HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommittee of the Whole Minutes 12.19.2000MINUTES
CITY COUNCL, COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
DECEMBER 19, 2000 6:33 P.M.
COUNCIL CHAMBERS
MEMBERS PRESENT
Chairman Chuck Rodgers
Lauren Van Roekel
Ken Olson
Gay Easton
Bill Staudinger
Gary Temple
Daniel Dart
Bud Johnson
OTHERS PRESENT:
V. Joe Leckie
Cal Cumin
Matt Erekson
Rick Musson
Mary Embleton
JeffLaszloffy, Representative
Jon Reiten, Bureau of Mines
John Olson, Bureau of Mines
Marvin Miller, Bureau of Mines
Gay Easton introduced Jon Reiten, Bureau of Mines, to present information on the saline seep. The
Bureau of Mines drilled some wells during the west end study plan. This is part of that program, but the
funding is different. Fifty cities are involved in the DNRC funding, and the City of Laurel is ranked at
fifty, with only thirty-six cities actually receiving funding. We are trying to reorganize to see if the
legislature would fund this proposal.
• Jon distributed fact sheets for the Ground-Water and Salinity Management, Feasibility Analysis, and a list
of the Governor's Recommendations for the Renewable Resource Grant and Loan Program. Jon Reiten
introduced John Olson, who gave a presentation on the analysis.
A copy of the fact sheet is attached to these minutes.
If funding were approved, the two-yeaz project would begin in July 2001.
The meeting adjourned at 6:57 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
C~~
Cindy Allen
City Council Secretary
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FACT SHEET
For: The Cityof Laurel's Renewable Resource Grant Proposal
Project'Title: Ground-Vllater and Salinity Mahagement, Feasibility Analysis
PROBLEM:
The City of Laurel has chronic problems with wet and unstable soils.., This has lead
to"wide-spread damage to streets, sidewalks, and building foundations; basement
flooding; pipe corrosion; and saline seep development.
These 'problems diminish property values; reduce land .productivity, and limit future
:.economic development of the area: Additiohally, these problems continually cost
Laurel residents through higher city maintenance and water treatment expenses.
- The City of Laurel's soil-water problem§ are from excess water, such as irrigation,
ditch leakage, and storm-water runoff that infiltrate into, and become trapped in
shallow perched water-bearing `zones. These perched zones are above and
separate from the alluvial aquifer. The presence of these thin soil-water zones
(perched water) are regionally unique to Laurel and have not been observed in the
surrotinding Yellowstone valley:
- The underlying alluvial aquifer is the sale water source for residents outside city
limits. Consequently, any measures to correct the City's soil-water problems must
consider impacts to ground-water' availability and quality in the underlying aquifer.
SOLUTION
- .The key to identifying solutions to the City of Laurel's soil-waterproblems will be to
identify where and' how much wateris'seeping into the perched zones, and to
determine how; or if; these zones are interconnected to each other, to the alluvial
aquifer, and to drainage outlets.
- To accomplish the above, area wells, .drains, sewers, and irrigation canals will be
inventoried and monitored to track water-level and flow fluctuafiohs. Additionally,
soil borings and monitor wells will be competed o delineate perched water-zones
and water migration pathways;
- The collected data wilt be used to identify and test the feasibility of appropriate
corrective measures for the City of Laurel. Potential remedial Solutions to be tested-
include:- improving existing drainage ditches, constructing new drains and drainage
ditches, hydraulic isolation of the irrigation ditches, modificationsto irrigation and
lawn-watering practice, roof-gutter drain and storm-water drain .improvements. The
feasibility evaluation. will look at approximate costs, practicality, effectiveness and
potential impacts to the underlying aquifer.
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