Stormwater Commission

Stormwater Commission Meeting Summary Wednesday March 23, 2016 Members Present: Fred Kudert, Steven Vinezeano, Chuck Ostman, Rich Wlodarski, Andrew Vitale, Thomas Powers, Mary Anderson, Robert Callero. Others present: Jeff Wickenkamp from Hey & Associates, Patrick Glen, Gewalt Hamilton Associates, Jack Grana Utilities Superintendent, The Stormwater Commission meeting convened at 8:00 a.m. in the Council Chambers at Village Hall. Chair Lo Verde was unable to attend so Commissioner Callero chaired the meeting. July 9 and January 7 Meeting Summary: The Meeting Summary for July 9th, 2015 and January 7th, 2016 were approved. Old Business: The following topics were presented and discussed. Oconto/Mulford Peer Review: Jeff Wickencamp of Hey and Associates provided a history of the recent stormwater study of the area. Oconto/Mulford was identified in 2010 as a problem area and was among the 30-40 problem areas identified during the initial study. At the time of the initial study the area was not prioritized for a project. Following an expanded study in 2013 the area was added to a potential Tier3/Small project list. In August 2013 a presentation was made to the commission about the nature of the flooding of the area and the historical low lying area in the overland flow flood route which causes the problem. In January 2015 the area was looked at in part as one of ten areas that were analyzed for further improvement. An option for a new stormwater outfall was investigated and determined to cost upwards of $3 million dollars. At that time the potential for property buyout was considered. Following that determination FEMA buyouts were pursued, but the benefit cost ratio were not sufficient to meet the requirements. Following that determination staff pursued buyouts with MWRD and Cook County but were met with similar results. An interim solution was proposed as part of the January 2015 memo for a separate sewer outfall to Mulford, this solution did not reduce depth of flooding but would reduce the flooding duration. This interim solution would help drain down the neighborhood faster but not reduce flood depth. Following a later stormwater commission meeting the interim solution was put on hold pending the results of a “peer review” study of the analysis and recommendation. The Village also noted that they have appealed the MWRD acquisition ruling based on the Village inundation maps but have not heard back. Patrick Glen of Gewalt Hamilton Associates (GHA) presented a peer review of Hey’s analysis. GHA found that Hey analysis was technically sound and the issue at hand was not unique to Niles. They confirmed the overland flow problem which is symptomatic of the problem. They confirmed that the crux of the problem is the cost benefit associated with a large sewer improvement that still would not be guaranteed to offset all the problems and the lack of recognition by FEMA for the buyout potential of these unmapped areas. The stormwater committee indicated the location was on the list of known problems, ongoing study will occur, and the committee will continue to pursue the matter but as of right now an economical feasible solution is not at hand. Christina from Oconto indicated that her neighbors flood regularly, including a resident on west side of street who floods directly into her living room. She requested that the sewers are opened up and indicated that no one should be allowed to purchase the homes that flood. The Village reiterated that buyouts have been pursued but so far have been unsuccessful. A larger storm sewer $3 million has been considered but due to other areas, that have more than four homes that flood, would need to be addressed first. Nathan Frieders 7741 N Oconto recently purchased a house on Oconto and was unaware of flooding but learned from neighbors after purchasing. Mr. Frieders indicated this information would probably have precluded him from purchasing the property. The Village indicated that the Stormwater Relief Program report is available on the webpage which includes recommended improvements as well as projected flood areas. The maps included are no longer accurate as improvements have been made to reduce flooding. George Michael from 7747 N Oconto purchased his house in 2011. In 2012 and 2013 his crawl space flooded completely and there was water running toward his house from Harlem. His spare bedroom and sunroom also flooded. The crawlspace flooded to within 1” of the first floor. Mr. Michael felt the Village had previously indicated they would fix flooding in the area. Faro Vitale from 7746 N Oconto indicated he has made improvements to his property to stop flooding but since the entire street floods it is not enough. Mr. Vitale’s entire first floor floods and has made improvement to his home based on the expectation the Village would fix the flooding. Mr. Vitale felt that improvement made to surrounding streets and grade changes have impacted his home. He feels that The Village has a responsibility to fix the problem or buy the affected houses. Octavia is also affected by the flooding. He has raised the issue of flooding since the year 2000. Mr. Vinezeano indicated that the Village has worked very hard with Mr. Vitale to study the problem and explain the nature of the problem to him in the past. The solution to provide a $3 million solution to fix three homes problem is not currently feasible within the budget constraints. The Village re-explained the history of the small improvement that was planned for Oconto. When the small project was originally proposed, the neighborhood requested that the area was restudied as the improvement would not reduce flood stage. As a result a peer review was implemented and the meeting today is in part to review the peer review results. The Village indicated that Milwaukee, Harlem, and Waukegan are State routes outside of the Village control. The Village will continue to pursue acquisition funds for the flood prone properties. The Village had budgeted the small project for construction in fiscal year 2017, the fiscal year does not start  until May1st. However the small project would not reduce stage of flood height and the purpose of meeting was to review the benefit of the project per the residents request. Mr. Vitale agreed that a project that does not reduce flood stage would not make sense to implement. Cleveland Corridor Sewer Improvement Bid: The judge ruled in the Village’s favor on March 4th. The complainant has 30 days to appeal the judge’s ruling. The next step in the process is to submit the contract for Bolder construction for approval by the IEPA. If an appeal is filed the project will be delayed 5-6 months. If the appeal is dropped a final contract with Bolder will be signed upon receipt of IEPA approval. Flood Control Assistance Program: 40 applications were received for FY16, 24 of which have been approved. Staff is following up to complete as many projects as possible in FY16. The $100,000 budget item was reduced to $50,000 for FY17. Stormwater Update Staff is negotiating the scope with Hey and Associates and will present a scope of work at the next stormwater committee meeting. New Business: Alternatives for Purchase of Flood Prone Properties in Niles The Village has pursued funding from outside agencies for acquisition of flood prone properties. To date the Village’s requests have been denied. There was concern regarding the feasibility of obtaining these funds considering the lack of a State budget. Hey provided information that the buyout programs also tend to favor riverine type flooding where the damages are more significant. Chair Callero pointed out that a recent riverine buyout program in DesPlaines was canceled by the State meaning that Niles probably would not be obtaining these funds anytime soon. Small Project Preliminary Engineering results Hey and Associates provided the results of two small projects that were completed through preliminary engineering. Staff raised some concerns regarding the results of the analysis which indicate there are added costs and limited benefits to flood stage. Milwaukee/Kedzie/Ottawa was presented indicating that the location does not have structure flooding reported. The project was born out of a concern that was raised by residents regarding that the Street flooded at this location longer at this location as compared to adjacent streets. An additional outlet to the system was studied connecting to Milwaukee, that connection provides a duration reduction. For instance the 25-yr 2 hour storm would drawdown approximately 1 hour faster. The project cost is estimated at $89,000.00. The commission discussed in general the value of duration versus depth flooding and the need to develop a framework to evaluate these parameters. Churchill Circle Court was discussed next. The area was originally designed as a combined sewer area and was later separated. The separate sewer drain to a pump station at Ballard which is ejected to the separate sewer system. The retrofitted storm sewer is highly restrictive resulting in standing water on Churchhill. The project provides a gravity drainage path for high stage/high HGL flow path. The benefits of the project include a 6-hour reduction in duration of flooding. The project has no impact on flood depth for the 100-yr event and a small benefit in depth for the 25-yr. Both projects were recommended to be completed for Phase 2 engineering. However in the context of the stormwater update the projects should be tabled until they can be evaluated in the context of the entire Village. Oak Park Bioswale A meeting was held with the Park District regarding construction. Due to the amount of events over the summer construction will be pushed until fall. The process for the IGA is ongoing. The MWRD will reimburse 50% up to $200,000 of the project costs. National League of Cities Service Line warranty Program The National League of Cities discussed a service line warranty program and the benefits it could provide to residents. The program has two goals 1) To educate residents regarding the service line requirements and 2) To offer a warranty for service line repairs. The program has no cost to the Village and there is revenue sharing back to the Village available of $0.50 per month per line. The program involves about 400 communities across the Country with a 90% customer satisfaction rate. The program has made $64 million in service repairs since 2010. The cost to the residents currently is $7.75 per month per sewer line with a 10% discount if paid annually and $5.75 per month per water line with a 10% discount if paid annually. Premiums have gone up about $1.00 since inception however rates are locked at the introductory rate. It was discussed that the National League of Cities would attend a public services committee meeting to provide a presentation. Public Comment: Louella Preston was pleased to hear about the National League of Cities Program. Ms. Preston had a question regarding flooding around 9101 Greenwood. The committee responded that the project will provide 22 acre-ft of stormwater storage and will serve to reduce residential flooding to the north east. See above comments during Oconto/Mulford discussion. Next Meeting Date The date of the next meeting will be determined at the call of the Chairman. The meeting was adjourned at 10:02 a.m.