AMERICAN RIVER WATERSHED GROUP

September 21, 2006


The meeting of the American River Watershed Group (ARWG) was called to order by Bill Templin, North Fork American River Watershed Coordinator at 10:06 a.m. at the Auburn Recreation District Canyon View Community Center located at 471 Maidu Drive, Auburn.

Present: Bill Templin, North Fork American River Watershed Coordinator; Rich Gresham, Stewart Feldman, and Katie Maloney, Placer County Resource Conservation District (PCRCD); Austin Mulder, South Fork American River Watershed Coordinator-El Dorado RCD; Allen Edwards, Edwards Family Farm; Chris White, Balance Hydrologics; Joshua Alpine, Mayor of the City of Colfax; Bart Petrini, Auburn Fly Casters; and Marilyn Jasper, Clover Valley Foundation and Sierra Club.
Check-In:
Bill Templin led the “Check-In” procedure that entails telling who you are, how you are, if you have any time constraints, emergent issues, and/or individual expectations.

Review & Approval of Minutes:
No changes were requested to the August meeting minutes.

Guest Speaker: Joshua Alpine, City of Colfax Mayor on Colfax Wastewater Status & Plans:
Bill Templin reviewed Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) issues in terms of small communities being required to bring aging WWTP up to required standards of operation and the challenges it presents to smaller communities with limited tax bases.

Bill introduced Joshua Alpine, Mayor of the City of Colfax, a local community being faced with just such a challenge in terms of bringing their aging WWTP up to standards and eliminating the numerous compliance problems that have resulted from aging and overburdened infrastructure.

Mayor Alpine briefed the Group on the WWTP problems that resulted in the issuance of a Cease and Desist Order from the Regional Water Quality Control Board in 2003. Compliance was to be achieved by June 14, 2006. . The Mayor indicated the plant is currently meeting water standards; however the City has applied for a six month extension to help assure consistency in terms of continued compliance. Colfax also requested that fines accrued from being out of compliance be applied to upgrading the WWTP. Sewer rates have also been increased to help deal with needed costly upgrades.

Regionally Colfax is not unique, with many towns dealing with the same WWTP issues including Auburn, Applegate, and Lincoln. A Regional WWTP is slated for completion in Lincoln in 2008, but with current population growth rates the plant built with a projected 20 year lifetime is now only expected to be adequate for 2 to 3 years.

Funding assistance dollars for aging WWTPs are scarce and hard to come by in a highly competitive process. Colfax did receive $600K to assist with engineering and design, the city has re-allocated $273K, and additional funding sources have been found to help address WWTP issues.

Discussion revolved around the Middle Fork Project (MFP) revenues, which will become available in 2013, and will be shared by both the County and Placer County Water Agency. Placer County Supervisor Kranz has put forth a proposal that MFP revenues be earmarked for the support of water infrastructure that would include upgrading aging WWTPs.

Fuel reduction efforts in the Colfax area has spurred an interest in siting a biomass co-generation plant in the Colfax area in order to address economic feasibility issues with transporting biomass over long distances to processing plants.

Mayor Alpine stated Colfax is taking a proactive stance in terms of dealing with environmental issues and fielded questions from the Group.

Group discussion revolved around recent Colfax fuel load reduction efforts, local fire safe council efforts, the importance of fuel load reduction as a part of a comprehensive effort to protect growing populations continuing to creep into the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) and the resulting challenges facing fire protection agencies in terms of protecting communities the WUI from catastrophic wildfire.

Allen Edwards has been credited with saving the town of Colfax from catastrophic wildfire several times due to fuel safe practices he has implemented on his property, between Colfax and the North Fork of the American River, which provided fire fighters a safe area from which to fight those fires and prevent them from moving through the Colfax community.

Marilyn Jasper suggested Colfax placing a moratorium on new hookups to the WWTP may be an appropriate action to take in light of WWTP compliance and capacity issues.

The Mayor noted new hook up requests are reviewed by committee and limited to residential, if the capacity is available. Commercial development has been constrained by what is effectively a moratorium on commercial growth in terms of sewer capacity. He noted his concerns with the lack of commercial growth and the negative impacts that it presents to his community in terms of a lack of new jobs and tax revenues. Revenues needed to effectively address the need for upgraded WWTP infrastructure.

The Mayor noted the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) Blueprint, a projection for growth in the area, has designated Colfax as an area of high population density designation that does not agree with the community’s vision of itself. He noted the availability of TEA funding seems to be predicated on SACOG designations, funds that are earmarked to address transportation issues. He also noted Nevada County is not included in the SACOG Blueprint area and pointed out Nevada County growth directly impacts Colfax as Colfax serves as a conduit between the I-80 corridor and Nevada County.

Allen Edwards noted his property is located directly adjacent to Bunch Ravine directly below the WWTP. The Bunch Ravine creek receives outfall from the Colfax WWTP and when the plant experiences an incident; his property and family are directly impacted. Allen reviewed the history of the Colfax WWTP in operation since 1979 and numerous violations that have resulted in the issuance of numerous Cease and Desist Orders over the years. He noted with a 25% increase in hookups to the WWTP and a consistent failure to meet the terms and conditions of Cease and Desist Orders, including the requirement to maintain consistent flows in effluent dominated waterbodies, like both Bunch and Smother Ravines. Allen noted he has continued to observe times of low flow conditions that are violations of the law with negative impacts to water quality. Allen closed by indicating the crux of the problem is one of Colfax taking responsibility for past incidents and the prevention of future failures.

Mayor Alpine declined to address Allen Edwards’ comments in front of the Group, indicating the Edwards’ family has received direct correspondence from the city on these specific issues.

In response to an inquiry regarding the new Colfax City Manager, Mayor Alpine noted she has a strong background in water treatment issues as well as economic development and growth. He shared contact information for city personnel.

Marilyn Jasper suggested setting up an open forum citizen based committee to help address Colfax WWTP issues. The Mayor indicated open forums tend to focus on rates vs. issues and noted the new Colfax City Manager will be addressing WWTP issues in the future. The $300K fine resulting from the 2003 Cease and Desist Order has been used to purchase new equipment and hire qualified WWTP operators.

The Group stressed a moratorium on hookups may make sense in light of circumstances and the importance maintaining water quality.
Allen Edwards clarified there are two types of violations the WWTP has historically experienced. Flow violations that result low flow conditions and overflows that result from stormwater runoff when systems are inundated and experience hydrologic overload. Biological overloads have resulted in coliform limits being exceeded and tend to occur in the dry seasons, chlorine is another parameter where limits have been exceeded.

Mayor Alpine noted pipe capacity issues and indicated an interim solution has been to implement a new filter system. He noted Colfax is addressing the prevention of future spills with the implementation of numerous measures and intends to be transparent in its efforts to address WWTP issues.

Stewart Feldman suggested the city take time to identify and prioritize future fuel break projects. Group discussion revolved around the need to protect the WWTP from catastrophic wildfire and noted this kind of project could be an opportunity for the development of a potential grant proposal.

Bill Templin thanked Mayor Alpine for his willingness to come before the Group and discuss these challenging issues and noted the Group would like to assist the city in its efforts to deal with their WWTP issues and development of plan that will successfully face the challenges of an aging and overburdened WWTP.
Status Updates on Active Projects:
  1. Cosumnes-American-Bear-Yuba (CABY): Bill Templin reported he has submitted two implementation project proposals for Integrated Regional Water Management Plan consideration. One proposal consists of the development of a water resources data network evaluation for the CABY region, this proposal was emailed to the Group for their review and comment. Another proposal deals with catastrophic wildfire and contains a public outreach and education component.
  2. Protect the American River Canyons (PARC): A PARC annual clean up effort in the Confluence area is slated for September 23rd.
  3. PCWA Middle Fork Project: Bill reported numerous conversations with different parties regarding the impacts of the Ralston Fire has highlighted comparisons of the fire with the impacts of a prescribed burn used to reduce fuel loads. He noted only 3% of the burn area experienced a high intensity burn. With no high winds experienced during the fire there was much smoldering and smoking, impacted oak woodlands burned slower than manzanita, most likely the main fuel source within the high intensity burn areas. With the duration of the fire and the amount of smoke experienced, the burn was not as near damaging as first anticipated.
Impacts from the fire causing concern include potential hillside slumping and instability including the potential for rock slides and precipitation caused erosion that might present a potential for fish kill should charcoal and ash move into the American River.
  1. Eldorado National Forest Route Designation Public Field Trip: A 5 mile field hike is slated for September 27th on the South Fork of the Rubicon River.

  1. South Fork American River (SFAR) Watershed Update: Austin Mulder, SFAR Watershed Coordinator reported the South Fork Trail Designation has been an interesting process. He gave an update on the upcoming Watershed Education Summit 3-day event that focused on watershed awareness using a monitoring approach with a Native American component incorporated into opening and closing event activities.
Austin reported SFAR Watershed Group meetings will begin again shortly; an agenda will be forthcoming.
  1. Sediment Dynamics Study (SDS): Bill Templin noted SDS results will be compared with the Cat III Stewardship and Strategic Planning effort in order to identify any resulting differences between the two efforts.
  2. American River Salmon Festival: Bill reported the annual event in slated for October 14th and 15th and solicited volunteers for setting up, manning, and taking it down an exhibit.
  3. Auburn State Recreation Area (ASRA) General Plan Progress Report: Bill reported he emailed an update on the plan progress. He noted the white water rafting community has reviewed and made comments on the General Plan Update and indicated he has made the suggestion that ASRA approach the angling community for inclusion into the planning process.
  4. Others? Upper American River Project: Bill gave an overview of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s (SMUD)’s effort related to their FERC re-licensing and solicited support for an Alternative Plan, as an alternative to SMUD’s License Application, supported by numerous public agencies and NGOs. Bill noted the lack of information in SMUD’s License Application is an issue that needs to be addressed.
What’s on your Mind? Both Stewart Feldman and Marilyn Jasper shared several meeting and event announcements of interest.

Next Meeting and Adjournment:
The next meeting is slated for October 19th at the Canyon View Community Center. The meeting was adjourned at 12:15 p.m.

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