Public Works Committee

TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING January 6, 2022 Page 1 CONVENE: 8:00 a.m. PRESENT: Chair Eileen Swarthout and Councilmembers Michael Althauser and Charlie Schneider. Staff: City Attorney Karen Kirkpatrick, Transportation and Engineering Director Brandon Hicks, Water Resources and Sustainability Director Dan Smith, Operations Manager Steve Craig, Water Resources Specialist David Kangiser, and Administrative Assistant Cathy Nielsen. APPROVAL OF MINUTES; DECEMBER 9, 2021: MOTION: Councilmember Althauser moved, seconded by Councilmember Schneider, to approve the minutes of December 9, 2021 as presented. Motion carried unanimously. SELECTION OF Chair Swarthout invited nominations for Chair. COMMITTEE CHAIR: Councilmember Schneider nominated Eileen Swarthout to serve as Chair during 2022. Councilmember Althauser seconded the nomination. No other nominations were offered. VOTE: By a unanimous voice vote, Eileen Swarthout was elected to serve as Chair during 2022. TUMWATER HILL Manager Carney reported the Tumwater Hill Park Hill Crosby Connector is a PARK TRAIL – 1,200-foot gravel trail connecting Crosby Boulevard SW near Crosby Court to COSBY the Tumwater Hill Trail, originating at Ridgeview Court near Tumwater CONNECTOR, Elementary School. The new connector provides a permanent trail between AUTHORITY TO the connections and improves the quality of life by providing outdoor activity SOLICIT BIDS AND and pedestrian access to Tumwater Elementary School for the neighborhood. RECOMMEND AWARD OF Project elements include development of the trail using methods to minimize CONTRACT: impacts to vegetation over the 1,200 trail on a heavily wooded hillside with a 90-foot elevation gain by constructing switchbacks with timber treads to address elevation changes on a five-foot wide graveled path with a mid-trail rest landing. The scope of work includes clearing of the trail footprint, installation of a culvert in a roadside ditch off Crosby Boulevard, placement of 2,500 tons of crushed rock, construction of switchbacks with pressure-treated timber, and construction of the landing for a mid-trail rest area. The engineer’s estimate for the project is $197,467. Manager Carney invited questions from the TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING January 6, 2022 Page 2 committee. Councilmember Schneider asked about the funding source for the trail. Director Hicks reported the funds are from park impact fees. Councilmember Schneider asked about the timeline for construction and the completion date. Manager Carney said staff is finalizing the contract documents and anticipates releasing a bid by mid-February with construction scheduled during drier conditions (end of April/early May). The contract is proposed to cover 20 days with potential completion of the trail by the end of May. CONSENSUS: The Public Works Committee unanimously authorized staff to solicit bids for construction of the Tumwater Hill Park Trail - Crosby Connector project and recommended the City Council authorize the Mayor to sign a public works contract with the lowest responsible bidder. ADDITIONAL Chair Swarthout referred to her request for the committee to receive an update ITEMS: on the recent spill occurring in Percival Creek. Director Smith provided the update. Since 2008, the City has received 27 reported overflows. Staff acknowledges the dataset might be incomplete, emphasizing that overflows are not a frequent occurrence and some reporting of smaller spills might not be included. The 27 reported overflows were reported through the City’s regional coordination with LOTT Clean Water Alliance and the Department of Ecology. The bulk of spills occur because of grease blockage. The City has implemented a grease/oil program to assist residents and business owners and to remind them not to put any type of grease down drains. Other contributing factors for overflows are plant roots from trees and shrubs penetrating pipes creating areas of blockages serving as catchment areas for the accumulation of grease and other materials. The City’s operations and maintenance program routinely inspect systems to assess the system operationally and identify any root intrusions, leakage into and out of sewer lines, and overall pump station operations. The City has experienced one line break in the system. Since 2008, the estimated gallons spilled into the environment has been approximately 12,000 gallons. Once staff has been notified of a spill, the response is quick. To help guide the response, the department has prepared an Emergency Overflow Emergency Response Plan to assist in guiding the City’s response, coordination, and reporting efforts. The plan is typically updated every one to two years. The last update was completed in August 2020. The most recent spill afforded an opportunity to review the plan to ensure all issues are covered, and if not, staff plans to schedule another update. The sewer spill first appeared in a manhole located on Somerset Hill Drive flowing from the manhole down the hill to the stormwater system. Once the TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING January 6, 2022 Page 3 spill enters the stormwater system, stormwater slows the flow avoiding an immediate direct discharge to the creek. However, once the flows reach a certain capacity, the spill discharges directly to Percival Creek. Other more recent spills in Percival Creek occurred in May 2019 and November 2020 originating from a sewer outfall (manhole) located and obscured from the street. During the most recent incident, snow response staff notified the department of the spill enabling a quick identification and response to clean up the spill. The previous spill from the sewer outfall located off the street was not detected for some time because of its location. The City was notified of that spill by a citizen who was walking along a trail and noticed the spill. Part of the response of cleanup includes containment, surface cleaning, and disinfection, as well as cleaning of soil around the area to the extent possible. An element of the response is water quality testing by examining background conditions to assess whether the cleanup response was successful. The spill resulted in E. coli in excess of 2,400 colonies, which exceeds environmental conditions and is indicative of a sewer spill. After several days following the cleanup, testing revealed normal conditions at the outfall of 115 to 179 E. coli colonies and downstream numbers within the state’s accepted standards for recreational water of 320 E. coli colonies. Operations was able to clean up the spill to the extent possible to assist in returning the system to natural operating conditions. Following containment and cleanup of the site, staff continues coordination activities. When a spill enters a stormwater system, Water Resources Specialist Kangiser becomes involved as part of the coordination with state and local agencies. The City also coordinates with Thurston County Health Department to advise of the spill and the quantity and level of discharge. Those efforts result in a coordinated public health response. Signs were posted at the site and a press release was published about the spill by another agency. Staff was able to identify some misstatements in the press release, which were quickly corrected by Communications Manager Cook. The original press release identified spill volume as 3,000 gallons when the actual spill volume was 750 gallons. Staff also coordinates closely with the LOTT Clean Water Alliance, as LOTT is technically the permit holder for the City’s sewer system as LOTT treats all sewer flow from the City. LOTT is also required to notify the state of the spill and cleanup action. Councilmember Schneider asked why the timeline was backdated to 2008 rather than another earlier date, such as 2006. Director Smith advised that the City’s records only date back to 2008. Councilmember Schneider asked about the process employed for containing the spill. Director Smith explained that in circumstances where it is possible, City crews can plug the system and install dikes around catch basins to contain TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING January 6, 2022 Page 4 the spill to prevent continued discharge to the creek or a street. The goal is to remove the obstruction causing the spill. In the last incident, a numatic plug used during a construction project to test water tightness of sewer lines was inadvertently left in the pipe. Over time, the plugs eventually lose inflation. In this case, the plug likely traveled through the system creating an obstruction causing an accumulation of debris and grease. Director Smith added that staff has explored some technological solutions to prevent any future discharges from the manhole that is visually obscured. The area has experienced some spills in the past that were not discovered quickly because the site is obscured. Any solution would be extremely expensive and would require a remote telemetry operated fill-level alarm system at cost of approximately $15,000 to $20,000 per unit. Staff is evaluating the cost associated with response efforts versus the cost factor to install a unit. As some spill incidents still happen, staff is working with the Transportation and Engineering and Community Development Departments to identify any process changes or inspection changes that might help avert future spills. Although the incidents are not common, the number of incidents have warranted attention to explore the City’s permitting and inspection processes. Chair Swarthout inquired as to whether the pump station for the area located off Sapp Road is the station that serves the entire hill. Director Smith advised that a number of lift stations are located in the Tumwater Hill area. Operations Manager Craig explained that the lift station off Sapp Road pumps into and through the subject gravity line. The station serves as the last pump station from that point forward before connecting to LOTT’s system. ADJOURNMENT: With there being no further business, Chair Swarthout adjourned the meeting at 8:29 a.m. Prepared by Puget Sound Meeting Services, psmsoly@earthlink.net