Water Advisory Board

Buena Vista Water Advisory Board Minutes of September 16, 2021 Zoom Format Call to Order Meeting called to order by Chairman Hamilton at 6:34 p.m. on a Zoom format Attendance and Introductions In attendance were: Harley Hamilton, Roy Gertson, Kelly Collins , Reed Dils, Andrew Rice, Rick Bieterman, ( alternate member ) Shawn Williams, Cindi Swisher ( Town Council) & Joel Benson . Agenda Adoption Chairman Harley added ChicagoRanch water, & well #4 Reed added follow-up on April 22 minutes , water storage tank painting, & Canadian thistle, a noxious weed in the Gorrel Meadow. Approval of Minutes Minutes from April 22, 2021 Motion by Kelly , 2nd by Reed to approve the minutes. Vote by members approved. Public Comment; none Business Items A. Shawn requested response for the Master Plan Draft. Members can e-mail response to Joel by Oct 1st. Several issues were discussed: 1. Cyndi made comments on importance of conservation and infrastructure up- grades.The CIP does list replacing aging water main piping. 2. Feasibility of underground aquifer storage. Kelly, Andrew & Harley mentioned needing the right conditions of an aquifer to store water. Our glacial till is not the best. Other suitable areas should be identified. Harley said that it’s hard to measure inflow & outflow. Joel is meeting with Terry Scanga ,UAWCD on their studies of aquifer storage. Gorrel Meadow cannot function as an aquifer storage and the Town has to obtain a court decree for aquifer storage. Shawn stated the Gorrel is being studied to increase water levels. 3. Rick brought forward the conservation program importance and the unaccountable water , that is about 24%. Rick also mentioned the recently purchased Dry Creek irriga- tion right and if augmentation is the Town’s motive for purchasing. Shawn responded how important a conservation program would be beneficial. He said water loss is about 15 % for August. The Water Dept is being very proactive with ongoing leak detection, metering issues, and The Ivy League water loss ( about 4 to 6 MG / year). Shawn reviewed what pipe Ivy League has replaced, but still need further pipe replacement projects. The solvent weld PVC is problematic, Harley mentioned ex- Town of Buena Vista Water Advisory Board Minutes – September 16, 2021 perience with another subdivision in Park County that had same problems, having to re- place the PVC. Joel responded to the Dry Creek Irrigation being a source for future well augmenta- tion. Town will have to obtain a water decree for this augmentation. Other options are being reviewed. Joel stated , they are working with UAWCD & Forest Service for the operational plan of Cottonwood Lake.The special use agreement is progressing. Town could acquire up to 40 acre ft of storage right. Construction of a new dam headworks should commence in 2022, which would enhance the ability to exchange more water from the lake. Roy made written comments via an email to all members. I have read the WWE draft Master Plan, all 54 pages. I'm quite impressed with Trish Flood and the draft. Looks real- ly good & up to date. Lots to review and schedule work items , the water board could help. Conservation planning and SWPP items are example. Finding the 50 MG/ year non revenue water is also critical. Wonder how much if that is from Ivy League? Also a , leak detection on the Transmission piping would be important. B. Source Water Protection Plan. Shawn stated the County had signed the IGA in 2017, but the Town “dropped the ball” with several administration changes at Town Hall and did not proceed finalizing. Shawn has worked with the County Engineer on specifics of nitrogen reduction and setback distances. Roy mentioned Forest Service should be included in discussions and the SWPP is an important tool in the Master plan. C. Water Plant Expansion Project Shawn just received the final report from JVA after several weeks of pilot testing. The Gorrel & Cottonwood Creek surface water were evaluated , Shawn will send out the re- port to the Board Members for review. Board/staff interaction; 1. Harley asked about the Chicago Ranch annexation and water right purchase. Joel re- sponded that the purchaser Metro Water will donate the land to the Town with stipulation for agreement to release water if needed for the St Charles Mesa water injury on Cot- tonwood Creek. Joel also stated the County will still need an environmental impact report , not a 1041, and the Town will require revegetation of the grasslands. 2. Harley also asked about well # 4. Shawn stated , they are looking at a site in the River park , just North of the soccer field which would be feasible to connect to the distribution system. Well # 4 has to have at least 300 ft separation from well #3 3. Shawn mentioned well #3 could have the capacity increased from 150 gpm to 350 gpm, referenced by a Wright water evaluation. Reed mentioned that we should look at increasing well # 3 yield and wait on well # 4 development. 4. Shawn asked Reed about his prospective of the Colorado Compact, drought and vul- nerability of Fry Ark Project water. Reed discussed the Colorado Compact and the ensu- ing drought for the last 25 years on the lower basin of the San Juan River. Looks like about 30% of the Arizona agriculture irrigators will lose their water next year. Reed ad- vised the Town to keep on purchasing Fry Ark Project water from SEWCD for storage, Town of Buena Vista Water Advisory Board Minutes – September 16, 2021 well augmentation and pay the evaporation fees. He thinks the Project Water is still valu- able and available to the Town. Shawn said the Town has approximately 1000 acre ft in their account , using approximately 30 acreft / year. 5. Reed asked about treatment of the noxious weed Canadian Thistle in the Gorrel prop- erty. Shawn has been mowing, but staffing problems and the rainy summer hampered weed controls. Shawn has requested in the 2022 budget for a evasive weed control pro- gram to be funded. 6. The older 750K gal tank tank is scheduled to be painted in 2022. They will match the new color of a darker tan color. Reed mentioned a tank mural could be very artistic and attractive. Next meeting: October 21, 2021 , 6:30 pm Zoom Seeing that there was no further business, a motion to adjourn was requested Motion by Rick , second by Roy to adjourn the meeting at 7:45 PM. Motion carried. Respectfully submitted, Roy Gertson , Board member Town of Buena Vista Water Advisory Board Minutes – September 16, 2021