Stormwater Committee

Stormwater Committee Meeting January 22, 2024 Chesapeake City Hall, Human Resources Training Room 1. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:07 PM. 2. Roll Call: Roll was called by Barbara Brumbaugh. Committee Members in Attendance: Roger Baxter (Committee Chair) Markiella Moore (Committee Vice Chair) Traycie West-Pinkoski Michael Poyner Vic Nicholls Michael Battle Theresa Harris Crystal Bloom (Engineering Manager) Barbara Brumbaugh (PW Environmental Program Manager) Absent Committee Members Mario Aponte (excused) Kevin Walker Dominique Moody (Alternate) - excused Davis Watson (Alternate) - excused Other City Staff in Attendance: David Mergen (PW Environmental Program Manager) Citizens in Attendance: Dennis Cobb 3. Meeting Minutes There a quorum and the September, October, and November meeting minutes were unanimously approved. 4. Citizen Comments o Dennis Cobb, who attend the meeting in October to voice concerns about drainage in the West Rd. area was in attendance to follow up on this issue. He met with Crystal Bloom and other City staff after the October meeting. -1- o Crystal said that the watershed model had been reviewed and everything looked fine. Another area of the watershed will be reviewed and the City plans to use a consultant. o City staff had walked the outfall several months ago and determined that some maintenance was needed. PW-Operations will schedule another walk of the outfall. o Mr. Cobb said that a noreaster in December 2023 caused a blockage between Dominion and Cedar Roads. He can provide photos and will send those to Crystal. o The City will prepare a report of the findings. o Markiella would like to participate on the walk of the outfall ditch. She asked if the City is definitely going to utilize a consultant to review the findings and she asked who has the last say on whether a consultant will be used. She noted that the Committee is waiting for a response regarding Mr. Cobb’s concerns about his property. o Crystal said that a consultant will be used, but that a work order has not been issued yet. o Markiella asked Mr. Cobb to show the Committee the large document that he’s compiled which includes documentation of the issues, photos, and notes. Vic noted that Mr. Cobb is an Engineer. o Markiella confirmed that there will be a site visit to the outfall and that the City does intend to use a consultant. o Mr. Cobb noted that the outcome of his meeting with the City was that there will be further City analysis of this area. o Roger asked that given that the City is performing further analyses how will this impact future development? Crystal said that the City is trying to create development is using current conditions and it’s an environmentally sensitive area so they cannot increase flow. o Roger asked about the design standard. Crystal said it is being designed for 100 year storm. o Mike B. asked if this was on anyone’s radar prior to the City receiving Mr. Cobb’s information. Crystal said it was not because the model didn’t show any issues. o Mr. Cobb said that his main contention is that 50-60 feet of culvert was added, but there is no additional capacity. Crystal said that some flow may have changed along Dominion Blvd. Mr. Cobb said that the Dominion North and Springton developments caused him to pause and he doesn’t agree (with the City). o Theresa asked about updated precipitation data. Crystal said that the state is working on updating rainfall data along with other states. The HRPDC is updating regional design standards but they aren’t finished yet. Those will incorporate tidal flooding. She noted that Virginia Beach implemented new design standards but ran into hiccups. The HRPDC process is on pause while the Virginia Beach process plays out. o Theresa asked if the 2012 model uses Atlas 14 and said that she has noticed changes while sizing oil containment areas. Crystal said things can be oversized now but costs are prohibitive. -2-  o Markiella asked if the model takes tidal flooding into account. Crystal said that development conditions/requirements are set forth in the Public Facilities Manual. 5. PW Construction Inspection Program – David Mergen o David Mergen was a guest speaker at the meeting and presented an overview of the Construction Inspection Program for the City which includes erosion and sediment control and stormwater management inspections during the construction process. o David provided basic science background information and regulatory requirements. o Theresa asked how often they inspect construction sites. He said that a pre- construction inspection and periodic routine inspections are conducted and that he would provide more detail in the presentation as the frequency for each site is based on a number factors. o The Construction Inspection Program covers commercial, subdivision, and single family residential projects. Projects must comply with local land disturbance requirements and some also must comply with the state construction general permit. o A powerpoint presentation covering all aspects of the program was given with time for questions. o Mr. Cobb asked if they have ever had to stop work without a notice to comply when a contractor doesn’t comply. Dave said yes, but not often. It would typically happen if work was started without the proper approval or permits, or if there were unauthorized changes. Most people are familiar with the requirements. o Mike P. asked about a construction site along Indian River Rd on the water near the Veteran’s Hospital. It was determined to be the new City Heron Landing Park. 6. Operations/Engineering Update – Crystal Bloom o Today (1/22/24) Crystal started her rotation as the temporary/acting Public Works Operations Manager, which will last for 3-4 months. o Crystal reviewed the September through December reports. o The math isn’t adding up on the work order numbers in the report, she will try to get an explanation for that. o Crystal provided an update on the Community Flood Preparedness Fund (CFPF) grant applications. o The state has recommended the Battlefield Blvd road elevation project for funding. The City will receive 50% of the cost. o The Deepwater Drive road elevation project was not recommended for funding. o The Dept of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has not made the formal announcements yet. This year they will also offer loans. o Markiella said she has been reading about the loan program. -3- 7. MS4 Update – Barbara Brumbaugh o Barbara reported that she is retiring effective March 1, 2024. The February meeting will be her last one as the staff liaison to the Stormwater Committee. o She gave a status update on the draft MS4 Permit from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ). The public comment period has closed and the City is expecting a final permit any day now. o The VDEQ has approved the City’s MS4 Annual Report for FY23. Barbara will send the link to the annual report to the Committee. o Markiella asked who will fill Barbara’s role. The position will be advertised soon and details about who will handle Committee coordination are still being worked out. 8. Old Business/New Business o Vic proposed cancelling the March 2024 meeting due to potential staffing issues for the Committee. There was a motion and a second, then some discussion. o Markiella recommended waiting until February to make a decision about cancelling the March meeting. There was a motion, a second, and a vote to delay making a decision until the February meeting. o Markiella wants the Committee to discuss new topics for the year. She asked if it is possible to get a total of the Stormwater Utility revenue collected for the fiscal year to date as well as a projection of the revenue through June 30, 2024. Crystal will work on that. o Barbara mentioned that the Committee is supposed to hold elections in February provided a quorum is present. The meeting was adjourned at 8:01 pm. Minutes approved by the Committee _____________________________ Date _____________________________ -4-