HomeMy WebLinkAboutNatural Resources February 23 1999I WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
2 Natural Resources Committee
3
4 February 23, 1999
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6
7 The meeting was called to order at 10:00 a.m. by Committee Chair Connie Hoag in the
8 Council Chambers, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, Washington.
9
10 Also Present: Absent:
11 Kathy Sutter None
12 Tom Brown
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17 COMMITTEE DISCUSSION
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19
20 1. UPDATE ON DRAYTON HARBOR SHELLFISH PROTECTION DISTRICT ISSUES
21 AND ACTIVITIES AND DISCUSSION REGARDING SEWAGE OVERFLOWS
22 (AB99 -091)
23
24 Grant Stewart, City of Blaine Public Works Director, gave a presentation. He has been
25 with Blaine since December 1998. There is a lift station on the Blaine side of the spit. They
26 pump water across the mouth of Drayton Harbor to the waste water treatment plant. Location of
27 recent spill is along Marine Drive. Reason for spills is the hydraulic capacity of the lift station
28 was exceeded. Have experienced three spills since December. They were on December 28,
29 1998, January 14 and January 29, 1999. Each spill followed a lot of rain for several days.
30 Overflows occur after 3 -4 days of hard rain. The groundwater becomes saturated. There is
31 inflow from roof drains and subsurface drains. The peak wastewater flow is approximately eight
32 times the average annual flow. The lift station gets overwhelmed. Sewage backs up into
33 manholes. Blaine has worked to improve the collection system. Recent improvements include
34 replacement of pumps and pipelines and interceptor. They reached an agreement with the State
35 Department of Ecology (DOE), in response to an administrative order, to complete projects and
36 tighten up the system. They would install new pipes and reduce infiltration into the system.
37 They are far into the program, but haven't fixed the overflow condition. It is related to a separate
38 problem of inflow of surface water rather than infiltration of groundwater. In response to spills,
39 they have taken actions that include hydraulic analysis, pump inspection, offline storage, illicit
40 connections, and smoke testing. There is an old clarifier that is sitting next to lift station # 1. It
41 was a part of the old wastewater treatment plant. This is a 60,000 - gallon clarifier. They
42 discussed how to re -pipe it to use for offline storage. When the lift station is seeing a high flow,
43 they bring in a temporary pump and pump into the offline storage to reduce the load to the lift
44 station. They can capture 60,000 gallons in a peak event. They have used the system since the
45 most recent spill in January. They were able to pump approximately half of the tank's volume
46 during the last spill. They expect future spills to be prevented with the system, but it is a stopgap
47 emergency measure. They have also made progress in finding roof drains that are discharging
48 surface water into the sanitary system. They found an entire mobile home park that had open
49 clean -outs in an open field. They were all closed. They also found businesses and homes that
Natural Resources, 2/23/99, Page 1
I discharge directly into the collection system. They are working on enforcement for the
2 businesses and residences. They have done some smoke testing and developed a plan for
3 programmatic smoke testing for the areas of central Blaine to monitor the situation of roof and
4 foundation drains draining directly into the sanitary system.
5
6 Brown questioned whether it is a policy of Blaine to have open drains. Stewart stated no,
7 there is an ordinance against it.
9 Stewart continued to state that they have also expanded the list of who to notify when a
10 spill occurs. They received a notice of violation from DOE for not notifying quick enough
11 during the first overflow in December. They phoned DOE six hours after the spill began. Phone
12 numbers were old or incorrect. They have modified the response protocol to respond
13 immediately with phone calls first, and figure out what to do next. During the December
14 overflow the crew first tried to resolve the problem before notifying the appropriate agencies.
15 They have also done local clean up where an overflow has created a nuisance. They are trying to
16 get a grant application from the Centennial Clean Water fund. The City needs the State's help to
17 get the program under way.
18
19 Their notification list includes DOE, DOH, City of White Rock, B.C., and the County
20 Health Department. There are response challenges including improved instrumentation control
21 and system repairs and the lift station, hydraulic repairs, poor vendor response time, lag between
22 high level alarm and overflow, financial hardship, sewer service charge. An alarm at the lift
23 station failed. The alarms go off when there is a high level. There is no sensor to detect
24 overflow. The City of Blaine has funded the long list of projects and there is tremendous debt.
25 Equivalent residential unit (ERU) charge is greater than 1.5% of the mean annual income for a
26 resident of Blaine.
27
28 The response actions planned are with the Centennial Clean Water fund grant. They
29 include lift station rehabilitation, operational tools development that include a flow model and
30 measurement equipment, instrumentation upgrades in the lift station, and further source
31 separation of storm water from the sanitary system. The flow models will predict the possible
32 benefit with a certain amount of investment expenditure. This will allow him to do a cost - benefit
33 analysis for the stakeholders, demonstrate progress, and operate a program that will predict the
34 progressive decay of the collection system and manage the inflow and infiltration issue longer
35 term. These items get them out of a spill scenario. The source separation comes in subsequent
36 years as the program is developed and contractors are in place.
37
38 Brown questioned the total cost. Stewart responded $1.35 million. He hopes to receive
39 grant money of $460,000, a loan of $375,000 to develop a loan program for citizens to do
40 improvements and then payback the system. $300,000 + $100,000 is needed for storm water
41 improvements. There are underdeveloped storm sewers in the City that are contributing to the
42 overflow condition. If there was adequate storm/sewer collection in place, they could connect
43 personal property drains to those systems. There would be an alternative to discharging directly
44 into the sanitary system. Their current expense budget supports capital projects for this program.
45
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I Brown stated that they are working on a way to maximize the pump capacity. He
2 questioned whether the treatment plant can handle more capacity than the pumps can push out.
3 Stewart stated that the wastewater treatment plant is much better suited to handle high flows.
4 There is a procedure for flows beyond what they can treat with secondary treatment. In the
5 primary system, they can handle more flow than the lift can produce there is a wastewater
6 treatment plant project upgrade underway. It should be done by June 2000. The new plant will
7 be a sequencing batch reactor plant. There are scenarios worked out for managing high -flow
8 conditions. The new system will have ultraviolet radiation disinfection instead of the current
9 chlorination disinfection. The plant is designed to accommodate the flow under the high peak
10 factor condition. They don't expect to continue to live with the high peak flow. From an
11 efficiency of operation standpoint, it makes sense to solve the problem.
12
13 Brown stated that the overflows are coming out of the manholes. He questioned whether
14 the manholes take the stormwater in or are covered. Stewart stated that they could bolt down the
15 manholes, but it would just back the overflow up further.
16
17 Brown stated that the City of Edmonds installed gaskets, bolted the manholes down, and
18 backed it up to a system that could handle it. Hoag stated that it is coming up through plumbing
19 in buildings.
20
21 Stewart stated that approach is sound engineering, but won't work in this instance. The
22 infrastructure is not in place. They need to do source control to get the stormwater out of the
23 system, which will take a while. In the near term, they need to get the lift station operating to get
24 the water across the harbor.
25
26 Hoag questioned whether the spills happen every year. Stewart stated that this has been
27 an unusually rainy year. They have tightened up the pipes, which is a changed condition from
28 other years. A heavier rain multiple event can cause a spill.
29
30 Hoag questioned whether this was an anomaly or the norm. Stewart stated that, if they do
31 nothing, they will have 3 -4 more spills next year.
32
33 Hoag questioned the improvements in North Blaine and Northeast Blaine. Stewart stated
34 that the northeast Blaine project was for sewer replacement and private property lateral
35 replacement. The north Blaine project was for a new sewer to take a lot of residential properties
36 off septic systems that were failing and within the City limits.
37
38 Hoag questioned whether there are more containment plans in addition to the clarifier.
39 Stewart stated that they were just finishing the improvements to the clarifier as the spill
40 happened on January 29. They weren't able to use it fully. They are going to conduct hydraulic
41 tests. There has not been a spill greater than 60,000 gallons.
42
43 Hoag questioned how they know how many gallons overflowed. Stewart stated that they
44 know by visual inspection.
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I Hoag questioned what is needed to prevent a future overflow. Stewart stated that they are
2 aggressively pursuing the Centennial Clean Water fund grant to do the work to prevent future
3 spills.
4
5 Stewart continued to state that task one is to engineer a bypass, a way to pump sewage
6 around the lift station while it is being repaired. They can't take it off line right now. Once in,
7 they can rehabilitate the hydraulic system. The pumps were replaced in 1993 and are top of the
8 line pumps. They need to be connected properly.
9
10 Dawson questioned whether the cities are faced with fines. Stewart stated that they have
11 been served with a $9,000 fine. The next fine will triple. They are hoping to use this as a nudge
12 in the right direction toward a comprehensive program to fix the problem.
13
14 Brown questioned whether the Centennial Clean Water fund grant provides the funding
15 to solve the problem. Stewart stated that the City is planning to make a contribution to the
16 project and are obligated to do some engineering up front. There are things that the committee
17 can do to help. They could write a letter to County Public Works or Water Resource Inventory
18 Area (WRIA) #1 to suggest that this is a critical project and emphasize that funding is a key
19 component to solve the problem. Also, at City Council meetings, people are interested in
20 tapping into flood tax money. Given that Blaine is not a flood area, they would like to apply for
21 allocation of tax money to support the program.
22
23 Hoag questioned whether the 60,000 - gallon clarifier and the items that they are planning
24 to do would prevent future overflows. Stewart stated that they would. He intends to bring on a
25 separate consultant to help prepare a package that is a comprehensive fix.
26
27 Hoag asked about the timeline. Stewart stated that the engineering phase and
28 construction phase have to work together.
29
30 Hoag questioned the plan if they don't receive the Centennial Clean Water fund grant.
31 Stewart stated that he is focusing on the grant, but will develop an alternate if that doesn't go
32 through.
33
34 Sutter questioned whether they are looking at solving the immediate problem or are they
35 looking into the future to handle the capacity of new development. Stewart stated that they have
36 a comprehensive plan for wastewater system upgrades to meet the needs of east Blaine. The
37 immediate plans for future development are in Semiahmoo, which doesn't impact the lift station.
38
39 Sutter stated that the potential build out in the Urban Growth Areas (UGA) may be more
40 than the plans for upgrading the system. Stewart stated that the Environmental Protection
41 Agency (EPA) allows a peaking factor of 2.5. The City's is now a factor of 8. If they can address
42 the peaking factor, they can cut flow by 2/3. It is the peak flow that is driving the overflow
43 problem. Through good engineering and construction, that can be achieved. If he can cut the
44 flow by 200 %, then he has created capacity for growth for 50 -100 years into the future. That is
45 just on the hydraulic side of long -term planning. As more houses and business are developed,
46 the flow volume is reduced, the strength is increased. They have a plan for upgrading the
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I wastewater treatment plant for additional capacity. They have room for more sequence and
2 batch reactors. He will continue a process of evaluation. They must always monitor infiltration
3 and inflow. His program enables them to do planning.
4
5 Hoag questioned the timeline if they received all the funds. Stewart stated that task one
6 should be completed before next winter.
7
8 Hoag questioned whether there are overflows during the summer. Stewart stated there
9 are not, unless there is much rain for several days.
10
11 Jan Hansen, Drayton Harbor Shellfish Protection District Advisory Committee, stated
12 that there are not overflows during the summer.
13
14 Stewart requested letters of support for their program.
15
16 (Clerk's Note: End of tape one, side A.)
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18 Stewart continued to state that his fate is in the hands of the people that set the priorities.
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20 Hoag opened the meeting to people who would like to respond. Also, DOE is present.
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22 Hoag stated that the paper reported fines on dairy farmers for repeated violations dating
23 back to 1991. The City of Blaine, has had repeated violations, including the three this year. It
24 doesn't look like there is equity. A sewage treatment plant that puts out 60,000 gallons gets a
25 $9,000 fine, and a dairy farmer gets a $72,000 fine.
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27 Richard Grout, DOE, stated that the City of Blaine has had repeat violations. Of the three
28 major fines, one of the farmers was issued notification of violation nine times. It was not until
29 the seventh notification that DOE issued a penalty. The dairy then had three more notification.
30 Other two farms received multiple notices of either inspection or violations. DOE never levied a
31 penalty against those farms. The first penalties were from EPA. When DOE began the new
32 round of inspections under the new dairy law, they found that violations in which they were
33 penalized by EPA years ago were still present. DOE penalized them again. The penalty system
34 that DOE uses allows for repeated offenses. The three dairies that got fines were significant
35 repeat offenders. They do treat municipalities and for - profit business differently because they
36 are fundamentally different. A municipal government has a different system and complex
37 problem. The historic approach by the DOE with municipalities is to urge or mandate repairs to
38 the system that will prevent future problems. Repairs or upgrades often require hundreds of
39 thousands or millions of dollars. With municipalities, fines are less effective than other means,
40 such as moratoriums on hook -ups. They try to get the system fixed. They can't shut people off
41 from a municipal system. Dairy farms require straightforward fixes, such as more storage, fewer
42 animals per acre, or curbing around slabs. Some of them are expensive, but one of the farmers
43 who had a fine levied availed himself of public funds and still did not fix the problem.
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I Brown questioned how they distinguish a for - profit business from a dairy farmer. Grout
2 stated that he misspoke and DOE does treat municipalities different from for - profit businesses,
3 such as dairy farms.
4
5 Hoag stated that the City of Blaine has had fines in the past. She questioned how much
6 and how often. Grout stated that he did not know the specifics.
7
8 Stewart stated that they received a notice of penalty and a fine of $3,000 last year. The
9 current fine is triple that.
10
11 Grout stated that the agency has some discretion and depends on the circumstances.
12 There are situations that are egregious and some are accidents. For example, a dairy farmer had
13 a pipe blow accidentally, they contacted DOE immediately, and they were not fined.
14
15 Hoag stated that the cities have a much larger revenue base and this has been an on -going
16 problem. Grout stated that they are more inclined to direct municipalities to make the
17 improvements, which can be a very high cost. There is a penalty matrix used to assess the
18 circumstances of the penalty and they use a point scoring system and assess the level of offense.
19 There is always some subjective judgement based on the circumstances of the violation.
20
21 Hoag stated that she agreed that subjective judgement is appropriate, but did not agree
22 with treating dairy farmers differently than the municipalities. Stewart stated that the City of
23 Blaine has been making improvements over the last five years. This program was developed
24 under DOE guidance and direction. They have come to the improvements as a team. There are
25 several million dollars worth of improvements that have been made. Some problems don't have
26 a quick fix. They are attacking the inflow and infiltration problem. DOE has stepped in and
27 provided guidance and encouragement. It is a complex problem and very different from a dairy
28 farm.
E
30 Grout stated that, since the new law, they have inspected 100+ farms and penalized only
31 6. Three were substantial fines due to the repeat violations. Two dairies had discharges that
32 were not due to negligence. Many farms had problems, but no discharge, and were given a
33 notice of correction.
34
35 Sutter questioned whether the three that received the big fines offered any good faith
36 demonstration of fixing the problem before they were fined. Grout stated that the fines were
37 based on a repeated failure to deal with the problems.
419-a
39 Sutter stated that Blaine has been making an effort to fix their problems.
40
41 Grout stated that they directed the City of Blaine to make several million dollars worth of
42 corrective measures. It is a balancing act to regulate and enforce against things like farms,
43 municipalities, and major industries. They are dealing with very different situations. It would be
44 impossible to levy one penalty and fine structure across the board. They are trying to achieve
45 compliance and no water pollution. They would rather have the farmer spend the money on
46 fixes to the problem than on fines. The penalties are a last resort.
Natural Resources, 2/23/99, Page 6
2
3 Hoag questioned whether the January 14 overflow was discovered by a State Department
4 of Health (DOH) employee and no one notified the DOH. Stewart stated that her information
5 was on the December 28 event. At 4:00 a.m., there was a high level alarm. At 8:00 a.m., the
6 spill began. His crew was out observing and looking for the source. They found a trailer park,
7 so the crew tried to prevent the spill and got to work. They forgot to make the phone calls. The
8 intention was good. They now understand that there is a good reason to make the phone calls
9 first. On January 14th, as soon as they knew there was a spill, they were on the phone. DOE
10 stated that there was a 20 minute delay. On January 29 there was a 0 minute delay. The clarifier
11 came online after the spill started on January 29. They are trying to protect public health,
12 prevent a spill, and make phone calls all at the same time.
13
14 Hoag stated that she didn't agree with the DOE. They need to re- examine treating
15 municipalities differently. There is not justice under the law. A big fine may put a farmer out of
16 business. They cannot put a city out of business. Grout stated that reasonable people can
17 disagree. As a result of the law, both dairy and municipalities believe that it may be time to take
18 a look at the system. It happens periodically and is just beginning again.
19
20 Hoag stated that DOE has all the power regarding the sewage treatment plants. The
21 County does not have any power to get a problem fixed. They need DOE help. She asked that
22 they turn up the heat on the cities, get the sewage treatment plants online, and take a good look at
23 the permits when they come up for renewal.
24
25 Grout stated that people believe that DOE has already been putting the heat on the cities.
26
27 Hoag stated that the problem has not been fixed.
28
29 Grout stated that they have been doing a number of things to fix the problem. Blaine
30 can't afford to fix the entire problem at once. They are trying to indentify where to get the
31 biggest bang for the buck. They have been working with Blaine for five years.
32
33 Hoag stated that DOE would not give a farmer five years to solve his problem. Grout
34 stated that he has been working with some of the farmers for more than 8 years. The new dairy
35 law mandates that almost any discharge will result in a penalty.
36
37 Hoag questioned whether there is a law that addresses penalties for a discharge by a
38 sewage treatment plant. Grout stated that there is not. The law hasn't changed for them. The bill
39 that passed in the last session of the legislature was a dairy bill.
40
41 Grout stated that he has been concerned about appearances and has been talking to
42 Olympia. They want to know if the procedure is defensible. They will look at the procedure in
43 light of the new dairy law.
44
45 Hansen stated that the City has increased its sewage rate. It is the sixth highest in the
46 State. Another increase is planned. Everyone in Blaine that is connected to the sewer is
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I contributing to the cost of reducing the problem. They are considering a stormwater utility
2 district. It would not be popular with the ratepayers, but they are going to have to contribute by
3 that method.
4
5 Hoag questioned whether the stormwater utility district would tax people already paying
6 the sewer rates. Hanson stated that it would. The County should consider that the residents in
7 the watershed also contribute to stormwater control.
8
9 George Boggs, Whatcom Conservation District Coordinator, stated that he was
10 disappointed in the Blaine presentation. They have not offered to immediately stop connections
11 to new dwellings. It can be done immediately at no cost. They have seen multiple discharges for
12 several years. That would suggest that they stop taking on new services when they reach a
13 certain capacity. The capacity of this outfall should not have any new connections. They have
14 an ordinance that makes it illegal to connect stormwater to the sewer system. Stewart pointed
15 out that 2/3 of the contributions to the outfall are from stormwater. Enforcement should look at
16 businesses and get them to disconnect stormwater from the system. In looking at the Portage
17 Bay strategy, everyone needs to do what is necessary to take care of their problem. The cities
18 need to be included in addressing their problems. There are 21 diaries. Three have new plans
19 that meet the State requirements, eight additional plans are in progress, and five dairies are
20 waiting to be serviced. That is a total of 16 of the 21. The balance either have an old plan or
21 have not made a request.
22
23 Hoag questioned whether he received new staff people to process the plans. Boggs stated
24 that there are three dairy waste technicians that work full time to develop the plans. They just
25 hired a support staff to put together the maps.
26
27 Sutter questioned the deadline for the dairy plans. Boggs stated that by the year 2002 the
28 dairies have to have the plan, and by the year 2003 the plans have to be implemented. Elderly
29 producers without an heir may not be compelled to have a plan because they will retire prior to
30 the deadline.
31
32 Hoag questioned whether any fined dairies are in the Drayton Harbor watershed. Boggs
33 stated that he couldn't speak to that. He will see if the Conservation District Board wants time to
34 determine whether they want to provide for additional planning time for that drainage, since
35 there is a small number of dairies. Their priority is to work up bids with farmers that have asked
36 for federal or State cost share. If they are successful, then they can get their structures built. The
37 second priority is compliance issues. When DOE issues a notice of violation, those people
38 would be elevated into the planning stream. The third is on a first come -first served basis. There
39 is an extensive waiting list.
40
41 Hoag questioned Stewart about the smoke testing that they were planning to do to
42 identify illegal hook ups to the sewer system.
43
44 Stewart responded to Hoag and stated that the program has a component of enforcement.
45 They need help with that program and need a fund to draw from to help people make
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I improvements. He estimated $2,000 to $5,000 per property and estimated 150 homes in Blaine
2 that need improvements.
3
4 Hoag questioned when the program would begin. Stewart stated that the program is
5 underway right now. They are smoke testing. He has lists of properties that don't comply. He
6 will pursue businesses and residences directly that have a known problem. He will also look at
7 all problems comprehensively.
9 Hoag questioned whether they could pursue a moratorium on new connections. Stewart
10 stated that he brought it up to the City management and it was discussed among Council
11 members. He has not had a direction to pursue that. They can make better improvements in
12 other areas. One of those areas is source control. He can't solve the overflow problem by
13 disconnecting people.
14
15 (Clerk's Note: The committee moved the meeting into the Council Committee Room. End
16 of Tape one, side B. Portions of audiotape 2 are inaudible. Minutes of those portions were
17 transcribed from Committee Chair Connie Hoag's notes)
18
19 Sherm Polinder, 670 Polinder Road, Lynden, stated that he is a dairyman. There is
20 tremendous inequity between dairies and cities. The cities appear to have a permit to pollute.
21 He was not trying to exonerate the dairymen, but they have been working diligently. There was
22 nearly unanimous support for the manure management ordinance that was recently adopted. He
23 invited Ed Pomeroy to the meeting, but he could not attend. Pomeroy is very knowledgeable
24 about Drayton Harbor. There was a study published in the Bellingham Herald two or three
25 months ago about Blaine conducting a DNA study of the water problems. He found the results
26 hard to believe.
WA
28 Margaret Kardell, Drayton Harbor Shellfish District Advisory Committee, stated that she
29 agreed with the Polinder. The County has helped to resolve the problems with the septic
30 systems. The farmers are doing a good job of getting straightened out. The trailer park problem
31 has been there for 10 years. Also, it was recommended to use the clarifier tank 10 years ago.
32 They need to look at the big picture, including the entire watershed. They should give Stewart as
33 much cooperation as possible. She has wondered why the DOE hasn't required a moratorium on
34 new hook -ups.
35
36 Chris Chesson, Whatcom County Health and Human Services, stated that the Centennial
37 Clean Water funds were used to hire Christine Woodward as the shellfish district coordinator for
38 both Drayton Harbor and Portage Bay.
39
40 Christine Woodward, Drayton Harbor and Portage Bay Shellfish Protection Districts'
41 Coordinator, stated that she worked on the Portage Bay shellfish plan for two years. This is a
42 good step for her to see all the work that has been done on the Portage Bay plan.
43
44 Steve Hood, State Department of Ecology, stated that DOE has in the past treated public
45 entities differently than private entities. He discussed the equity of treatment between industry
46 and public entities. Blaine had an administrative order up to the time when they had their last
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I penalty assessed. The administrative order required improvements valued at $2.7 million. If
2 they had assessed a penalty of that amount, Blaine would not have gotten anything done. Since
3 they were cooperative in doing the work, penalties were not in order. The penalties received in
4 February 1998 were because they did not report a discharge. After that, there were no more
5 discharges last winter. Blaine's penalty was not a tripling of a previous penalty. Penalties on first
6 time dairy offenders are less than the penalty assessed to Blaine. Blaine's penalty was not a
7 tripling of their previous violation, but an agreed upon amount outlined in the previous penalty.
8 They were issued a penalty and a notice of violation. In the notice of violation, it is specified
9 that they have 30 days to respond to certain questions. A follow up to the notice of violation
10 would be an order. That might be a consent order or an administrative order. In the case of
11 Blaine, the administrative order was to spend $2.7 million fixing infiltration problems.
12
13 Hoag stated that DOE needs to encourage compliance by cities and dairies.
14
15 Hood stated that the relationships are somewhat different. Different tools have different
16 effects. One of the things that is different is that they have a greater responsibility to help
17 municipalities' public water. If a municipality is not working to solve a problem, then they will
18 receive penalties.
19
20 Hoag stated that the amount assessed to municipalities, if divided by the number of
21 taxpayers, would probably be less than the amount assessed to one dairy farmer. She was in
22 favor of trying to achieve compliance without fines, but the same should be done for dairy
23 farmers. If compliance cannot be achieved by either, then a fine should be assessed.
24
25 Boggs stated that, as a result of this meeting, he would like to see a letter to the City of
26 Blaine asking them to consider the moratorium issue and enforcement of the ordinance that they
27 already have. Also, a letter should be written to the DOE raising the issue of disparate treatment.
28 The entire shellfish bed in Drayton Harbor is likely to be closed. In February, Blaine had a
29 discharge that they didn't even know about until the Northern Light took photographs and called
30 the City to ask them. The amount of discharge by the City, 45,000 gallons, is a tremendous
31 amount. If a dairy farmer did that on a repetitive basis, he would be hauled to jail. The City of
32 Blaine has not come forward and demonstrated that they have done everything possible and that
33 they will enforce the law they have on their own books. They are working on a Centennial Clean
34 Water fund grant. He is lobbying for references and support. Applications are due February
35 25th. There is a 45 day window after the deadline to prioritize applications. That process is
36 going forward in a timely fashion. All the cities, tribes, special districts, and the County can
37 weigh in on the decision.
38
39 Sutter questioned who would make the final decision on the priorities. Boggs stated that
40 each of the jurisdictions have to concur.
41
42 Sutter questioned whether the ESHB 2514 process would be an appropriate way to
43 develop the priorities. Boggs stated that it would, if it is up and running. Also, the
44 representatives in the ESHB 2496 process could approve. His recommendation was that the
45 Council should be aware that the projects are coming forward.
46
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Kardell stated that the letter to the City of Blaine is very important. They have spent all
their money building the infrastructure, but haven't forced people to hook up to it. The citizens
were told that the new system would solve the problem.
OTHER BUSINESS
rjorelow
The meeting adjourned at approximately 12:00 p.m.
Jill Nixon, Minutes Transcription
ATTEST:
Dana Brown - Davis, Council Clerk
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON
Connie Hoag, Committee Chair
Natural Resources, 2/23/99, Page l l