Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout09 Sept 2019 Agenda items and times are subject to variation without notice Agenda | Sept 19, 2019 530 E. Main Street 3rd Floor Maroon Bells Mtg Room Aspen, CO 81611 4:15 PM Time Item 4:15 PM  Board Comment  Public Comment  Additions /Deletions to Agenda 4:25 PM  Grant Applications  Alexis - Arbaney Ditch Co. – Headgate Replacement  Wright Water Engineers – Post Fire BMPs 5:30PM  Roaring Fork Conservancy Grant Updates – Heather Lewin 6:00 PM  Grant Discussions 6:30 PM  Open Discussion 7:00 PM  Adjourn Upcoming Meeting Dates Oct 1 Retreat Oct 17 Nov 21 August 30, 2019 Pitkin County Healthy Rivers and Streams 530 East Main Street, Suite 301 Aspen, CO 81611 Healthyrivers@Pitkincounty.com Re: Alexis Arbaney Ditch Headgate Replacement Dear Members of the Healthy Rivers and Streams Board, The Alexis Arbaney Ditch is the last diversion on Snowmass Creek before it’s confluence with the Roaring Fork River. The ditch has an appropriation date of May 15, 1897 and on average runs 5 cubic feet per second. The ditch supplies water to users via a pipe that travels over the Roaring Fork to the opposite bank. User of the ditch include a Pitkin County agricultural lessee, Holland Hills subdivision, Roaring Fork Club, and several other private property owners. The headgate of the ditch is in severe need of replacement. The diversion structure is set in a channel of Snowmass Creek just upstream from the Old Snowmass park and ride and is cobbled together from large pieces of timber / railroad ties and old tarps, to stop leaks. Ditch users no longer have the institutional knowledge of when this structure was built but we can guess it has been several decades. A more precise diversion structure will benefit the ditch as well as Snowmass Creek by keeping more water in the creek and reducing waste from below the diversion to the measuring device. Over the past several years the shareholders and users of the ditch have discussed replacing the headgate to better measure the water decreed to the ditch but funding constraints have stymied the progress. After learning more about the HRS program we believe with your support we can accomplish this upgrade. The funds requested would go towards design and construction of a new headgate. Ditch company representatives have already discussed designing the structure to be beneficial to the stream system as well as the water users and hope with funding support to incorporate as many stream and fish friendly features as possible. Thank for consideration. Sincerely, Alexis Arbaney Ditch Company Pitkin County Healthy River Grant Criteria Alexis Arbaney Ditch Headgate Replacement A. Goals of the Healthy Rivers Board With the construction of a new headgate for the Alexis Arbaney Ditch the goals of the Healthy Rivers and Streams program of maintaining and improving water quality and quantity, protecting water rights for the benefit of the Roaring Fork watershed, and promoting water conservation will be met. By assisting in the construction of a more efficient diversion structure more water will be available for the creek and less water will need to be diverted back to the creek at the measuring device. Currently, the diversion structure is imprecise so the upper reach of the ditch is loaded with as much water as the ditch will hold then split some distance down where it is measured and excess water is dumped back to the creek. With a tighter more precise device this amount can be reduced. B. Viability of the Project The project is accomplishable and contractors have already been contacted to assess the ease or difficulty of completion. While the current structure can be maintained by “band-aide” fixes the ditch users are ready to move forward and with the ever increasing cost of construction projects in the Valley the sooner the project is completed the better. Ditch representatives have been discussing approaching the Colorado Water Conservation Board and Basin Roundtable to explore and gain funding as well. Originally, the Natural Resource Conservation Service was contacted for design support but the service is swamped and unable to provide assistance and said they may be able to get to it in a 1.5 to 2 years. Based on the outcome of this grant proposals other agencies will be contacted. C. Public Need, Accessibility and Appreciation The ditch users all live within Pitkin County and the ancillary benefits to the stream benefit the public at large. The section of Roaring Fork River both upstream and downstream of the confluence is encumbered by a public fishing easement and the confluence area provides high values fish habitat. The more water available to the area, however small, will be appreciated. The ditch users would happily put out a press release to express thanks and offer insights to river health but may need assistance as the ditch has no full time staff members with that experience. D. History of the Requesting Party This is the first ask for funding by the Alexis Arbaney Ditch but we have been responsibly maintaining the ditch and want to do the best for the ditch and Roaring Fork Watershed. The ditch company has steadily made improvements, or required improvements by users, including lining ditch, replacing culverts, and requiring measuring devices and has been successful with these efforts. E. Budget, Measurements and Accountability The budget for project is attached and the company is requesting $50,000 to cover design and construction of the structure. The company will incorporate the latest eco and water friendly aspects to the design to the extent possible based on site and budget. The company will also report as much as necessary to the Board at their meetings and offer a tour of the project if necessary. R o arin g F ork Riv er S n o w m a s s C r e e k Roaring Fork River Pitkin County Alexis Arbaney Ditch Ditch Extent This map/drawing is a graphical representation of the features depicted and is not a legal representation.Accuracy is not guaranteed. Alexis Arbaney Roads Rivers/Streams Dart CE (Fee) Open Space BLM USFS 0 0.2 0.40.1 Miles Old SnowmassConoco Holland Hills S n o w m a s s C r e e k S n o w m a s s C r e e k Pitkin County Alexis Arbaney Ditch Area of Improvement This map/drawing is a graphical representation of the features depicted and is not a legal representation.Accuracy is not guaranteed. Roads Rivers/Streams Dart CE (Fee) Open Space BLM USFS 0 0.01 0.020.005 Miles Old SnowmassConoco Overflow Headgate DiversionChannel Arbaney Ditch Headgate Reconstruction Engineering Fee Estimate 1 Survey $ 3,000.00 (2-man crew 1 day + Basemap creation) 2 Hydraulics/Calculations $ 798.00 (6 hrs) 3 Preliminary design/layout $ 1,064.00 (8 hrs) 4 Project Management $ 532.00 (4 hrs) 5 Meetings / Site visits $ 798.00 (6 hrs) Assumes 2 meetings 6 Final Design / Structural Eng. $ 2,128.00 (16 hrs) 7 CAD Drafting $ 2,048.00 (16 hrs) 8 QA/QC $ 600.00 (4 hrs) 9 Construction Observation $ 798.00 (6 hrs) $ 11,766.00 Construction Estimate 1 Mobilization $ 2,500.00 2 Site work / Earthwork / Rock Riprap $ 12,500.00 (Limited access, assumes hand tools) 3 Concrete Structure $ 15,000.00 (Assumes pumping) 4 Erosion Control / Seeding $ 3,000.00 5 Gate, Walkway, Misc. $ 7,500.00 $ 40,500.00 Thanks, Scot Knutson, PE Engineer III   GRANT CRITERIA SCORE CARD   Application Review Criteria $50,000 Arbaney Ditch Headgate Points Possible Goals of the Healthy Rivers and Streams Board 0‐100 The extent to which the proposed grant request/project meets the stated goals, objectives and on-going projects/priorities of the River Board. 1. Must be complete, clear and concise, with specific dollar amounts in total and for each element of the project; 2. Must fulfill the intent of the ballot language. Viability of the Project 0‐100 The extent to which the proposed grant request/project is practical, will be completed as proposed and/or may require other resources to be fully completed, and the extent to which the project can be repeated in other locations such that it will not be limited to a single event. 1. Must address an essential need; 2. Demonstrates collaboration and/or partners with other agencies. Public Need Accessibility and Appreciation 0‐100 The extent to which the proposed grant request/project will be seen, appreciated and/or used by the public. 1. Does not duplicate existing services or programs; 2. Must serve and be appreciated people who live and/or work in Pitkin County & the Roaring Fork Watershed; 3. Includes a specific Public Relations strategy; 4. Demonstrates an appropriate need for public funding. History of the Requesting Party 0‐100 The extent that the requesting individual/entity has been successful in other projects or efforts and is known in the community. Budget, Measurements and Accountability 0‐100 The extent to which the proposed grant amount is appropriate to the project scope and includes other appropriate sources of funding. The extent that the project includes specific measures for success and reporting of progress and results to the Healthy Rivers Board. 1. Demonstrates financial stability and presents accurate budgets and financial reports, measurements and accountability; 2. Specific measures of progress and success; 3. Reporting plan to Healthy Rivers Board/others.   GRANT CRITERIA SCORE CARD   Pitkin County Healthy Rivers  GRANT PROPOSAL Post‐Fire Best Management Practice Literature Review and Initial Phase of Performance Database Development August 30, 2019  WWE & CSM | Pitkin County Healthy Rivers Grant Application, Fall 2019 | Page 1       August 30, 2019    To: Pitkin County Healthy Rivers Board  Healthy Rivers Citizen Advisory Board  Board of County Commissioners of Pitkin County  123 Emma Road, Suite 204  Basalt, Colorado 81621  healthyrivers@pitkincounty.com  (970) 920‐5190    From: Natalie McLennan Collar  Water Resources Scientist, Wright Water Engineers, Inc.  2490 West 26th Ave., Suite 100A  Denver, Colorado 80211  ncollar@wrightwater.com  (530) 228‐6487 (cell) | (303) 480‐1700 (office)  PhD Student, Colorado School of Mines  1500 Illinois Street  Golden, Colorado 80401  ncollar@mymail.mines.edu    Re: Application for Pitkin County Healthy Rivers Grant, Fall 2019    Dear Pitkin County Healthy Rivers Board and Board of County Commissioners of Pitkin County,    Wright Water Engineers, Inc. (WWE), in partnership with the Colorado School of Mines (CSM),  wishes to be considered for a grant in the amount of $14,462 to perform work related to the  development of a post‐fire best management practice (BMP) database (Post‐Fire BMP Database).  Specifically, our team proposes to perform a comprehensive literature review on the current  usage and performance of pre‐ and post‐fire BMPs in the United States and international projects  with comparable physiographic settings to those found in the United States. This is foundational  work to the eventual construction of a Post‐Fire BMP Database. Such a database will help  researchers and industry professionals assess the efficacy of various pre‐ and post‐fire watershed  treatments aimed at reducing the impacts of wildfire on erosion potential. This is directly relevant  to water and land managers in Pitkin County who are currently grappling with the challenges  associated with fire‐induced hydrologic alteration. We hope to build and incorporate the Post‐ Fire BMP Database as a module into our pre‐existing International BMP Database suite. There is  no location or property address to provide due to the nature of the proposed work.   WWE & CSM | Pitkin County Healthy Rivers Grant Application, Fall 2019 | Page 2  BACKGROUND: Wildfire instance in North America is becoming increasingly more frequent and  costly. So, too, are the commensurate effects of wildfire on a watershed’s runoff processes.  Devastating  debris  flows,  nuisance  flooding,  decreasing  reservoir  capacity  from  heightened  sediment delivery, and downstream water quality impacts are among some of the most pressing  side effects communities face after their contributing watersheds lose ground cover and develop  hydrophobic soils during conflagration. Treatments to mitigate the effects of fire on soil‐ and  vegetation‐moderated runoff processes are often installed hastily, without the benefit of pre‐ event planning and foresight, and without holistic and standardized guidance on their selection,  design, implementation, and maintenance. Urbanization of geomorphic features that are the  result of fire‐debris flow cycles, such as the alluvial fans at the base of coastal ocean‐facing  mountain ranges in southern California, has compounded the risk posed to human life and  property from wildfire‐exacerbated flooding and debris flows. Colorado’s mountain communities  are also grappling with increased exposure‐risk; Pitkin County’s 2018 Lake Christine Fire was an  underlying impetus for studying increased runoff potential in Pitkin County watersheds which  WWE is currently performing.    In the 1990s, a team of scientists and engineers conceived of an idea that would eventually  become the renowned International BMP Database (BMP Database). Today, the BMP Database  is led by the Water Research Foundation (WRF) and managed by WWE and Geosyntec staff. It  includes  multiple  discipline‐specific  modules  to  help  researchers  and  practitioners  alike  understand how urban stormwater, stream restoration, and agricultural BMPs work in different  environments to reduce the impacts of urbanization on the receiving channel. The next obvious  chapter in this effort is a database that compiles performance data on BMPs meant to reduce the  increased risk of soil erosion that fire poses to the landscape.    I have a Bachelor’s of Science degree in biological science (dual focuses in ecology, evolution, and  marine  biology  and  molecular,  cellular,  and  developmental  biology) from the University of  California Santa Barbara (UCSB) and a Master’s of Science in water resources science from UCSB’s  Bren School of Environmental Science and Management. I have been a project scientist at WWE  for nearly 4 years working on matters related to watershed/floodplain mechanics, including  projects specifically involving the post‐fire hydrologic response and debris flow risk assessment.  I commenced my doctoral work at CSM in their Hydrological Science and Engineering department  under Professor Terri Hogue this fall 2019 to continue and nurture my relationship with wildfire  hydrology. WWE, CSM, and I see this as the perfect opportunity to grow the BMP Database: we  have the right recipe of expertise, momentum, and initiative to start the first phase of a new  post‐fire BMP database module. Pitkin County’s Healthy Rivers grant monies, if allocated,  would be funneled through WWE for research I am ultimately conducting in pursuit of my PhD  with CSM. As part of this agreement, I propose to match the hours I am funded through WWE  with hours performed and funded by my work with CSM – this doubles the labor your grant  monies garner.     WWE & CSM | Pitkin County Healthy Rivers Grant Application, Fall 2019 | Page 3  The Post‐Fire BMP Database will eventually be a free, publicly‐available platform like the current  BMP databases (more information found here: http://www.bmpdatabase.org/).    DEFINITION OF WORK TO BE PERFORMED: The first required step in the development of a post‐ fire BMP database is a literature review to understand what datasets have already been collected  and published on and what mitigation measures are currently being employed in the industry. A  database could include data on the landscape’s response to treatments applied before the fire,  such as forest thinning, or treatments applied after the fire but before the precipitation event.  There is a similar question related to inclusion (or not) of BMP datasets with varying objectives:  should mitigation tactics aimed only at reducing erosion potential be included? Or do we rope in  measures that aim to reduce burn intensity and/or severity? Only structural versus non‐structural  practices? Or both? And finally, do we focus on measures that try to control runoff quantities,  runoff quality, or both? My literature review would be comprehensive and would attempt to lay  out the potential available options for the end product. This should be driven by the foreseeable  research questions we think the database would be used to answer and by the area(s) where the  greatest gap (and ostensibly need) exists in the scientific literature and tools. A synthesis of the  current body of knowledge on measures  to  reduce  the  hydrological  impacts  of  wildfire  is  currently missing in the literature. This would be the deliverable produced in association with  your grant monies if provided.    Our team would also use your grant funding to research the potential applications of the Post‐ Fire Database and the types of queries users will submit. This could lay the groundwork for our  database’s architecture. What are the criteria that an eligible dataset must meet? Example: what  types of “experimental design” are acceptable, given that wildfire is an uncontrolled event? As  an initial step in this effort, I plan to review the approach used for the urban, stream restoration,  and agricultural BMP databases and assess whether sufficient literature exists to mine and  populate our post‐fire module. Ideally, this work task would also include budget to interview  experts in field of post‐fire BMP installation and monitoring (either individually or as a result of  an  expert  panel  meeting).  I  would  include  this  second  component  in  my  aforementioned  deliverable if time permitted.    These tasks are a critical first step for the eventual development of a Post‐Fire BMP Database.  Once completed, our team plans to develop pre‐ and post‐fire BMP monitoring and reporting  protocols to standardize the design of wildfire BMP efficacy studies. Populating a database with  case study data identified during the literature review phase, and data collected in the future in  accordance with our monitoring and reporting protocols, will be the next phase of work and will  be funded by separate sources.    A description of the project as it relates to your Healthy Rivers grant criteria is provided in the  following paragraphs.     WWE & CSM | Pitkin County Healthy Rivers Grant Application, Fall 2019 | Page 4  PITKIN COUNTY HEALTHY RIVERS GRANT CRITERIA:  A. Goals of the Healthy Rivers Board  According to your county ballot language, the goals of your River Fund include 1) maintaining and  improving  water  quality  and  quantity  within  the  Roaring  Fork  watershed,  2)  purchasing,  adjudicating changes of, leasing, using, banking, selling, and protecting water rights for the  benefit of the Roaring Fork watershed, 3) working to secure, create, and augment minimum  stream flows in conjunction with non‐profits, grant agencies, and appropriate State and Federal  agencies to ensure ecological health, recreation opportunities, and wildlife and riparian habitat,  and promoting water conservation, and 4) improving and constructing capital facilities that  contribute to the objectives listed in 1 through 3.    There is currently a lack of research on the efficacy of pre‐ and post‐fire BMPs and how BMP  perform in different physiographical contexts. This is problematic for Pitkin County and water  managers in the Roaring Fork watershed who are currently faced with managing runoff regimes  that have been altered by wildfire. WWE’s proposed grant request is for funding to help develop  a database that houses pre‐ and post‐fire BMP performance data, allowing for this information  gap to be filled by future researchers and industry professionals. An outcome of the urban,  agricultural, and stream restoration BMP databases WWE helped assemble was the ability to  calculate pollutant removal efficiencies and the impact of BMPs on infiltration rates because the  databases’ standardized data across studies. A tool that helps water managers in the Roaring  Fork understand what mitigation measures to apply after a fire is directly related to the first goal  of your Healthy Rivers Board because wildfire can increase the frequency, duration, and volume  of  runoff  and  therefore  directly  implicates  water  quality  and  quantity.  In  general,  burned  landscapes not only generate more runoff in the years following fire, they also have the potential  to transport more sediment relative to unburned landscapes. Pollutants adsorbed to sediment  become mobilized at increased rates following fire, and increased sediment loads in and of  themselves  are  problematic  (heightened  shear  stress  potential, decrease  of  solar  energy  penetration in the water column, higher total suspended solids, etc.).     Similarly, the fact that wildfire can alter the frequency, duration, and volume of runoff implicates  water rights schedules in the Roaring Fork watershed. The reduced ability of a burned landscape  to slow and reduce runoff rates and volumes can alter the flashiness of the runoff hydrograph.  Water users may lose runoff downstream in the absence of adequate storage when the timing  and  peak  flows  of  the  watershed  are  altered.  Such  hydromodification poses challenges to  virtually every tenet your and goal your Rivers Fund seeks to address.    A scope of work with projected costs is provided in part E below.    B. Viability of the Project  The International BMP Database brand is well‐known in academic and industry settings. Piggy‐ backing our proposed work on the auspices of a widely‐used and well‐received product makes   WWE & CSM | Pitkin County Healthy Rivers Grant Application, Fall 2019 | Page 5  the outcome and viability of this  Post‐Fire BMP Database project promising. WWE has co‐ managed the International BMP Database for almost 30 years successfully and we are excited to  carry this momentum through to a dilemma that is increasingly pressing and relevant in the 21st  century.    The project we are proposing to your committee today will receive the co‐benefits of multiple  reviewing parties. Marrying the expertise of WWE and the CSM Hogue research group is a  wonderful opportunity to elevate the subject of post‐fire BMP performance to an exciting level.  We can draw upon the connections that both WWE and CSM have developed over the past few  decades  for  both  technical  input  and  as  future  funding  partners.  WWE  conducts  post‐fire  hydrologic  and  hydraulic  analyses  around  the  country  and  the  Hogue  research  group  is  performing groundbreaking research on remote sensing of post‐fire hydrologic fluxes. Once an  initial literature review is complete and a database can be constructed, WWE and CSM may  transfer  this  intellectual  knowledge  and  precursory  work  product to the owners of the  aforementioned International BMP Database for incorporation into their larger product – this  benefits the communities on the ground facing the real problems of what to do before and after  devastating fires alter their landscapes.     Additional funding partners will be disclosed to your agency if WWE and CSM require additional  funding for this phase of work.    C. Public Need, Accessibility and Appreciation  The real and pressing need for a platform that aggregates pre‐ and post‐fire BMP performance  data has been discussed throughout this proposal. An open‐source product is readily accessible  and benefits from the communal input and crowd‐sourcing its inherent use guarantees. This  proposal is about taking the first step towards such a product: defining the current standard of  practice for pre‐ and post‐fire BMP data collection, and standardizing the methods and reporting  protocols for future researchers to follow so such a database can be built.    D. History of the Requesting Party  WWE was founded by Principal Engineer and CFO Kenneth Wright on May 1, 1961, to provide  integrated water resources engineering services. Over the past five and a half decades, the  company has been at the leading edge of the shift from engineering with slide rules to the  information era. WWE is actively participating in multiple studies throughout the American West  focusing on the dilemmas wildfire pose to downstream communities. This includes current  project work with Pitkin County funded through the County’s general fund.    E. Budget, Measurements and Accountability  The proposed work will be divided into five main tasks. As noted above, I will match any hours  funded through the allocation of your grant monies with research labor conducted and funded   WWE & CSM | Pitkin County Healthy Rivers Grant Application, Fall 2019 | Page 6  through CSM. This doubles the efficiency of your Pitkin County Healthy Rivers grant money if  awarded:    Task 1 is a comprehensive review of the existing literature on application and performance of  pre‐ and post‐fire erosion mitigation measures. The literature review will include an annotated  bibliography. Task 2 includes work to determine the reporting protocols and schema for a future  database. This will require additional review of literature, review of existing BMP databases, and  interviews with experts in the field of BMP monitoring. Task 3 is budgeted as honoraria for  external advisors/experts for their time during interviews. Task 4 covers the preparation of  deliverables to summarize the work conducted in the first three tasks, including deliverables to  the funding agency (Pitkin County Healthy Rivers and Streams Grant Advisory Board) and the  Colorado School of Mines (dissertation chapter, peer‐reviewed journal article, etc.). Task 5 covers  internal peer review of my work to be performed by WWE’s Jonathan Jones, P.E., D. WRE, Jane  Clary, Andrew Earles, PhD, P.E., D. WRE, and Ian Paton, P.E., CFM. Additional oversight will be  provided by my CSM PhD advisor, Dr.  Terri  Hogue  (Civil  and  Environmental  Engineering  Department Head). Total monies needed to complete this work: $14,462.        Work will begin and will not exceed one calendar year from the date funding is granted. A written  report will be provided to your Pitkin County Healthy Rivers Citizen Advisory Board and Board of  County Commissioners of Pitkin County detailing the results of this effort and identifying future  next steps. WWE and members of the CSM Hogue research group can also provide results and  conclusions to your Advisory Board as the culmination of the project if requested.    Thank you for your consideration.        GRANT CRITERIA SCORE CARD Application Review Criteria Points Possible Goals of the Healthy Rivers and Streams Board 0-100 The extent to which the proposed grant request/project meets the stated goals, objectives and on-going projects/priorities of the River Board. 1. Must be complete, clear and concise, with specific dollar amounts in total and for each element of the project; 2. Must fulfill the intent of the ballot language. Viability of the Project 0-100 The extent to which the proposed grant request/project is practical, will be completed as proposed and/or may require other resources to be fully completed, and the extent to which the project can be repeated in other locations such that it will not be limited to a single event. 1. Must address an essential need; 2. Demonstrates collaboration and/or partners with other agencies. Public Need Accessibility and Appreciation 0-100 The extent to which the proposed grant request/project will be seen, appreciated and/or used by the public. 1. Does not duplicate existing services or programs; 2. Must serve and be appreciated people who live and/or work in Pitkin County & the Roaring Fork Watershed; 3. Includes a specific Public Relations strategy; 4. Demonstrates an appropriate need for public funding. History of the Requesting Party 0-100 The extent that the requesting individual/entity has been successful in other projects or efforts and is known in the community. Budget, Measurements and Accountability 0-100 The extent to which the proposed grant amount is appropriate to the project scope and includes other appropriate sources of funding. The extent that the project includes specific measures for success and reporting of progress and results to the Healthy Rivers Board. 1. Demonstrates financial stability and presents accurate budgets and financial reports, measurements and accountability; 2. Specific measures of progress and success; 3. Reporting plan to Healthy Rivers Board/others.