City Council

Water and Sewer Committee Meeting Minutes - February 16, 2016 - 6 pm City Hall, 1840 Second Street, Columbia City of Columbia City Members Present- Josh Fromm, Chair Gordon Thistle John Burdett Robert Campbell Finos Lunsford Attendees- Leahnette Rivers, City Administrator/Recorder Micah Rogers, Public Works Superintendent Lynn Vellenga, Citizen Meeting called to order at 6 pm. 1. Sewer Improvements Project Update: Staff updated Committee Members about the status of the Sewer Improvements Project involving manhole lining, steel tank abandonment and replacement, sewer main upsizing, and RCE pump station electrical and pump improvements. The manhole lining work is complete, the tank abandonment/replacement and sewer main work is complete, the RCE electrical improvements have started, and the pump improvements will start soon. The project has been expanded to include lining the RCE wet well, and in the end we'll basically have a new lift station. Staff updated Committee Members about the problems that resulted from the December 2015 storm. The RCE and K Street pump stations were overwhelmed by the amount of flow, resulting in sewer overflows and nearly $50,000 in emergency response related costs. Although the engineer's modeling indicates that the force main can handle the increased flows from the new pumps, some questions were raised during the storm event because the K Street pump station could not pump into the force main during the highest flow periods of the storm. A recent car accident that took out the fire hydrant at the corner of E Street and Highway 30 shed some light on our I & I problem. We lost an estimated 400,000 gallons of water when the hydrant was sheared off, and a lot of that water pooled up in the drainage swale between the Forestry building and the highway. Soon after, the high water alarms sounded at the RCE lift station. The water in the drainage swale drained pretty quickly, and once empty, the RCE high water alarms shut off. Micah said there's a cleanout somewhere in the drainage swale area that they have not been able to locate, and finding it has now become a priority. 1 2. Upper Reservoir Restoration and Level Monitoring Project Update: This project involves draining the reservoir and taking it offline, completing structural repairs, and recoating both the interior and exterior. It also involves the installation of telemetry. Staff explained that we need to add a new overflow drain to the reservoir. The old overflow drain was temporarily located on private property with permission from the owner, but without an easement. The drain crossed Miloris Way and day lighted onto the private property, with the water eventually heading down the hillside towards Columbia City. The property owner has since constructed a new home, and due to concerns about the potential for erosion, wanted the drain to be either fully piped or moved off of their property. Staff said it makes at lot more sense to direct the overflow drain to the west, rather than to the east. Staff originally approached Weyerhaeuser for a drainage easement, but Weyerhaeuser declined the request. Staff plans to approach the Probst family to see if they might provide the City with a drainage easement.. The bottom line is that the scope of the project needs to be expanded to include overflow drainage improvements, and the project has been delayed while we attempt to work out easement issues. 3. Fire Hydrant Replacement Project Update: This project involves replacing four obsolete fire hydrants that are leaking. The Public Works crew has replaced one of the hydrants, and the second hydrant is on the shelf ready to be replaced. Micah said it's unlikely that the remaining two will be replaced this fiscal year. He said there is one additional obsolete hydrant that should be added to this project for completion next year. 4. 2016-17 Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan: Members reviewed the 20-year capital improvement plans contained in the Water System Master Plan and Wastewater Collection System Facility Plan, and prioritized the following project list for inclusion in the 2016-17 Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan: Water Projects: Upper Reservoir Restoration, Level Monitoring and Overflow Drainage 2016-17 Fire Hydrant Replacement (three) 2016-17 I Street and The Strand Waterline Replacement/Hydrant 2017-18 First Street Water Line Replacement/Hydrant 2018-19 Fourth Street Water Line Replacement/Hydrant 2019-20 Data Storage and Retrieval System 2020-21 Sewer Projects: I & I Reduction 2016-17 Steel Tank Replacement and Abandonment 2016-17 I & I Reduction 2017-18 Steel Tank Replacement and Abandonment 2017-18 Tank Abandonment 2018-19 2 Tank Abandonment 2019-20 Tank Abandonment 2020-21 5. Adjournment. Meeting adjourned at 7:08 p.m. 3