HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes City Council - 05/23/2016 - Special eLISC
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I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Special
Meeting of the Corpus Christi City Council of May 23, 2016 which were approved by the City
Council on May 31, 2016.
WITNESSETH MY HAND AND SEAL, on this the 31st day of May, 2016.
Rebecca Huerta
City Secretary
SEAL
INDEXED
1201 Leopard Street
Corpus Christi Corpus Christi,Tx 78401
} 4 cctexas.com
Meeting Minutes
City Council
Monday,May 23,2016 11:30 AM Council Chambers
SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING
Public Notice --THE USE OF CELLULAR PHONES AND SOUND ACTIVATED
PAGERS ARE PROHIBITED IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS DURING
MEETINGS OF THE CITY COUNCIL.
A. Mayor Nelda Martinez to call the meeting to order.
Mayor Martinez called the meeting to order.
B. Invocation to be given by Deacon Michael Mantz, Diocese of Corpus Christi.
Deacon Michael Mantz gave the invocation.
C. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States to be led by Elizabeth
Hardin, Mayor's Chief of Staff.
The Mayor's Chief of Staff Elizabeth Hardin led the Pledge of Allegiance.
D. City Secretary Rebecca Huerta to call the roll of the required Charter Officers.
City Secretary Rebecca Huerta called the roll and verified that a quorum of the
City Council and the required Charter Officers were present to conduct the
meeting.
Charter Officers:
Acting City Manager Margie C.Rose,City Attorney Miles K.Risley,and City
Secretary Rebecca Huerta.
Present: 9- Mayor Nelda Martinez,Council Member Rudy Garza,Council Member
Michael Hunter,Council Member Chad Magill,Council Member Colleen
Mclntyre,Council Member Lucy Rubio,Council Member Brian
Rosas,Council Member Mark Scott,and Council Member Carolyn Vaughn
E. REGULAR AGENDA:
1. Discussion and consideration with possible action regarding a
staff update on the Short Term Action Plan regarding water
quality issues.
Mayor Martinez referred to Item 1.Assistant City Manager Mark Van Vleck
stated that the purpose of this item is to provide an update on the short-term
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action plan regarding water quality issues.Assistant City Manager Van Vleck
stated that the City has contracted with the team of LNV Inc.and Hazen to
assist in the development of this plan.Assistant City Manager Van Vleck stated
that the members of the team were available to provide their technical
expertise and answer questions.
Assistant City Manager Van Vleck explained that the City has taken action to
convert to the alternate disinfectant,free chlorine.Over the next 60 days,the
team will:1)begin a systematic root cause analysis for each of the sites that
were starting to see lower chlorine residuals and 2)develop short-and
long-term action plans for the following areas:source water quality;treatment;
the distribution system design;and the operations and maintenance of the
distribution system.Assistant City Manager Van Vleck presented the following
information:a map of the water distribution system;the points raised in each
of the areas;and an explanation of the sampling for testing purposes.
2. Discussion and consideration with possible action regarding a
staff update on Water Quality: Our Present Status.
Mayor Martinez referred to Item 2.Assistant City Manager Mark Van Vleck
stated that the purpose of this item is to provide an update on the present
status of the City's water quality.Assistant City Manager Van Vleck stated that
staff has been posting maps depicting the progression of free chlorine through
the water distribution system.The treatment is moving slower than anticipated.
It is expected to be through the entire water distribution system by the end of
the day tomorrow which is necessary for the water boil notice to be lifted.In
response to Mayor Martinez,Assistant City Manager Van Vleck provided an
overview of the free chlorine distribution through the water system.Dan
Leyendecker,President of LNV Inc.,introduced the team of water consultants
who responded to questions throughout the meeting:Dr.Bill Becker and Dr.
Ben Stanford.Susan Clewis and Melanie Edwards with the Texas Commission
on Environmental Quality(TCEQ)were present and responded to City
Council's questions.
Mayor Martinez called for comments from the public.Susie Luna Saldana,4710
Hakel,expressed frustration with the three water boil advisories this year and
asked why the problems with the water system have not been addressed.Jack
Gordy,4118 Bray,spoke regarding City staff being aware of the water issue
prior to informing the public and stated that changes should be made in the
Water Department.
Acting City Manager Margie Rose addressed the issues surrounding the three
water boil notices that have occurred over the last 10 months and the steps
she is taking to reach out to water industry associations to help the City of
Corpus Christi evaluate,manage and treat the public water supply system.
Acting City Manager Rose stated that the water system is being treated as a
top priority.
Council members spoke regarding the following topics:the entry point for the
free chlorine treatment;the start of the free chlorine conversion;how long the
alternate disinfection takes to travel through the water system;structural
design flaws which may attribute to the free chlorine flow moving at a slower
pace;the recent rains being a factor;the plan presented in 2007 to implement
an elevated water tank system,the reasons that project was not completed and
the current status on the project;the reason for closing valves to redirect
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water;concern that E.coli could be detected after flushing the system or the
free chlorine conversion has occurred;providing information on the capital
improvement program from 2007; low chlorine residuals being the reason for
the water boil notice;the pain and suffering the water boil notice has caused
citizens;a timeline to bring to City Council procedures to implement,prioritize,
and fund recommendations;why the 2007 recommendations were never
implemented;the starting date for the water boil;whether the City had enough
chemicals on-site;whether there was an area in the City that was having
problems 2 to 3 weeks prior to the water boil notice;when staff identifies a site
as a problem;the City of Corpus Christi,state and federal minimum standards
for chlorine residual;the low chloramine levels in the Glenmore area;whether
residents in the Glenmore area were made aware of the low chloramine levels;
the reason the Water Department and TCEQ would receive different readings
from water samples;TCEQ's chloramine reading in the Glenmore area;the four
other Texas cities that have had lower chloramine levels than Corpus Christi
that were not placed on a water boil alert;direction from TCEQ to inform staff
of the levels the City should be looking for to prevent a water boil advisory;the
number of sites with declining chlorine residual readings that the TCEQ tested
that were lower than.5;the TCEQ requirement that if the City had more than
5%of readings coming in at below.5 for a two-month period,the City is
required to post a non-acute message to residents that the City's chloramine
levels are too low;the TCEQ's regulations for mandatory and discretionary
water boil orders;the data in the Quetzal area and the reason that the free
chlorine conversion would not have fixed the situation and may have hindered
findings;the reason that TCEQ ordered a city-wide water boil when certain
areas were not affected;how often the Water Department performs water
sampling;TCEQ's evaluation of Padre Island since it is on a separate water
line;why TCEQ will not release the city-wide boil notice when free chlorine has
progressed through portions of the City;whether the prior water boil notices
were a factor in TCEQ's decision for a city-wide water boil notice;and creation
of an ad hoc committee or the assembling of a group of experts to address
water issues and best practices.
Susan Clewis with TCEQ stated that the agency ordered the water boil notice
because the entire water distribution system as a whole was not stable.The
City's prior water boil notices were not a factor.
3. Discussion and consideration with possible action regarding an
update on the meeting with Texas Commission on Environmental
Quality (TCEQ) related to the boil water notice.
Mayor Martinez referred to Item 3,an update on the meeting with Texas
Commission on Environmental Quality(TCEQ)related to the boil water notice.
Mayor Martinez spoke regarding the discussions with TCEQ on the City's linear
design of the water distribution system and the possibility this design allowing
for a boil-water notice to be issued only to affected areas of the city,instead of
the entire city. Acting City Manager Margie Rose reported on the issues
discussed at the meeting:the goal to review if there can be an exception
during a water boil advisory to allow for a boil-water notice to be issued to only
affected areas instead of the entire city;should TCEQ report to the City that
there is nothing in the regulations that would allow such an exception,it would
be helpful for TCEQ's regional leadership to assist with other options;the
reasons for not having the ability to isolate portions of the City's water
distribution system;improved communication between staff and TCEQ on
data,measures being taken,and taking advantage of TCEQ resources to
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provide technical assistance.
Susan Clewis,TCEQ,reported that the City has provided excellent data and
applauded those improvements.Ms.Clewis said there is an open investigation
which prohibits her from discussing specifics at this time.However,TCEQ is
willing to work with the City and open up the channels of communication to
provide technical assistance to help resolve the problem.
Mayor Martinez called for comments from the public.Abel Alonzo,1701
Thames,stated that based on today's discussion he understood that at no time
were citizens'health in jeopardy and the City did not have the ability to isolate
the water boil notice to one area.Mr.Alonzo talked about the challenges with
the infrastructure and making improvements to do what is best for the
community.Carolyn Moon,4902 Calvin and on behalf of Bay Area Smart
Growth,said the solution to sustainability is for the City to quit spreading out
its boundaries.Shirley Thornton,1917 Wood Crest,spoke regarding
communication problems and holding people accountable for the job they
were hired to do.Gloria Scott,4422 S.Alameda,spoke regarding the history of
the water problems in the City and encouraged the City Council to get
accurate,appropriate and complete reports to the public.Isabel Araiza,326
Poenish,stated that government officials should look out for the public good
and good quality water is a right of the citizens,not a privilege.Lee Hassman,
3105 Santa Cruz,thanked the City Council for protecting citizens and the
environment.Mr.Hassman asked questions regarding the difference between
hard and soft water.John Stafford,5530 Fox Run,spoke regarding:the water
boil ordered for the entire city instead of being localized;the use of automatic
testing as opposed to manual testing;and the City having a better response to
the water situation.Jose Villarreal,3100 Santa Fe,spoke regarding the
following:providing a discount to residents on water bills;short-and
long-term solutions to infrastructure needs;health concerns relating to the
water boil requirement;and the need for the City to provide free bottled water
to residents while the boil-water notice is in effect.John Kelley,3621 Austin,
spoke regarding the problems with infrastructure;holding leadership
accountable;and delayed provision of information to the public.Cinia Clarich
Montoya,4721 Woodridge,expressed concern for the elderly during the water
boil notice and advised the council and the public of a company that was
willing to come in and deliver truck loads of potable water to the community.
Ms.Montoya asked that if the water boil does not get lifted by Tuesday,the
City have a better system in place for emergency purposes.Jason Meran,4409
Bluefield,asked that the City be as transparent as possible and inform the
public of what happened and the process moving forward.Ivan Siverand,754
N.Wirt,spoke regarding a device that could filter water,making it safe to drink.
Acting City Manager Rose provided an updated on the water boil advisory.
Acting City Manager Rose referred to the map of the progression of the free
chlorine areas in the water distribution system.The goal is to have the free
chlorine move throughout the entire city in order to consider the lifting of the
water boil advisory.There continues to be no E.coli in the water system and
the samples are free of bacteria.
Mayor Martinez returned to comments from the public.Dorothy Pena,5906
Cinnamon Oaks,asked why she was unable to access water from commercial
reverse osmosis machines during the water boil.Ms.Pena stated that if trust is
broken with city leadership,the community will have to band together to come
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up with a solution.Paul Hickey,2926 Irma,said transparency is a key issue and
if a bond issue is needed to repair infrastructure,it should be explained
thoroughly to the taxpayers and be timely completed.Kevin Schuster,319
Meldo Park Drive,spoke regarding the need for citizens to act as a community
and take responsibility to help keep the water system clean and get educated
on the situation.Michael Gunning,738 Crestview,thanked the City Council,
staff and outside experts for looking for solutions to the water boil problems
and suggested that the City Council use the capital improvement program as a
tool to work for the City.Bob Bowcock,405 N.Indian Hill,Claremont,
California,stated that the City's consulting engineering and staff are the best
team in the country to address this issue.Mr.Bowcock stated that the City's
hydrologic model is probably in the top 5%in the country.Mr.Bowcock spoke
regarding the chlorine system burnout and hopes the City uses the practice of
the chlorine system conversion and never turns the ammonia back on.Mr.
Bowcock said that the City is on the right track by making the improvements
associated with the capital improvement program,developing plans relating to
the quality and treatment of source water,and improvements to the water
distribution system.Larry White,5506 Sentry,spoke regarding chloramines
and disinfection.
Council members spoke regarding the following topics:whether the public
was in any danger;the average timeframe for capital improvement projects;
consideration to add larger lines in older areas of the City to help the
progression of free chlorine through the system;prioritizing capital
improvement projects that are critical for health and safety;creation of an ad
hoc committee or group of water experts;whether the national attention from
Erin Brockovich was a factor in the TCEQ requiring a water boil notice;
communication with the TCEQ officials from Austin and the Texas
Optimization Program(TOP);feedback from the internal investigation and
TCEQ's investigation;measures that can be taken to improve responses;the
sampling procedures;the causes for ordering water boil notices;whether at
any point since March 1st there have been readings for total chloroform or E.
coli;receiving firmer requirements from TCEQ;the new Environmental
Protection Agency(EPA)regulations for chloroforms;concern relating to
asbestos cement pipes in the system;testing not being conducted from
hydrants;the ordinance addressing the looping of lines;the severity of the
water boil;improvements to the capital improvement projects process;the
nitrification plan;consideration to log in the status of valves in Maximo
software;improved communication to the public;a future discussion on the
Water Fund balance;improvements to the water system;and utility bond
capacity;hurricane plan communication;the difference between chlorine and
chloramine;accountability;the sale of water to outside customers;and a
financial discussion relating to the disenfection process moving forward.
Dan Leyendecker stated that the City Council will get a report on the possible
short-term solutions by next week. The report will be presented to the City
Council at its June 14,2016 meeting.
F. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 3:20 p.m.
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