HomeMy WebLinkAboutSurface Water Work Session February 14 217Whatcom County Council
Surface Water Work Session
February 14, 2017
CALL TO ORDER
Council Chair Barry Buchanan called the meeting to order at 10:30 a.m. in the Civic
Center Garden Level Conference Room, 322 Commercial Avenue, Bellingham, Washington.
ROLL CALL
Present: Barbara Brenner, Satpal Sidhu, Barry Buchanan, Ken Mann, Todd
Donovan and Carl Weimer
Absent: Rud Browne
SURFACE WATER WORK SESSION_CAS2017 -024)
1. WATER PLANNING UPDATE
Gary Stoyka, Public Works Department, updated the Council on the February
Planning Unit meeting; the Joint Board and Salmon Recovery Board, which no longer exist
and have been replaced by the new Watershed Management Board; funding the new board,
including projects and facilitation; staff work on the Whatcom local integrating organization
(LIO) recovery plan, which is required by the Puget Sound Partnership to cover all recovery
efforts in this region; and a supplemental budget request to pay for completion of the
groundwater model project.
Councilmembers discussed including watershed improvement district (WID)
members and exempt well representatives on the LIO.
2. WATER RESOURCE INVENTORY AREA (WRIA) 1 PLANNING UNIT UPDATE
Dick Whitmore, Planning Unit Member, submitted and presented information on the
March 2005 watershed management plan and the detailed implementation plan (DIP)
summary(on file).
Ann Russell, Planning Unit Member, submitted (on file) and described the caucus
members' concerns and shared priorities.
Staff and Planning Unit members answered questions about inactive Planning Unit
members, whether the number of representatives in the governance process is too big to be
efficient, the hurdles that have prevented implementation of plans since 1995, the need for
funding and a strong focused leadership to work toward a common goal, and the growing
population.
Robin Dexter, Planning Unit Member, answered questions about how water law is
different from land use law, figuring out who does and does not have water rights, and the
ultimate need to adjudicate water rights.
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3. SWIFT CREEK REPOSITORY REPORT and CURRENT STATUS OF SWIFT CREEK
MANAGEMENT
Roland Middleton, Public Works, submitted and read from a presentation on the
conceptual site screening report (on file). He answered questions about how long a
repository would last; diverting the water flow through a culvert and away from the area;
fish suffocating in the creek; whether the material is a threat to people's health; other
negative impacts to agriculture land due to the problems with the type of material and the
amount of material coming off the landslide annually; whether any of the heavy metals are
not naturally- occurring; if there is an industrial use for the material, such as impermeable
concrete; and whether the landslides can be prevented.
Middleton continued and concluded his presentation on the Oat Coles Bridge removal
project and continued to answer questions on collaborating with Environment Canada, area
wells that are not showing problems from the material, the need to build a concrete
structure to protect the Williams pipeline that runs through the area, whether there are
federal funds for solving the Swift Creek problem, and how supportive are the State
representatives.
ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at 11:50 a.m.
Thi ''C'o"u'nkcil approved these minutes on February 21, 2017.
ATTIC - Tg *\', NT (,` V
Dana Brouv��- Q��ISd Council Clerk
Jill Nixon, Minutes Transcription
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON
Buchanan, Council Chair
Surface Water Work Session, 2/14/2017, Page 2