Public Works Committee

TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING January 19, 2023 Page 1 CONVENE: 8:00 a.m. PRESENT: Chair Eileen Swarthout and Councilmember Charlie Schneider. Excused: Councilmember Michael Althauser. Staff: Transportation and Engineering Director Brandon Hicks, City Attorney Karen Kirkpatrick, Water Resources and Sustainability Director Dan Smith, Transportation Manager Mary Heather Ames, Senior Capital Projects Manager Don Carney, Water Resources Specialist Dave Kangiser, and Water Resources Specialist Carrie Gillum. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: NOVEMBER 17, 2022: MOTION: Councilmember Schneider moved, seconded by Chair Swarthout, to approve the minutes of November 17, 2022 as published. Motion carried. ACCEPTANCE OF Manager Don Carney reported on the completion of the Tumwater Hill Park WORK WITH - Crosby Connector project, a trail construction project connecting Crosby BLACK HILLS Road to the existing Tumwater Hill Park trail system. Black Hills EXCAVATING FOR Excavating completed the work on the project. Staff completed a final THE TUMWATER punch list of the completed project. HILL PARK - CROSBY The new trail is approximately 1,200 feet long with several switchbacks to CONNECTOR navigate around trees and reduce the steepness of the trail. The trail is five PROJECT: feet wide at the top, with a landing and resting stop constructed approximately half way up the trail. The trail provides access from neighborhoods along Crosby Boulevard to the top of Tumwater Hill, the park, and the elementary school. Manager Carney shared some before and after photographs of the project site. The project was designed and managed by Engineering staff with funding from park impact fees. The contract with Black Hills Excavating was for $152,120.70. The final cost of the project was $150,174.64. Chair Swarthout thanked staff for completing the project. MOTION: Councilmember Schneider moved, seconded by Chair Swarthout, to recommend the City Council accept the Tumwater Hill Park – Crosby Connector project as complete and authorize the release of the performance bond as soon as the laws of the state of Washington allow. The motion carried. SOURCE CONTROL Specialist Kangiser briefed members on a new program to assist businesses TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING January 19, 2023 Page 2 PROGRAM implement best management practices when conducting pollution generating PRESENTATION: activities as part of routine business practices as required by the City’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit issued by the Department of Ecology. The program is referred to as the Source Control Program. Requirements by the permit include inspections of pollutant generating sources at privately and publicly owned facilities, as well as enforcing best management practices to control pollutant-generating activities. Staff has the ability to enforce local ordinances. The goals of the program are to reduce pollutants entering waterways through the City’s stormwater system, as well as enhancing partnerships created with the business community to help support environmental awareness through the program. Businesses connected to the City’s stormwater system will be of focus using the business industry code determined by the Department of Ecology to generate an inventory. The annual goal is to inspect 20% of the total inventory annually. The current inventory is comprised of an estimated 402 sites. The inventory was generated prior to the pandemic in 2019 and some businesses in the City have experienced changes since the onset of the pandemic. Inspections will help refine inventory data. Inspection criteria include documentation and training, availability of safety data sheets, training status of employees on spill response, completion of spill response and prevention plan, and general housekeeping elements, such as dumpster management, availability of stock spill kits onsite, proper chemical storage and handling, vehicle and equipment maintenance and storage, and routine housekeeping practices. Initial efforts will focus on education of businesses during inspections. Outcomes for 2023 include refinement of the program, identifying and creating efficiencies when possible, and forming deeper relationships during site visits. Another goal is to reduce pollutants entering the stormwater system. Specialist Kangiser answered questions and explained that the program is not intended to connect businesses to the City’s stormwater system as the inventory criteria includes businesses currently connected to the City’s system. If a business is not connected to the stormwater system, the business would not be included in the program initially. The program is not intended to expand stormwater system connections but focuses on inspecting businesses currently connected to the system. The program is required by the Department of Ecology effective January 2023. Staff has been working over the last year to develop the inventory and some resources to conduct inspections. The intent is to conduct three inspections weekly to meet the 20% requirement. Re-inspections will TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING January 19, 2023 Page 3 depend on the potential of the business to generate pollutants, with more inspections to those businesses that are known to generate pollutants. Based on inspection outcomes, staff may focus on efforts by the business to achieve compliance. Within five years, all businesses included in the inventory will be inspected. CORROSION Specialist Gillum briefed the committee on the three-year requirement to CONTROL sample 30 “Tier 1” taps served by the water utility for lead and copper as PROGRAM UPDATE: required by the federal Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). The Tier 1 category includes homes constructed between 1983 and 1987, as they are more susceptible to metal degradation from water. The DOH oversees the standards and receives the City’s sampling results to determine actions and treatments that might be required. Elevated levels of lead and copper can cause severe illness and health problems. Lead is of greater concern because any amount can be problematic especially to young children and pregnant women. Since 1992, the City of Tumwater has completed tap sampling. Copper levels were above the level for action with lead testing lower. The sampling lead to a study, which determined the need for treatment. The City selected aeration treatment beginning in 1999. Subsequent testing revealed lower levels of lead and copper. In 2004, the City was eligible for reduced monitoring to collect only 30 samples based on population rather than 60 samples. Lead and copper in drinking water is generated from pipes primarily beginning with main lines to service lines to internal plumbing in homes. Contamination can also occur from connectors, valves, meters, and fixtures. The City has no history of encountering lead within the distribution system. Corrosion control is a way to reduce lead and copper in water as water interacts with metals, which can be released in water. The control of pH controls corrosion. The pH level goal is between 7.7 and 8.3 parts per billion (ppb). Aeration treatments have been implemented at the Bush and Palermo water treatment plants. Tier 1 homes are primarily based on the age of 1983 to 1987 and are considered to have the highest amount of copper pipes with lead solder. Should staff be unable to solicit a sufficient number of volunteers from a Tier 1 home, the City can also collect from the remaining two tiers. In the summer of 2022, the City broadened its sampling campaign to include investigative samples for homes outside of the required Tier 1 samples. Last year, 142 homes volunteered to participant. Of that amount 30 home tested in compliance and 108 homes were referred for investigation. The results of the 30 compliance samples included Tier 1, Tier 3, and other homes. To TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING January 19, 2023 Page 4 comply with the LCR, the 90th percentile must be less than the action level. The action level for copper is 1300 ppb and for lead it is 15 ppb. Testing resulted in no issues with copper as it tested well below the 90th percentile with no homes exceeding the action level. Although the level of lead was below the 90th percentile, three homes exceeded levels above the action level. Tumwater met compliance with the LCR for 2022. The additional sampling assisted the City in its Corrosion Control Study to have a better understanding of water quality throughout the distribution system. In 2019, Tumwater’s residential and non-transient populations exceeded 50,000 requiring the City’s water system to demonstrate optimal corrosion control. In November 2022, a Corrosion Control Study was completed by HDR Engineering Inc. (HDR) and submitted to Washington State Department of Health (DOH) for review. The Department of Health will review the study and determine whether any steps are necessary by the City to achieve optimal corrosion control. Results from the study reflected that the difference in wellfield water quality between the Palermo and Bush water treatment plants and the Airport Wells can be primarily attributed to the differences in treatment. Aeration treatment installed at the Palermo and Bush Wells resulted in higher pH creating stable corrosion chemistry. Although the Airport Wells have a higher alkalinity, the low pH results in higher values compared to the other water sources. Water quality of Airport Wells poses the greatest corrosion risk in the distribution system. Unless changes occur in the Airport Wells, the City could be at risk to exceed the revised LCR level of 10 ppb. Overall, the variable water quality and lack of blending results in the system not optimized for corrosion control for compliance with the LCR. HDR recommendations within the report include initiating treatment at the Airport Wells through either aeration treatment or the addition of caustic soda. Another option is decreasing Airport Wells usage to reduce the amount of water interacting within the system. Next steps include the review by the Department of Health with treatment likely required for the Airport Wells if the City plans to continue using the wells. The Department of Health has up to six months to review the report. Councilmember Schneider inquired about the process to solicit homeowners for testing. Specialist Gillum explained that in the past, the process was through direct mailing. Last year in January, staff posted the newsletter to the community, included requests in the Tumwater On Tap newsletter, and included information in the Water Quality Report mailed to all residents in July. Tier 1 homes identified by staff received a postcard seeking volunteer participation. Specialist Gillum addressed questions about the long-term plan for the Airport Wells in terms of supplying water to the City. Should the City retain TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING January 19, 2023 Page 5 the wells, treatment would be required based on the report. The Airport Wells are not centralized and are scattered throughout the airport area. Staff will learn about future options and costs of future treatment as conversations occur with the Department of Health. Director Smith described the process the City would pursue to determine the type of treatment to recommend. Aeration is an expensive treatment process. Technologies have since improved providing more affordable solutions. Any recommendations will be reviewed with the Council in collaboration with HDR later in the year as work is initiated on the update of the Capital Facilities Plan. TRANSPORTATION Manager Ames briefed the committee on three transportation projects that GRANTS either have been awarded grant funding or is likely to receive grant funding. DISCUSSION: The X Street Roundabout is the next project identified in the Capitol Boulevard Corridor Plan for implementation. The project converts the X Street intersection from a signalized intersection to a roundabout. The design was completed as part of the Capitol Boulevard Israel to M Street design. The project provides pedestrian and bicycle facilities, reduces vehicle idling improving air quality, serves as a natural traffic calming while maintaining the flow of traffic, and enhances safety. The City received the first round of right-of-way funding of $866,470. This year, Thurston Regional Planning Council selected the project to receive additional funding that decreased the match required by the City and ultimately increasing the prior grant amount by another $269,500. The City applied for construction funding and received a grant of $2.941 million for construction estimated to cost $3.4 million. The grant was split between two federal funding programs. The second project is the Tumwater Boulevard Interchange project. The interchange is crucial for the development of surrounding properties. The project was initially considered in 2004 with completion of pre-design and pre-permitting activities. Since then, the City has renewed focus on the project and built upon plans completed many years ago. The project has been phased strategically to enable completion. The Transportation Improvement Board awarded a grant of $2.25 million with a required match by the City of $4 million for a total project cost of $6.25 million. The last project is a Safe Routes to School project focusing on walking and biking to Michael T. Simmons Elementary School. The City applied for funding and was included on the list of recommended projects for consideration by the Legislature. The project scope adds bicycle lanes and sidewalks along Second Avenue north of the Linwood/2nd Avenue intersection to shorten crossing distances and decrease vehicle speeds through the intersection. The total grant request is $2.1 with an estimated total project cost of $3.6 million. Much of the match is for the paving TUMWATER PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING January 19, 2023 Page 6 portion of the project that would be funded through the Transportation Benefit District to complete 2nd Avenue paving. FUEL TAX Manager Ames reported the fuel tax agreement is a grant agreement to AGREEMENT WITH accept the grant funding from the Transportation Improvement Board (TIB). THE The TIB funds high priority transportation projects in communities TRANSPORTATION throughout the state and grant programs are funded using three cents from IMPROVEMENT the statewide gas tax. The agreement is for the Tumwater Boulevard BOARD FOR Interchange project. TUMWATER BOULEVARD Staff applied for grant funding to cover improvements to the Tumwater INTERCHANGE: Boulevard Interchange. The project is phased with a roundabout at either off-ramp intersection with the final phase of widening the overpass bridge. The first phase of the project is construction of a roundabout at the northbound on and off ramps. The City was awarded grant funding for the project. The grant amount is $2.25 million with the City’s match of $4 million for a total project cost of $6.25 million. Staff requests the committee recommend the City Council approve and authorize the Mayor to sign the Fuel Tax Agreement with the Transportation Improvement Board for Tumwater Boulevard Interchange. MOTION: Councilmember Schneider moved, seconded by Chair Swarthout, to approve and authorize the Mayor to sign the Fuel Tax Agreement with the Transportation Improvement Board for Tumwater Boulevard Interchange. Motion carried. ADJOURNMENT: With there being no further business, Chair Swarthout adjourned the meeting at 9:03 a.m. Prepared by Puget Sound Meeting Services, psmsoly@earthlink.net