HomeMy WebLinkAboutWater Work Session Mar 14 2023Whatcom County
Council Water Work Session
COUNTY COURTHOUSE
311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105
Bellingham, WA 98225-4038
(360)778-5010
Minutes - Final
Tuesday, March 14, 2023
10:30 AM
Civic Center Building Conference Room / Hybrid Meeting
HYBRID MEETING - (PARTICIPATE IN -PERSON or SEE REMOTE JOIN
INSTRUCTIONS AT www.whatcomcounty.us/joinvirtualcouncil, OR CALL
360.778.5010)
COUNCILMEMBERS
Barry Buchanan
Tyler Byrd
Todd Donovan
Ben Elenbaas
Carol Frazey
Kaylee Galloway
Kathy Kershner
CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Dana Brown -Davis, C.M.C.
Council Water Work Session Minutes - Final March 14, 2023
Call To Order
Roll Call
Dana Brown -Davis, Clerk of the Council, stated that the Council Chair and
Vice Chair were not present. She called the meeting to order at 10:30 a.m.
in a hybrid meeting and she took roll.
Present: 5 - Ben Elenbaas, Carol Frazey, Kaylee Galloway, Kathy Kershner, and Todd
Donovan
Absent: 2 - Tyler Byrd, and Barry Buchanan
Donovan moved to nominate Kathy Kershner to act as Chair for this
meeting. The motion was seconded by Frazey.
The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 5 Kershner, Frazey, Galloway, Donovan, and Elenbaas
Nay: 0
Absent: 2 - Buchanan and Byrd
Kershner chaired the meeting.
Announcements
Fish Barrier Culvert Correction Update
The following people presented:
• Elizabeth Kosa, Public Works Department Acting Director
• Ben Floyd, Engineer, Bridge & Hydraulic Division
• John Thompson, Sr. Salmon Recovery Planner, Natural Resource
Division
They answered what projects get on the priority list and how that is
determined, whether the priority projects are accounting for whether there
are private (not County) barriers above a given project, whether we have a
rough sense of what the priority list would cost, how much more time it
would have taken on the emergency California Creek project on Birch Bay
Lynden Road to put the culverts in to spec, whether we are doing all this
work through the lens of the 2005 Salmon Recovery Plan, whether we have
updated that plan and how these culvert replacements fit into that, whether
we have a status update on the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the
tribes, and getting more information about the suggested amendments to the
MOA and the reasoning behind them.
See the presentation and grant tables presented in the Meeting Details above.
Whatcom County Page I Printed on 312212023
Council Water Work Session Minutes - Final March 14, 2023
Discussion with WRIA 1 Plannine Unit
Adiournment
Chris Elder, Public Works Department, updated on what the Planning Unit
has been working on.
Alexander Harris, Land and Water Policy Manager at RE Sources and WRIA
1 Planning Unit, updated on the Coordinated Water Supply planning process
and comments submitted by each of the Planning Unit caucuses.
Dan Eisses, Birch Bay Water and Sewer District and WRIA 1 Planning Unit,
spoke about the importance of addressing fish barrier culverts and an update
to the Planning Unit from the County's Planning and Development Services
Department on the Comprehensive Plan update process.
Galloway stated she thinks there is a lot of synergy with the Council's
Comprehensive Plan priorities and the conversations today and she wants to
make sure they are following through with their priorities.
The meeting adjourned at 11:37 a.m.
The County Council approved these minutes on 3/21/2023.
ATTEST
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WA
- c
Dana Br yyn�0,4vis i,'`tic91 Clerk
Barr B clfanin, Council Chair
n
Kristi Felbinger, Minutes Transcription
Wleatcom County Page 2 Printed on 312212023