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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-02-11 UC MINi I I \ i's'Ater THE OIRTIIPLACE OF NINNESOTA UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING February 11, 2021 8:00 A.M. Utilities Superintendent Benson called the meeting to order via Zoom at 8:00 a.m. Present: Chairman Speedling, Commissioners Hudak and Whitcomb, Mayor Kozlowski Absent: Councilmember Polehna, Commissioner Jensen Staff: Utilities Superintendent Benson, Public Works Director Sanders, Administrative Assistant Schmid APPROVAL OF MINUTES Possible approval of minutes of January 14, 2021 meeting Motion by Chairman Speedling, seconded by Commissioner Hudak, to approve the minutes of the January 14, 2021 meeting. All in favor. OPEN FORUM There were no public comments. NEW BUSINESS Possible recognition of Board of Water Commissioners Mayor Kozlowski acknowledged the effort that went into the transition of the Water Board into the Public Works Department. He shared the rich history of the Water Board and its importance to the City since it was formed in 1911. Public Works Director Sanders presented a plaque recognizing the Board of Water Commissioners. Frozen Service Policy Mr. Sanders explained that the Water Department maintains a list of property owners who have experienced a frozen water line. Past practice has been that the Water Department informs those residents to run their water continuously when needed, to prevent freezing, and they are not charged for the extra water volume. He voiced concern about the amount of uncharged water usage. If someone runs their water at one gallon/minute, over a month they use 43,000 gallons of water which he feels is a lot of water to provide without charge. The water also flows to the sewage treatment plant which is an additional cost to the City. He directed Mr. Benson to notify those residents that they should keep the faucets running but they are now going to be charged for that usage. The notification generated a lot of phone calls from residents who feel past practice should continue. Due to the large response, Mr. Sanders suggested further investigating what is happening. He proposed that the Commission take the next two months to determine how much water is really being used and revisit the practice. Commissioner Hudak asked where the lines are freezing. Mr. Sanders said they are freezing between the water main and the house. Commissioner Hudak asked if the lines usually burst or just stop flowing. Mr. Benson replied they have not burst, they have just stopped flowing and the contractor would come out and thaw the line. The occurrences are spread throughout the City. There are three different Utilities Commission Meeting February 11, 2021 lists of property owners who are called and told to run faucets, depending on the severity of the winter. Mr. Sanders said he has checked with other communities and some cities waive the sewer and water fees for a certain timeframe, some cities don't, and some cities give a credit. He would like to consider whether there is an alternate way to handle it. Commissioner Hudak asked if the Water Board has discussed permanent fixes such as using heat wrap or heat coils to keep the pipes warm, or doing directional boring for a new water service line. He believes that wasting water is contrary to the Commission's goals. He would rather see long term fixes. Mr. Sanders commented that over a 40-60 year period, the cost of the wasted water is going to be more expensive than putting in a new service, but is a sensitive subject with residents. Commissioner Whitcomb asked if those residents' standard usage is known, for comparison purposes. Mr. Sanders answered it is difficult to determine. There have been years when nobody had to leave their faucets run all winter. Those years might provide a good baseline. Commissioner Hudak noted the City's responsibility to protect the groundwater. He suggested looking at the cost of the water lost over the years, and taking that money that the City would lose to help subsidize these landowners to fix their pipes. Mr. Sanders said staff can also look to see if any of these properties are on streets slated for improvement in upcoming years. When doing street projects, galvanized water services are usually replaced at that time. Update on Sanitary Sewer System Mr. Sanders gave an overview of the City's sanitary sewer system, which dates to 1911. The original sanitary sewer system was combined with storm water until 1973 when an extensive project separated the two. Pipe material consists of clay, concrete, PVC, ductile and cast iron. Today the sanitary sewer system consists of 91.6 miles of sewer main, 2,301 manholes and 13 lift stations. There are more than 6,600 service connections and about 170 homes that are still on septic systems. The wastewater flows from the City to the St. Croix Wastewater Treatment Plant in Oak Park Heights. Chairman Speedling asked when the City might need to add a lift station. Mr. Sanders replied for the existing City, there are enough lift stations. Commissioner Whitcomb asked if the City has done an inflow and infiltration (I & I) study to diagnose whether there is clean water coming into the system. Mr. Sanders explained that every year when the river rises, there is a spike in the daily flows, which he has been trying to figure out for years. A few years ago, the City lined the trunk line from the Zephyr Depot to the Aiple lift station. This reduced the I & I somewhat. He would like to look at manhole locations along the river as well. Commissioner Hudak asked if the businesses along the river all have sump pumps. Mr. Sanders responded that many of the Main Street businesses have sump pumps. Some basements have groundwater constantly flowing. Some goes to sanitary sewer and some is pumped up into the storm sewer system. In the 1990s during the Downtown Project, many of those businesses were provided with a storm sewer stub but not all are hooked up. Whenever there is a substantial renovation or improvement in those buildings, the property owners are required to separate the groundwater and connect to the storm sewer system. Additionally, around Lily Lake there is a pipe Page 2 of 4 Utilities Commission Meeting February 11, 2021 that serves 10-12 homes which has a suspected inflow problem. The City has been working on a project to line that sanitary sewer to get rid of that flow. Update on Utilities and Development Projects Mr. Sanders updated the Commission on future projects. The Greeley Lift Station is being upgraded, increasing capacity. The Brick Street Lift Station upgrade should be completed in 2021. A bypass manhole will be added at Marketplace. The Mid Oaks Avenue Lift Station is being replaced. The City is looking at well pump rehabilitation at Well 6 and Well 9; also looking at tying the SCADA system used by the Water Department, which uses the telephones, into the radio system used for the lift stations. Eventually this will allow automated readings in pump houses. TKDA was hired to work on a Risk and Resilience Assessment and Emergency Response Plan. He also summarized ongoing development projects: White Pine Ridge, a 14-lot residential development on County Road 12 across from Northland Park; Zivago, a cooperative living development at Our Saviors Lutheran Church at Brick and Olive Streets; Heifort Hills Second Addition, a townhome development near Oak Glen Trail and Highway 96. Additionally, Central Commons, a 35 acre development in the southwest corner of the City, will require the extension of utilities from Curve Crest Boulevard across Lakeview property and under Highway 36. Commissioner Hudak asked if the City pays for extension of the utilities. Mr. Sanders answered the City funds the project and assesses the benefiting properties 100% of the cost of extending sewer and water. Water Pumped 2020 Mr. Benson informed the Commission that in 2020, the Water Department pumped 685,699,000 gallons. Chairman Speedling asked if there has been a decrease due to conservation. Mr. Benson replied there has been some conservation, but the weather plus everybody being home due to COVID have impacted water usage, so this is not a good year for comparison. He will bring last year's data to the next meeting. Main Breaks Mr. Benson stated since the last meeting there were six main breaks. Refund - Kellie Knowles Mr. Benson explained Ms. Knowles is requesting the Commission refund the amount she had put in for health insurance coverage in 2020 prior to the transition. She will start new with the City for 2021. Motion by Commissioner Whitcomb, seconded by Chairman Speedling, to refund the health insurance amount to Ms. Knowles. All in favor. Payment TKDA December 2020 Mr. Benson presented a bill from TKDA to be paid out of the 2020 budget for the Fourth Street pressure reducing valve. Motion by Commissioner Whitcomb, seconded by Chairman Speedling, to pay the TKDA bill. All in favor. Refund - 1303 Willard Street West Mr. Benson presented a request for reimbursement of an overpayment. Motion by Chairman Speedling, seconded by Commissioner Hudak, to refund the overpayment for 1301 Willard Street West. All in favor. Page 3 of 4 Utilities Commission Meeting February 11, 2021 UNFINISHED BUSINESS There was no unfinished business. COMMISSION ITEMS Chairman Speedling noted the next meeting will be March 11. Mr. Sanders asked what staff reports the Commission would like to see on a monthly basis. Commissioner Hudak remarked he would like to see a concerted effort to educate the public about water usage and water discharge, what it costs to treat sewage and how that impacts a homeowner's utility bill. He also would like to educate citizens about the different types of technology that are employed because of things they put down the sewers and what it costs. For example, if there is reverse osmosis, what the filters are, what the chemicals are and what they cost. Commissioner Whitcomb suggested the Commission work on compiling a standard executive overview of the systems that it oversees so there can be a monthly report with the highlights of the issues of the month. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Chairman Speedling, seconded by Commissioner was adjourned at 9:12 a.m. ATTEST: e "\ Robert Benson, Utilities Superintendent dak, to adjourn. All in favor. The meeting Steve Speedling, Chai Page 4 of 4