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03/21/2007 - Worksession ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY BOARD WORKSESSION MEETING MINUTES CITY OF CLEARWATER March 21, 2007 Present: D. Michael Flanery Chair Joseph A. Calio Board Member Ron Gregory Board Member Also Present: Ed Chesney Environmental Manager Leslie Dougall Sides Asst. City Attorney Tracey Mercer Interim Public Utilities Director Glenn Daniel Water Superintendent -Public Utilities Gerald Wells Public Utilities Coordinator -Public Utilities Veronica Josef Senior Staff Assistant Anna Fusari Citizen Morningside-Meadows Homeowners Association : Mary McGarvey President Joe Evich Vice President John Quattrocki Area Director & Chair of the Reclaimed Water Committee Steve Miller Member of the Reclaimed Water Committee Absent: Nelda Gant Board Member Sandra Jamieson Board Member To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. The Chair Mike Flanery called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. 2 floor, MSB Conference Room 221. nd 1. INTEGRATED WATER MANAGEMENT STRATEGY (GOALS AND BENEFITS) Presentation was provided by Tracey Mercer, Public Utilities followed by EAB and Morningside Homeowners’ Association questions and answers highlighting the following : ? Integrated Water Management Strategy incorporates a variety of initiatives to preserve limited drinking water supplies, ensuring supply for the future. ? Clearwater’s Water Resources Supply Goals Goal # 1 Conserve our limited water supplies Goal # 2 Manages the Rising Cost of Water ?? Cheaper for the City to treat and deliver water from local sources Increase water production ? Additional wells ?? Expand treatment plants Identifies high priority Reclaimed Water areas ? Targets areas with highest use of potable water lawn meters ? Expands reclaim as alternative to potable water irrigation Environmental Advisory 2007-3-21 1 Goal # 3 Preserves our Drinking Water Sources ? Prohibits new irrigation wells in the Floridan aquifer ? Prohibit new irrigation wells within 1000 ft of municipal potable or planned well. Goal # 4 Produces More Drinking Water from local sources ? Drill additional municipal wells to allow cycling of wells ? Expand existing treatment plants in order to treat more water Goal # 5 Protect our Coastal Environment by: ? Expanding and maximing reclaimed system for irrigation ? Reduce treated wastewater discharge to Tampa Bay and Clearwater Harbor which is an environmental concern ? Reclaimed Water helps us meet our Goals ? Residents currently use potable water for irrigation. The less potable water used for irrigation, the less water is purchased from outside sources ? Lower water bills ? Treated wastewater is used for irrigation rather than discharged into Tampa Bay ? Clearwater provides residents, businesses and golf courses 2.4 million gallons per day of Reclaimed Water ? Reclaimed water is safe, good for the environment and protects groundwater supplies ? Reclaimed Water Rebate Plan is to: ? Encourage irrigation well owners to use Reclaimed Water and $ 600 maximum rebate is offered for well owners to abandon their wells and connect to Clearwater’s Reclaimed Water system. ? No tap fee will be required for switching from private wells at time of construction and $ 240 will be credited for the first year of use. ? Areas identified in this ordinance with irrigation wells will not be charged for Reclaimed Water availability as long as the irrigation wells remain active. ? Properties that receive irrigation from lakes/ponds are not exempt from paying the reclaimed water availability fee. ? Ordinance # XXXX-07 City of Clearwater Ordinance: Availability exemption for well abandonment defined by current cooperative funding agreements with SWFWMD, amending Section 32.380 Code of Ordinances, changing the availability Fee and adding credits for converting from private wells to the Reclaimed Water System. Properties with existing irrigation wells shall not be charged for availability within specifically defined areas with SWFWM funding as long as irrigation well remains active. Environmental Advisory 2007-3-21 2 ? Customers converting from private well to Reclaimed during the project construction phase in cooperative funding agreements with SWFWMD and availability fee exemptions will not be granted after the completion of these projects: ? North Beach ? South Beach ? Island Estates ? Harbor Oaks ? Seville/sunset ? Drew Union ? North Greenwood ? Del Oro ? Morningside It is recommended to implement an ordinance that recognizes incentives made to prior groups and eliminates the availability fee exemption to future groups and provides credits to homeowners who abandon irrigation wells and connect the Reclaimed Water during construction. ? City of Clearwater’s Future Plans are : ? To continue Reclaimed Water expansion and Water conservation efforts ? Expanding City’s Well Fields ? Reduce plant discharge ? Expanding RO Facility ?? Construct Second RO facility ? Reclaimed Water Projects that are completed and in design phase: 1. Island Estates – Completed 1998 2. South Clearwater Beach & 5M storage tank – Completed 2001 3. North Clearwater Beach – Completed 2001 4. Greenwood – Completed 2002 5. 2000 System Improvements – Completed 2002 6. Drew & Union – Completed 2004 7. Harbor Oaks – Completed 2004 8. Seville & Sunset Point – Completed 2005Del Oro Reclaimed system – Completion in 2008 9. ASR Storage & Recovery Exploratory Wells – Completed 2006 10. Morningside Reclaimed system – In design phase 11. Coachmen - In design phase 12. Enterprise - In design phase 13. East Drew - In design phase 14. South Countryside - In design phase ? For Morningside-Meadows ? Once Reclaimed Water is in place, no new irrigation wells from potable sources will be permitted. ? Reclaimed Water Service required a monthly base fee $ 15.08 plus .47 per 1000 gallons used. Environmental Advisory 2007-3-21 3 · Lawn Meters Potable Water .' , . Homeowners using potable water for irrigation must connect Lawn Meters to be removed at no charge to customer. No connection fee while construction is under way. IrriQation Wells Homeowners with irrigation wells are exempt from the monthly availability fee if converting during construction. Homeowners must call and request exemption. Well owners who switch to Reclaimed water: -+ Up to $ 600 to property abandon existing well -+ Incentive of $240 credit on utility bill -+ No tap fee charged ($305) if converting during construction · Lakes and Ponds . Homeowners using lake and pond water for irrigation are not exempt from the monthly base fee. Member Ron Gregory inquired: 1. Are there any commercial nursery operations in the City using deep water wells? 2. What will be the policy for commercial nurseries within the City that now use wells? 3. Will these nursery operations be required to stop using permitted wells? Glenn Daniel, Public Utilities - Responded that research needs to be done. Member Ron Gregory thanked Glenn Daniel for the colored maps received and also requested one map that shows all areas in the city for the current and future Reclaimed projects and how all these areas connect to each other. Chair Mike Flanery stated that the Environmental Advisory Board is not a policy making board. 2. CITIZENS COMMENTS Morningside Meadows Homeowners Association inquired on the following in regards to the City's plans for Reclaimed Water: 1. Residents not irrigating with water from the Floridian Aquifer should not be forced to use Reclaimed Water and should be exempt from paying fees for Reclaimed Water. Only residents who connect should pay to Reclaimed Water. 2. Recommend to supply Reclaimed Water to all residents who are not irrigating with shallow well groundwater or surface water and to residents who want to use Reclaimed Water despite their current use of shallow groundwater or surface water. 3. Recommend not to remove the exemption for residents using well water for irrigation unless the well is deep enough to be withdrawing from the Floridian Aquifer. 4. Morningside Meadows Association recommend that residents who withdraw lakelsurface water from irrigation should also be exempt from paying any fees for Reclaimed Water. 5. Morningside Meadows Association residents had concerns on the interpretation of the Ordinance on exemption outlined in Section 32.990 that Public Utilities will make recommendations to the Council which mayor may not include change the ordinance. 6. Should the city go forward with the plans to bring reclaimed water into Morningside Meadows neighborhood residents who have working wells would be exempt from the "availability fee". Environmental Advisory 2007.3.21 4 ,~ Tracey Mercer, Public Utilities stated that if residents are converting their private wells to Reclaimed Water system they will not be exempted. Once Reclaimed Water is installed in that area, the City will not allow new irrigation wells to be installed or drilled in that area. Member Ron Gregory stated that one of the benefits to the area in the City in addition to the less potable water is the availability of water. SWFWMD target is on the water quality in the old Tampa Bay and Tampa Bay. One of the benefits of the system expanding is the affluent discharge into the bay. From an environmental stand point we need to have less potable water use and less affluent discharge to the bay and if we could get the maximum usage of our system that is 12 million gallons a day and pumping down the level of nitrates. Chair Mike Flanery inquired if the Environmental Advisory Board can discuss with the Public Utilities if there are options to participate in long term planning for the good of Clearwater that is even more environmentally effective and is there a process to discuss alternatives by Morningside Meadows where the rate structure to be reviewed by the City Commission. John Quattrocki, Morningside Meadows. reported that SWFWMD quoted from initial Funding there will be 50 % reduction of quality potable water for each project and does not relate to 50 % of the residents by letters of commitment and one year after the construction is completed, an additional 50% connections. Ed Chesney stated that the ordinance does state anything about reduction in discharge and this needs to be taken into consideration whether it is in the ordinance or not as this has to happen. Member Ron Gregory also stated that from an environmental stand point the Environmental Advisory Board needs to review the proposal put forth by Tampa Bay Estuary Program to install the Tidal Gates and culverts across the causeway to increase the flushing of old Tampa Bay and Tampa Bay. This is a County project in the City of Clearwater. 3. EAB Meetina The April 18th EAB Meeting will be a Worksession. 4. ESTABLISH AGENDA 1. Energy efficient lighting (Benefits of compact fluorescent lighting) 2. Review the proposal on Tidal Gates and Culverts 3. Proposal to the Pinellas County to funding elements 5. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 6:15 pm ~ o tJ/o.J U>. JDC4 Veronica Josef Senior Staff Assistant l Date: S l ~ ~ 0 7 Environmental Advisory Board Date: .>" ft 7/17 , Environmental Advisory 2007.3.21 5