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Home My WebLink AboutPacket Water Work Session Jun 23 2020Whatcom County Council Water Work Session COUNTY COURTHOUSE 311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105 Bellingham, WA 98225-4038 (360) 778-5010 Meeting Agenda Tuesday, June 23, 2020 10:30 AM Virtual Meeting COUNCILMEMBERS Rud Browne Barry Buchanan Tyler Byrd Todd Donovan Ben Elenbaas Carol Frazey Kathy Kershner CLERK OF THE COUNCIL Dana Brown -Davis, C.M.C. Council Water Work Session Meeting Agenda June 23, 2020 Call To Order Roll Call Floodplain Integrated Planning (FLIP) update NPDES and Lake Whatcom TMDL Update Water Resources Update WRIA 1 Planning Unit Adjournment Whatcom County Page 2 Printed on 21512024 WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL WATER WORK SESSION June 23, 2020 WHATCOM COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT JON HUTCHINGS Director MEMORANDUM NATURAL RESOURCES 322 N. Commercial Street, Suite 110 Bellingham, WA 98225 Telephone: (360) 778-6230 FAX: (360) 778-6231 www.whatcomcounty.us TO: The Honorable Satpal Singh Sidhu, Whatcom County Executive, and Honorable Members of the Whatcom County Council THROUGH: Jon Hutchings, Director FROM: Gary S. Stoyka, Natural Resources Program Manager DATE: June 16, 2020 RE: June 23, 2020 Council Water Work Session Please refer to the proposed agenda below for the next Water Work Session. Additional supporting documents may be distributed at or before the meeting. AGENDA Date: Tuesday, June 23, 2020 Time: 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Place: Virtual Meeting Time Topic Council Action Background Information Requested Attached 10:30 AM — Floodplain Integrated Planning (FLIP) update Discussion None 11:00 AM 11:00 AM — NPDES and Lake Whatcom TMDL Update Discussion None 11:30 AM 11:30 AM — Water Resources Update Information None 11:45 AM 11:45 AM — WRIA 1 Planning Unit Discussion None 12:30 PM If you have questions, please feel free to call me at (360) 778-6218. cc: Mike McFarlane Jim Karcher Paula Harris Beth Bushaw Jeff Hegedus John Thompson Tyler Schroeder Josh Fleischmann Karen Frakes George Boggs Roland Middleton Dana Brown -Davis Mark Personius Ryan Ericson Lonni Cummings John Wolpers Kraig Olason Jennifer Schneider Atina Casas Kristi Felbinger Mike Donahue Erika Douglas Jill Nixon Cathy Craver Floodplain Integrated Planning (FLIP) Update Whatcom County Council Water Work Session June 23, 2020 River and Flood Programs • Early warning and flood response • Comprehensive planning • SWIF (2017) • CFHMP (1999) • FLIP (ongoing) Repair & Maintenance Projects Flood Hazard Reduction (FHR) Projects • National Flood Insurance Program Integrated • Technical Assistance (FHR) Projects • USGS Sediment study • Hydraulic modeling • Geomorphic assessment • Habitat assessment • Flood damage analysis • Floodplain issues FLIP Planning Process 0 Raarh Taam Wnrk • Integrate needs/problems • Integrate reach strategies • Develop SMART objectives • Identify opportunities • Develop project ideas • Evaluate alternatives • Establish reach priorities • Roll up reach projects • Establish priorities at Lbasin scale • Document process • Capital project list • Implementation strategy Reach 2 Design Charrette and Follow-up Meetings i+� # r f SFr limp" .y h • Field Trip • Shared values and givens Reach 2 • Overview of reach systems and La Conner example Charrette • values as success measures • Idea generation • Develop project concepts 9 Present table concepts FLIP Goals & "Values" • Reduce risk to public safety • Optimize benefits to public infrastructure, private property, and to public resources such as salmon, salmon habitat, and water quality • Provide a comprehensive understanding of the river, its form and functions and importance to resource -based economies including agriculture and fisheries • Protect and maintain, and where feasible, restore river and floodplain habitats • Create a more resilient flood risk reduction system now and into the future • Identify and prioritize a list of action items to implement the plan • Build consensus around mutually beneficial - outcomes ro �L O 'Z �60e� �a l Y7'le�s ire VIOL Co(laba roLtid� ` QS/�� y �ctt ca I F UMI ,vALUES � What Happened Next? FLIPSC worked with tech staff to take charrette table #40, concepts and other issues not tackled at tables to develop buckets of actions to advance the concepts. • Economic Incentives • Floodplain Connectivity • Land Use Planning • Water Rights • Levee Re -configuration • Sediment • Improve Drainage • Tree Planting and Wetlands • Collaborate • Improve Mainstem Habitat Complexity • Bank Edge Roughening and Improvements Note these ideas not yet advanced: Recreation, Look at Crop Suitability & BMPs, Miscellaneous What Happened Next? • Review of reach strategy from FbD visioning (2015) • Synthesis of draft strategies to describe direction resulting from Reach 2 planning work Development of buckets of actions to implement that direction Reach 2: Draft Overarching Strategies to Achieve FLIP Goals and Reach 2 Values Maintain/Modify Collaborate Maintain or Modify? Significantly Work with farmers existing ag levees improve floodplain to identify measures with overtopping and tributaries for and project segments and salmon components to incorporate improve agricultural mainstem habitat viability improvements -Largely retain existing levee alignment (?) -Consider localized levee setbacks(?) -Incorporate riparian, bank and instream habitat improvements Maintain or reduce flood risk in the Reach 2 floodplain area, focusing in Ferndale Create incentive program through drainage -based management planning to develop pilot projects to integrate issues like water rights, habitat improvement, ag viability and flooding Draft buckets of actions that advance strategies Levee modifications and between levee habitat improvements Tributary and floodplain corridor improvements Ferndale development impacts reduction Incentive program Draft buckets of actions that advance strategies Levee modifications and between levee habitat improvements X Tributary and floodplain corridor improvements Ferndale development impacts reduction Incentive program Example: Levee Modifications and Between Levee Habitat Improvements • Review of existing data • Habitat mapping • Levee repairs • Hydraulic modeling Upper Reach 2 - Number of bank/levee repairs Proposed Steps: Levee Modifications and Between Levee Habitat Improvements Additional model refinement/ calibration to 2020 flood (Spring 2020) Iq FLIPSC/Salmon focus group ID habitat enhancement actions and potential levee modifications (Spring 2020) 4 Meet with landowners to discuss willingness and site -specific ag issues (Spring -Summer 2020) Meet with landowners to review conceptual designs and cost estimates (Fall 2020) Prepare conceptual designs and cost estimates (Summer -Fall 2020) Perform technical analyses of identified projects (Summer 2020) Bring conceptual designs to Reach 2 group for review and comment (Fall -winter 2020) Draft buckets of actions that advance strategies Levee modifications and between levee habitat improvements Tributary and floodplain corridor improvements X Ferndale development impacts reduction Incentive program Proposed Steps: Tributary and Floodplain Corridor Improvements Review habitat mapping and ID areas with poor habitat (Spring 2020) FLIPSC/Salmon focus group ID and prioritize habitat enhancement opportunities (late Spring 2020) Refine concepts and prepare Meet with landowners to review conceptual designs and cost conceptual designs and cost estimates (Summer -Fall 2020) estimates (Fall 2020) Meet with landowners to discuss willingness and site -specific ag issues (Summer -Fall 2020) Bring conceptual designs to Reach 2 group for review and comment (Fall -Winter 2020) Example: Tributary and Floodplain.. Corridor Improvements Y;F p Cougar Creek reach depadures 000 Fish passage 0' Flood conveyance — Bank conditions Riparian conditions habitat complexity Sediment conditions • WDFW fish passage harriers SM 1,OOOft • Whatcom County floodgates — Levees Q Study area boundary Draft buckets of actions that advance strategies Levee modifications and between levee habitat improvements Tributary, floodplain and overflow corridor improvements Ferndale development impacts reduction X Incentives Proposed Steps: Ferndale Development Impacts Reduction Use calibrated model and evaluate climate change impacts (Spring -Summer 2020) Meet with Ferndale staff to review results and develop cumulative impacts modeling approach (late Spring 2020) Perform modeling of zoned development (Summer 2020) Review results and support city staff in working with Elected officials to discuss findings (Summer -Fall 2020) Refine floodplain management and capital actions based on input (Summer -Fall 2020) Draft buckets of actions that advance strategies Levee modifications and between levee habitat improvements Tributary and floodplain corridor improvements Ferndale development impacts reduction x Incentive program Proposed Steps: Incentives Integrate with drainage -based management pilot in I Bertrand and Fishtrap Creeks �1 Evaluate existing incentive and acquisition programs Explore new incentives Bring results to Reach 2 group for discussion and input Integrate findings from analysis with discussions with landowners taking place in previous action buckets Progress: Tributary and Floodplain Corridor Improvements Review habitat mapping and ID areas with poor habitat (Spring 2020) FLIPSC/Salmon focus group ID and prioritize habitat enhancement opportunities (late Spring 2020) Refine concepts and prepare Meet with landowners to review conceptual designs and cost conceptual designs and cost estimates (Summer -Fall 2020) estimates (Fall 2020) Meet with landowners to discuss willingness and site -specific ag issues (Summer -Fall 2020) Bring conceptual designs to Reach 2 group for review and comment (Fall -Winter 2020) A-B 1: North levee setback, A-B 2. South levee setback A-B 3, Riparian Planting, LWD Placement B 1: Remove floodgates and replace with one B 2: Restore passage at both floodgates B-C 1:-Cevee setback, Riparian planting, LWD placement B-C 2: Restore/remove water diversions B-F 1: Remove culvert/daylight stream f - 7"B-F-G 1: Bury stream B-F-G 2: Riparian planting, head gates on ditch B-F-G 3: Riparian planting, LWD placement, layback ditch banks D 1: Evaluate and x restore crossing X. C-E 1: Riparian planting, LWD placement C-E 2: Channel excavation/ wetland creation enhancement 0 250 500 tt Slide #21 FLIP Results to Date • Nooksack FbD grant for $6M for 2019-21 biennium awarded • Nooksack pre-app made the first cut for 2021-23 round of funding • FLIP Steering Committee approved use of FbD funding for early actions: • $100,000 Duffner Ditch construction • $50,000 Cougar Creek culvert design • Direct result of planning work: field trip and charrette • NOAA interested in funding Cougar Creek design FLIPSC: Whatcom River and Flood (Paula Harris and Deb Johnson), Whatcom Natural Resources (John Thompson), Lummi Nation (Frank Lawrence), Nooksack Tribe (Ned Currence), Agriculture (Fred Likkel) FLIP Funding Obtained (2017 — 2021) How Much and Where From? Geomorphic Assessment NOAA via TNC $100,000 $150,000 67% Habitat Assessment RCO SRFB $237,000 $247,000 96% FLIP Planning Process EPA NEP $425,000 $593,000 72% Benefit -Cost Analysis EPA NEP $150,000 $150,000 100% USACE Silver Jackets USGS Reach 1 Study EPA NEP $250,000 $250,000 100% Total Planning $1,162,000 $1,390,000 84% Project Implementation en Floodplains by Design $6,040,000 $7,550,000 80% (2019-20