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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommittee of the Whole Minutes 03.07.2000 MINUTES CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MARCH'7, 2000 6:34 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBERS lvI~MBERS PRESENT: Chairman Chuck Rodgers Lauren Van Roekel Ken Olson Gay Easton Bill Staudinger Gary Temple Mark Mace Norman Orr Bud Johnson OTHERS PRESENT: V. Joe Leckie Larry McCann Mary Embleton Steve Wegner Rick Musson Cai Cumin Jan Faught Larry McCann distributed and discussed a Corps of Engineers Status Report regarding the water intake issue, and a copy of the report is attached to these minutes. The meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Cindy Allen City Council Secretary Corps of Engineers Status Report March 7, 2000 The Corps of Engineers submitted a draft report in October I999. The report was reviewed by the City of Laurel and we contracted with Aqua Engineering to also review the document. The review included getting the HEC-RAS information from the Corps. Our comments were given verbally to the Corps. On March 23, 2000 the Corps representatives were at a meeting here to go over the report. Also invited to the meeting were the local regulatory agencies. Only two of the agencies were in attendance the Fish Wildlife and Parks, and the local Corps representative. Department of Environmental Quality did not attend. The meeting included Cenex personnel and Billings Bench Water Association. Several issues were discussed concerrfing the bend way weirs. I. Bend way weirs and their location. Agreement was reached on the weirs identified by the Corps as part of a corrective measure to train the river. 2. The bend way weir would correct the BN bridge pier scour problems. Not agreed on issues 1. The costs to build them. 3. Are we/rs needed further upstream to cause the fiver to keep its normal meanders. These are about 2 to 3 thousand foot radiuses the fiver seeks out in its normal flow. 4. The length of the weir closest to the bridge. The Fish Wildlife and Parks are not satisfied with this weir. The use of spur dikes will not be an acceptable alternative in the Yellowstone Pdver. The alternative of a second intake was discussed at length, k was proposed that it be located along side the Billings Bench Water Association head gate. The Corps have done this in South Dakota creating two intakes. They have had less than favorable results. If the City is to locate a second head intake we need to locate it parallel with the bridge, at the south bridge piers. We presently have proof that bars can build in the fiver from our present intake to the BBW intake. The Corps of Engineers is up dating its report to include more engineering to snff~ce as a preliminary engineering document for grant applications and is adding mitigation language to aid in grant applications. The City of Laurel is sending them comments on this meeting to assist in the upgrade. The length of time it will take the bend way weirs to train the fiver is not known. The amount of run off will be the determining factor. The issue of the Department of Environmental Quality's order to out of the river by January 1,2001 will need to addressed. From the comments received at the meeting we can expect a longer period oft/me to get permits processed. If the Corps returned a final report that is acceptable we could be in construction this fall. Ideally we would be able to get the most critical weir in place. That is the one closest to the bridge it is late to get it done before high water. We will miss the high water this year so we will be working in the r/ver to maintain flow to the intake. R is expected that the final report will be for both bend way weirs and a second intake. On March 29, 2000 we sent information to our Senators and Congressmen about our intake problem and costs to correct them. This was done at the request of Ms. Liz Ching of Senator Bacus's office. Liz has been working very closely with us. The information was sent in an attempt to get part of the costs, if not all, funded through the line item budget in Washington. Comments made at the meeting indicated we would have support from the regulators to receive funds from other organizations. They would assist with application support. Our request for proposals is out on grant writing. Most State funds of sufficient mounts require applications before May 15®. The grant writers have told me we have enough time if the Corps report can be used as a preliminary engineering report. We have asked them to develop it as such.