormwater ordinance.
The Fire Department handles hazardous materials, spills, or unknown materials that may be
potentially hazardous.
Field Operations (Recycling, Sanitation, Streets) coordinates employee and public complaints,
street sweeping, and flooding issues, in addition to hazardous waste collection and recycling.
Parks & Recreation performs park inspections and is responsible for the maintenance of city
parks. They also resolve any park-related issues with respect to spills, dumping, trash, and
debris.
The city has utilized a variety of staff in order to meet these requirements. As the economy
changes, or departmental resources and responsibilities shift, the ability to maintain required
stormwater activities will be strained.
Accomplishments
Through this teamwork, the city has accomplished a great deal of public outreach regarding the
importance of preventing stormwater pollution. Glendale is a member of Stormwater Outreach
for Regional Municipalities (STORM). The organization promotes stormwater education within
the greater Phoenix area. Through this membership with STORM, the city's money is invested
with 22 other partners to promote stormwater education through radio, movie ads, brochures,
and events.
In the fiscal year 2010, STORM members conducted over 60 events throughout the valley using
STORM educational materials. A movie theater campaign was conducted with an estimated
audience of over 1.3 million people. Two radio campaigns were conducted that reached a
combined audience of over six million, and the comprehensive stormwater website was
updated.
Additionally, the city promotes public education throughout many of its departments.
Pretreatment provides educational brochures to businesses, Water Conservation integrates
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stormwater education during their classes and public outreach, Engineering provides
information to construction contractors, field staff has a door hanger for residents, and other
departments integrate stormwater messages to residents in mailers such as the Clean and
Green newsletter and the annual Water Quality Report. There will also be a segment on
stormwater on an upcoming Cable 11 program.
The entire storm drain system has been mapped in GIS which includes over 14,000 components
that needs to be updated and maintained as appropriate. In the fiscal year 2010, the entire
storm drain system was inspected to prioritize and perform needed maintenance. Additionally,
software has been purchased that will utilize the GIS information to track all maintenance
activities and inspections performed under the permit. The Arizona Department of
Environmental Quality has used Glendale's GIS system as an example of excellence when
speaking with other cities regarding GIS requirements.
Working as a team, the city has been able to complete a detailed list of new requirements and
assignments, developed a draft ordinance, provided documented procedures for sampling,
investigated historical dry weather flows, and reviewed processes for public reporting of
stormwater issues. The city will continue to work on many more improvements to the
stormwater program in order to meet the new permit requirements.
Resource Evaluation
In the fiscal year 2010, approximately 20 staff members devoted over 3,000 hours in
preparation of the new permit. City staff is currently evaluating the overall impact and costs to
the city. As part of the review, the city is quantifying program costs and staffing, funding
options, and reviewing how other cities have implemented their programs.
Future Regulations
Because stormwater has been a significant focus of environmental agencies, we should expect
that more activity will be forthcoming in the future from both ADEQ and EPA which may impact
the city's operations. Staff will continue to track regulatory activity to evaluate impacts to city
operations.
This concluded Ms. Wilson's presentation. Discussions took place during and after the
presentation. No items of discussion required follow up or action on the part of staff.
Chairperson Knaack thanked Ms. Wilson for her time, and as this was an informational item, no
motion or vote was called for by the committee.
III. Staff Updates
There were no updates from staff.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at approximately 11:08 a.m.
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NEXT MEETING: November 16, 2010
10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Council Chambers Conference Room B-2
TOPIC: Green Fleet
Respectfully Submitted,
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Marilyn Clark, Recording Secretary