Draft

Water Utility Council
Minutes

March 18, 20032004

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Eden Prairie Water Treatment Plant

Attendance:
Kurt Johnson (TKDA), Ed Sorensen (Eden Prairie), Dick Clark (MDH), Bernie Bullert (TKDA), Bob Peplin (Sebesta), Chad Hill (B&V), Chris Elvrum (MNDNR), Don Volk (Lakeville), Dick Nagy (Hutchinson), Myron Volker (Owatonna Public Utilities), Allen Lamm (New Ulm), Bert Tracy (Oakdale), Craig Johnson (LMC), Adam Kramer (Minneapolis), Bob Cockriel (Bloomington)

Approval of Previous Business Minutes (12/18/03): Approved – Don Volk, Second- Dick Nagy and approved unanimously.

A. Legislative Report from LMNC Representative (Craig Johnson)

a. 2004 – Bonding Year includes State Revolving Fund ($16M match to federal funds). . Presently, the bill is in the Finance Committee. Initially was listed as a low priority but was corrected to high priority. Both wastewater and water funding requests. (Update (5/12/04): The Senate couldn't get enough Republican votes to pass a bonding bill, so there is currently no bonding bill moving and no additional funding coming for either WIF or SRF. The house has the needed SRF matching funds and $10(?) for WIF in their bonding bill. The senate bill that didn't pass had the SRF match funds and $30 million for WIF.)

b. HF 2087 (Borrell) contains the language we worked up allowing for closed meetings to discuss security matters. The senate companion to that bill has not yet been done on the senate floor, but also contains language proposed by LMNC, although it requires that the tape recording of the meeting be kept for 8 years, which LMNC thinks is too long a requirement (the House bill is silent on the matter, meaning you keep the tapes as long as you would keep the records of any other meeting.)

c. MPCA – Impaired Waters legislation – proposing a constitutional amendment to define a portion of the state sales tax to fund the Impaired Waters program. Apparently getting bipartisan support. (Update (5/14/04): On impaired waters funding, a bill has moved in both Houses that proposes that a constitutional amendment be on the ballot this fall to dedicate a portion of the state sales tax revenues to certain programs. The House version only locks in money for hunting and fishing issues at this time, but the bill previously included Impaired Waters and the author has said he supports adding the impaired waters funding back in if the bill gets to conference committee. The senate version would provide approximately $57 million per year for the state's impaired waters program if the ballot measure passes this fall. This will be a last minute bill at the end of session if it moves at all.)

B. Congress, EPA Update (Bob Peplin)

a. AWWA provided written comments to the USEPA on the Long-Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment (LT2ESWT) rule on January 9 2004

b. Washington Post, January 31, 2004, newspaper article concerning Lead exceedence in the Washington DC area.

c. USEPA will conduct a satellite training session on May 18, 2004 for implementing the Stage 1 Disinfection By-Products rule.

d. March 5, 2004 AWWA Waterweek article on the occurrence of more than 200 previously unidentified DBP's and the determination that disinfection other than chlorine can produce comparable levels of DBP’s.

C. State Related Water Issues

a. Gopher State One Call (Adam Kramer)

i. Adam Kramer, member of both AWWA/WUC and on the Gopher State One Call Gopher One State Board, took offense to the WUC’s letter to Gopher One StateGopher State One Call concerning his representation on the Gopher State One Call Gopher One State Board. . Adam Kramer raised the question whether he should still represent AWWA/WUC on the Gopher State One Call Gopher One State Board. . Bernie Bullert responded that there is nothing written recommending to the MN/AWWA Board on its representation on the Gopher State One Call Gopher One State Board. . Motion was made by Dick Nagy to form a committee within WUC to discuss representation by MN/AWWA on the Gopher One StateGopher State One Call Board. . Motion was seconded by Ed Sorensen and approved unanimously with Adam Kramer abstaining. . Kurt Johnson indicted he’d contact other municipalities members to get the Ad-Hoc committee together.

ii. Gopher State One Call Gopher State One General Manager has recent been replaced.

iii. Two new programs are available: ITIC and IMAP. . ITIC allows users to print their own tickets through the Internet. . IMAP allows utilities to change their own database when their utility has been modified.

iv. Safety is the primary concern with the system. . Excavators drive the need for ITIC. . Gopher One StateGopher State One Call can provide a locate within 3 ft of a utility but Gopher One StateGopher State One Call’s legal counsel directs locates to a ¼ section.

v. There are over 1400 accounts of which the 30 largest utilities pay for most of Gopher One StateGopher State One Call’s operation.

vi. Call Vector System allows emergencies to go to the top of the queue.

vii. Suggestion that a representative from the League of Municipalities be on the Gopher One StateGopher State One Call Board by Adam Kramer indicated his support to that recommendation

viii. Gopher One StateGopher State One Call position is based on safety concerns and not economic considerations. Gopher One StateGopher State One Call’s position is that all service lines shall be marked and will not designate responsibilities. . Responsibilities would need definition by the legislature. . Minnesota Underground Contractors Association (MUCA) wants Cities to incur the financial responsibility. . MUCA has supported a bill, H.F No. 995, an act relating to utilities; modifying notice and plan requirements before excavating around utility facilities; making technical and clarifying changes, presently under consideration at the legislature.

b. Environmental Quality Board (Ed Sorenson)

i. Ed indicated that the secretary at the Eden Prairie Water plant has access to the information from the EQB and will provide information through Ed.

c. Minnesota Department of Health (Dick Clark)

i. Vulnerability Assessments for communities between 3,300 and 50,000 are due by June 30, 2004.

ii. Consumer Confidence Reports for 960 systems are due in 7/04.

iii. Surface Water Conference in Moorhead, MN on 4/27/04.

d. Metropolitan Council (Chris Elvrum)

i. As part of the Governor’s Water Initiative, there are 4 projects underway. . Within the Metro area there are two projects, water quality review being conducted on Lambert Creek, intake water supply for the St Paul Regional Water Services treatment plant and a Twin City general core planning project.

ii. Revision to the Emergency Plan Guidelines is underway. Guidelines to cover a 10 year timeframe and were last completed in 1995. Updates are due in 2005. Guidance committee with MNDNR, MC and water utility suppliers will be setup the summer of 2004 to aid in this revision.

iii. A lot of attention is being directed towards resource assessments. Several projects:

1. A Northwest Metro Water supply Group is being formed similar to the group currently in existence, Southwest Metro Ground Water Group.

2. Minneapolis-St Paul finished water interconnect project. . Project is looking for funding.

3. Long term policy issues concerning water appropriation.

4. Use of the Kraemer gravel pit for supply water for Burnsville.

e. Association Director (Bernie Bullert) – at the January, 2004 Board meeting, security was the main focusdiscussed. The BoardAWWA is looking to get an appointment for an USEPA a position on a Security Advisory Council for the USEPA. . Also, recommendation that Craig Johnson, LMNC, should be more active with the WUC.

f. Minnesota Rural Water Association – no report

g. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources – no report

h. Secretary/Treasurer – no report

D. Next Meeting: June 24, 2004 – TKDA (10AM - 12PM)

A. Meeting adjourned: Motion by Bob Cockriel, seconded by Bob Peplin, and approved unanimously.

E.