City of Lansing s Triple Bottom Line Approach to Wet Weather Control Planning

Transcription

1 MWEA 86 th Annual Conference June 27, 2011 City of Lansing s Triple Bottom Line Approach to Wet Weather Control Planning Chad A. Gamble, P.E. City of Lansing Jim Smalligan, P.E. Fred Cowles, P.E. FTC&H Jim, Scholl, P.E. Malcolm Pirnie

2 Lansing s CWA Unfunded Mandates 101 Stormwater Phase II SSO-ACO

3 A brief history of Lansing s CSO Control Program Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), approved the original Project Plan on April 1, 1992 Construction began in th year of CSO construction (Phase V, Segment 1) Successful in receiving 22 SRF Loans totaling $230,000, CSO structures and over 6,700 acres at the start of the program in CSO structures (63 %) were abandoned by the end of 2009 Total project cost for all remaining CSO work is $240.8 million Average annual overflow before project: Billion gallons Average annual overflow removed to date: 952 million gallons (58%) leaving estimated 698 million per year.

4 SSO Program Administrative Consent Order No. SW (Entered on 01/09/04) Work Plan for Long-term 12/31/08 (Submitted and currently under review )

5 Stormwater Program Because watersheds cross political boundaries, twenty of the communities that fall within these defined local watersheds are a part of a cooperative effort and have formed the Greater Lansing Regional Committee for Stormwater Management (GLRC) to address water quality in our lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands.

6 Lansing Fun Facts and Figures Population: 116, Miles of Combined/Separate Sewers Sewage Fund Annual Revenue: $27 Million Sewage Fund Annual Debt Service: $17.4 Million Capital Expenditures cso/sso/stormwater (1991 to 2010): $ 350 Million CSO Program: $388 million over next 15 yrs. SSO Program: $373 million over next 15 yrs. Stormwater Program: $10?? million over next 15 yrs. Total non-integrated CSO, SSO and Stormwater Program Cost: $771 million

7 Cost as % of MHI Affordability of the Current Capital Program CSO Program: $388 million over next 15 yrs. SSO Program: $373 million over next 15 yrs. Total CSO and SSO Program Cost: $761 million 3.00% Cost as a % of Median Household Income 2.50% 2.00% 2% Affordability Threshold 1.50% 1.00% 0.50% 0.00% Year

8 Three Unfunded Mandates.. one Piggy Bank!

9 Breaking Down The Silos! c s o s s o Storm Water

10 Measure of a City s Economic Vitality Hub of the wheel??? Hole of the doughnut??? OR

11 Dealing with triple unfunded mandates. with the triple bottom line (TBL)

12 Social Impacts Short Term Impacts Employment and Income Construction Impacts Traffic Impacts Noise Business Disruption

13 Social Impacts Long Term Impacts Housing and Property Value Health and Safety Private Inflow Cost to Property Owner Environmental Justice Aesthetics Historical Preservation

14 Environmental Impacts Water quality Green solutions Land cover Wildlife habitat

15 Economic Impacts Capital Cost City of Lansing Wastewater improvements (SRF eligible) Other infrastructure improvements Board of Water and Light Present Worth Operation and maintenance Salvage value

16 Applying TBL Theory to Achieve an approvable Watershed Based Wet Weather Control Program

17 Program Goals of the Wet Weather Control Plan Priority based on: TBL Public Health and Safety Prevent basement backups Optimize use of existing infrastructure - interceptors

18 Lansing s Comprehensive Wet Weather Control Program 5-year build and learn phases Project Performance Evaluation Evaluate/incorporate new technology & regulations TWO YEAR PARTNERSHIP WITH MDEQ!

19 Affordability of the Wet Weather Control Plan Total Program Cost $420 Million Reduction from separate CSO, SSO and Stormwater program total of $230 Million! 40 year projected implementation

20 Three Separate Permit Programs.. one New Coordinated Wet Weather Program!

21 We have a rare opportunity to change the way we prioritize improvements to address the Clean Water Act : Based on the economic, social, and wet weather control program of each community! Thank you... and Questions!! City of Lansing, Michigan Chad A. Gamble, P.E. Director of Public Service cgamble@lansingmi.gov

22 MWEA 86 th Annual Conference June 27, 2011 The Measure of Success for Wet Weather Control Investments Requires Watershed Solutions Chad A. Gamble, P.E. Director of Public Service City of Lansing Jim Smalligan, P.E. Fred Cowles, P.E. FTC&H Jim, Scholl, P.E. Malcolm Pirnie

23 Water Quality of Grand River Improves flowing through the City of Lansing??!! Fecal Coliform (FC) values are consistently higher upstream of the City of Lansing than at the downstream station.

24 Grand River Watershed Solving the Larger Problem The City of Lansing is only 0.64% of the Grand River Watershed City of Lansing

25 Bring all Players to the Watershed!!! c s o s s o Storm Water Agriculture/ Non-Point

26 Annual LBS or MPN Raw Pollutant Loading Comparisons Comparison of Pollutant Loadings CSO Stormwater SSO TSS (billion) BOD (billion) Fecal Coliform (trillions) Type of Pollutant (varying orders of magnitude) Data demonstrates that storm water is a significantly larger loading source than SSO, which is negligible by comparison.

27 Sanitation District No. 1 Northern Kentucky Unique Watershed Based Approach Puts combined and separate sanitary sewer overflows into context with other pollutant sources Integrates gray/green/watershed controls to improve water quality Provides opportunities for setting priorities based on regional objectives Regional economic realities make it the right path to take

28 Northern Kentucky SD1 Watershed Projects

29 Philadelphia Clean Water Benefits and the Balanced Approach Wet Weather Source Control Ecosystem Restoration Capital Improvement Projects

30 New Zealand s Regional Councils Based on Watersheds and are responsible for the day-to-day management of the environment including: Land use Discharge permits

31 Florida Water Management Districts Water Management Districts issue several types of permits including consumptive use permits well construction permits environmental resource permits

32 Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District Cooperative Intergovernmental Watershed Based Planning Considers alternatives to simplify meeting current regulations for point source control Integrated watershed based approach Includes upgrades to combined sewers, separated sewers and treatment works (2020 Facilities Plan) Includes measures to control nonpoint source pollution and improve water quality

33 Managing at a Watershed Scale These approaches to wet weather control provide evidence that managing water resources at a holistic watershed level is possible. These examples are not intended as models for Michigan to copy, but as inspiration to find an effective institutional arrangement. The current silo approach is not working.

34 Thinking Outside the Box and Inside the Watershed??!! Creation of Collective Watershed Wet Weather Strategy A TRUE watershed based CIP Plan thru which grant Funding can stream??!! Synergize public/private partnerships with Agriculture and NPS. These projects benefit the watershed the most while creating projects that maximize loading removals

35 Approaching Challenges Locally and Nationally with Perfect Storm Coalition (Members from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, West Virginia)

36 A novel Idea??? (excerpt from CWA) SEC WET WEATHER WATERSHED PILOT PROJECTS. (b) ADMINISTRATION. The Administrator, in coordination with the States, shall provide municipalities participating in a pilot project under this section the ability to engage in innovative practices, including the ability to unify separate wet weather control efforts under a single permit.

37 We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. ~Native American Proverb Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. ~Chief Seattle, 1855 We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive. ~Albert Einstein Thank you... and Questions!! City of Lansing, Michigan Chad A. Gamble, P.E. Director of Public Service cgamble@lansingmi.gov