Stormwater Committee

Stormwater Committee Meeting October 23, 2023 Chesapeake City Hall, Human Resources Training Room 1. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:05 PM. 2. Roll Call: Roll was called by Barbara Brumbaugh. Committee Members in Attendance: Markiella Moore (Committee Vice Chair) Michael Poyner Vic Nicholls (arrived 6:22PM) Michael Battle Theresa Harris Dominique Moody (Alternate) Crystal Bloom (Engineering Manager) Barbara Brumbaugh (PW Environmental Program Manager) Absent Committee Members Roger Baxter (Committee Chair)- excused Traycie West-Pinkoski (excused) Mario Aponte Kevin Walker (excused) Davis Watson (Alternate) - excused Cory Wolfe (Assistance City Attorney) Other City Staff in Attendance: N/A Citizens in Attendance: Dennis Cobb 3. Meeting Minutes The August 2023 minutes were approved. Markiella requested a correction to the September 2023 minutes and they will be voted on at the next meeting. 4. Citizen Comments o Dennis Cobb attended the meeting and provided his contact information to City staff. Vic Nicholls suggested he bring his concerns to the Committee. He lives in the West Rd area. -1- o Mr. Cobb noted that his property, including his home, flooded during Matthew. There was 6” of water in his home. Mike P. asked when his home was built, it was 1983. Mike B. asked if his was the only home impacted in the area. Mr. Cobb stated that 2 homes flooded that were built on slabs. o Mr. Cobb is very concerned about the Springton and Dominion North developments proposed near his neighborhood. Markiella asked if the developments were built, the property is in the rezoning process. o Mr. Cobb stated that he bought his property in 2011 and at that time there was a proposed development of 16 homes. The proposed number of homes has now increased to 1244. o Mr. Cobb noted that the 48” outfall under Dominion Blvd was designed for a 10 year storm and 60 acre drainage area. He believes many more acres are draining to the outfall and he has footage taken during storms. There is a ditch that drains along the future Dominion North development. He believes the “choke point” is a 48” culvert that crosses Cedar Rd and where 2 ditches converge. o Crystal noted that the area is considered a sensitive drainage area. The development cannot increase flow, flooding depth, or duration. Developers must use a dynamic SWMMM model as part of a detailed drainage analysis. o Mr. Cobb noted that Dominion North is proposed for high-medium density. He stated that 4-6” over 24 hours floods his area. o Crystal stated that after the last Council meeting PW-Operations conducted an assessment and field observations. o Markiella asked when the last watershed study was done in this area. Crystal said it was around 2006 and most of the area was farm fields. o Crystal said that as part of the site plan process the City would get a drainage easement if one doesn’t exist currently. o Markiella asked about additional flooding. Crystal said that new development is not allowed to increase flooding or make flooding worse, and must restrict flow to pre-development conditions. o Markiella asked if a parcel is built up (elevation raised) why doesn’t it cause a problem to adjacent properties. The development must account for this. o Mr. Cobb stated that the flooding issues started after Dominion Blvd was widened. o Theresa asked if the “City Standard” is designing to a 10 year storm. Crystal said if the drainage area is <200 ac it is designed to a 10 year storm and >200 ac it would be designed to a 50 year storm. o Mr. Cobb noted that the Dominion culvert is always full and appears to only have 25% capacity. He stated that it’s full of water and sediment. Crystal noted that it might be tidal. She said that PW-Operations did walk both ditches. o Mike B. asked what the next steps are. o Vic said she can supply the questions she sent to Vakos (developer). She met with them for 2 hours and asked about retention ponds. She mentioned some of the issues that Virginia Beach has had with new developments flooding. -2-  o Vic has already seen areas flood without the development. She is concerned that homes will get condemned when the area is flooded. She doesn’t believe the Lindsey Canal can handle over 1300 housing units. o Mr. Cobb noted that the Lindsey Canal was full and flooding yards over a recent weekend. He is concerned that there is no where for the water to go. Vic doesn’t want to see the City have to pay to correct issues with a new development. o Crystal noted that the wet pond design needs to work with the groundwater table in the area. o Markiella asked if it has been rezoned yet. It has not. o Mr. Cobb noted that the southern triangle of the property will need 100 foot RPA buffer for compliance with the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act (CBPA). o Markiella said it appears that it is already flooding pre-development and asked if there is anything that can be done. Crystal said the current system is designed for a 10 year storm which meets current standards. There are no drainage projects currently in process for this area. o Mr. Cobb again noted that the culvert under Dominion Blvd is not functioning properly. He believes that the watershed study recommends a second culvert. Crystal said she will check the watershed study. o Markiella wondered if there is no tidal influence whether he would still be seeing this. Crystal explained tidal flooding vs. rain flooding. Mr. Cobb noted that he has seen flooding during both rain and tidal events. o Crystal said she will check on the status of PW-Operations’ maintenance in this area. She will also review the watershed study for any recommended drainage improvements. Crystal also invited Mr. Cobb to meet with Public Works staff at another time and explained that Public Works’ role is to ensure the system is protected. o Crystal said that the Planning Commission and City Council ultimately make the decision on whether to approve the developments. o Mr. Cobb stated that he is an Engineer and he has run some calculations. He believes that the current Equestrian Estates is 30% impervious, but that the new development will be 84% impervious. He believes the proposed ponds will be interconnected and that the northern section of the development appears to outfall to the Lindsey Canal. o Vic asked about the future 6 lane Pleasant Grove Parkway and what that will do to the drainage. The 6 lane parkway is a master transportation improvement. o Markiella noted that the timing is outstanding to look at whether improvements are recommended. She suggested that perhaps there is a way (i.e. pro rata) to get the developer to pay for the improvements. 5. PW Operations Report – Barbara Brumbaugh o PW- Operations was not able to prepare last month’s report so it will be included at next month’s meeting. -3- 6. Engineering Update – Crystal Bloom o Crystal reported that Engineering currently has 2 Community Flood Preparedness Fund grant applications underway. One is for raising Battlefield Blvd north of the Great Bridge Bridge near Tilden. The other is for raising Deepwater Drive. o The City comments on the Resilience Plan haven’t been compiled yet. o Crystal noted that the Stormwater CIP budget process is underway. SW Utility funding pays for capital and operating budgets. She will share the budgets once they are final. 7. MS4 Update – Barbara Brumbaugh o Barbara reported that the City has recently received a draft MS4 Permit from DEQ and is negotiating some of the permit requirements. 8. Old Business/New Business o Markiella suggested introductions around the table since there are new members on the Committee. o Markiella asked where the Stormwater Planimetric is on the City’s web page, she is no longer able to find it. Barbara will research this and provide it back to the Committee. o Markiella requested that the most recent versions of the watershed studies be published on the City web page. Crystal said these updates are currently underway. The meeting was adjourned at 7:33 pm. Minutes approved by the Committee _____________________________ Date _____________________________ -4-