WASHTENAW COUNTY WATER RESOURCES COMMISSIONER ANNUAL REPORT

Transcription

1 WASHTENAW COUNTY WATER RESOURCES COMMISSIONER ANNUAL REPORT 2015 and 2016 Western Washtenaw Service Center 705 N. Zeeb Rd P.O, Box 8645 Ann Arbor, MI Phone: (734) Fax: (734) Drains.ewashtenaw.org Follow us on Facebook! Program Areas The voters of Washtenaw County re-elected Water Resources Commissioner, Evan Pratt, to a second four year term in the 2016 general election. Pratt served his first term in The Water Resources Commissioner (WRC) coordinates storm water management, develops strategies for flood and erosion control, and participates in the development of related storm water and land use policies, plans and programs. He also conducts activities to protect the quality of storm drains and waterways. In performing these duties, the office is involved with the following activates: Spreading special assessments Maintaining court-set lake levels Constructing and maintaining associated facilities including dams and pumps Establishing standards, reviewing and approving plans and specifications for storm drainage projects Managing and financing drain construction projects In October 2016, the Water Resource Commissioner released an updated version of what is know known as Rules and Guidelines, Procedures and Design Criteria for Stormwater Management Systems. The office also includes the County Solid Waste Division and manages the Solid Waste Planning and diversion Our mission is to provide for the health, safety, and welfare of Washtenaw County citizens and the protection of surface water and the environment and to promote the long term environmental and economic sustainability of Washtenaw County by providing storm water management, flood control, development review and water quality programs. Permits and Design Standards Water Quality Soil Erosion Public Works Community Projects Special Assessments Report Flooding and other drainage issues online! In just 4 easy steps, you will be able to let our office know of any flooding issues with the ability to upload pictures as well! Step 1: Go to Step 2: Follow the instructions to locate the problem area on the interactive map Step 3: Provide contact information, a description of the problem and can upload a photo. (This is helpful so our field staff can see what is going on rather than you tell us what is going on) and Submit! Step 4: Our administrative staff will contact you during normal business hours to get additional

2 Active Drain Projects McMann Saline Township Northfield Earhart Road Northfield Township The Office of the Water Resources Commissioner (WCWRC), under the authority of the Michigan Drain Code (Public Act 40 of 1956), may receive petitions from property owners or municipalities in order to construct new drains or complete maintenance and improvement projects on existing drains. The WCWRC maintains and operates over 500 stormwater systems in Washtenaw County. The drains that began, were in construction or were completed in 2015 and 2016 are the following: Saginaw Hills Scio & Lodi Townships Swan Creek Pliney Harris Ypsilanti and Augusta Townships Tyler Dam Drain City of Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti & Superior Townships West Branch of Augusta Central Augusta Township West Park Fairgrounds (Allen) City of Ann Arbor State Revolving Fund projects for stormwater improvements to infrastructure in partnership with the City of Ann Arbor: Bazley Foster Superior & Ypsilanti Townships HRGIDD Trees Reforestation Copper Meadows Dexter Township Geddes Ridge Superior Township Hawthorne Ridge Pittsfield Township Allen Creek Miller Street & Rain Gardens Allen Creek S. Forest Street Hickory Hollow Pittsfield Township HRGIDD Rain Gardens Rain Garden J.J. Knapp Bridgewater & Freedom Townships HRGIDD Trees Reforestation Luella Burton Park Scio Township Malletts Springwater Street HRGIDD Geddes Street Maintenance of County Storm The Water Resources Commissioner oversees active and ongoing maintenance program to ensure that drains are cleaned and repaired in the early stages of physical deterioration. This ongoing routine maintenance is designed to reduce costs to the drainage district for major cleanout and repair projects. This also helps prevent flooding. The Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner has recognized the need for an enterprise Asset Management System (CityWorks) to streamline and assist in the optimization of their business processes. Funded using the Michigan SAW Grant program, Washtenaw County has deployed GIS-centeric workflows designed around the State of Michigan drain code, including methods that integrate financial information. This allows our staff to budget, plan, react and review activities in detail, on a map.

3 Drain Special Assessments Drain construction and maintenance is financed by special assessments charged to three sources, the first are properties within the individual drainage districts. In most cases, a portion is charged at large to the local government(s) in which the district lies, for benefit to the public health. A third source is based on the acreage owned by the road agencies. In levying special assessments to properties in a district, the Drain Code requires that apportionment of costs by the Water Resources Commissioner must be based on the benefit received. The Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner has implemented procedures that base benefit on a number of factors including land use classifications, acreage in the drainage district, the actual work performed on the drain as it crosses individual properties, and Michigan Department of Transportation s highway runoff formula assessing costs to state and county for highways and roads. Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Washtenaw County is mandated by the State of Michigan s Department of Environmental Quality to administer and enforce Part 91, Soil Erosion & Sedimentation Control, P.A. 451 of 1994, as amended and the Rules , promulgated under Part 91. The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners has adopted the aforementioned Act and rules promulgated under the Act within the County s SESC Ordinance and administers it to twelve jurisdictions. Washtenaw County s SESC Program purpose is to manage soil erosion and subsequent sedimentation in order to promote the safety, public health and general welfare of the community through effectively sustaining the goal of clean water in Washtenaw County and the State of Michigan. In 2016, the Washtenaw County SESC Ordinance was amended and approved by the County s Board of Commissioners and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. The ordinance amendments included; additional permit categories, revised program fee schedule, extended permit durations and revised enforcement language to be consistent with Part 91, which included the addition of Municipal Civil Infractions. The Program had several opportunities throughout the year to educate the public on the importance of soil erosion and sedimentation control. We were able to share our recent Program changes to the Builder & Remodelers Association of Greater Ann Arbor. The Program also participated in a TV segment called the Green Room on our local Community TV Network. With activity levels on the rise, the SESC Program was able to hire an additional inspector. In 2016, the program received 505 permit and waiver applications, conducted 516 plan reviews, 2,328 maintenance inspections, 408 final inspections and issued 474 permits and waivers.

4 WATER QUAILITY PROGRAMS COMMUNITY PARTNERS FOR CLEAN STREAMS The Community Partners for Clean Streams (CPCS) program is a voluntary, cooperative effort between the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner s Office and Washtenaw County businesses, institutional landowners and multi-family residential complexes. The goal of the program is to help identify practical, cost effective ways to protect Washtenaw County waterways through pollution prevention and best management practices to minimize pollutants discharges into the environment. CPCS was combined with the Waste Knot program in 2015 under the Environmental Excellence Partnership Program (E2P2). E2P2 will enhance assistance to businesses by providing information, technical advice and recognition to participants as they self-assess how their daily site activities affect our environment and waterways. Number of Public Education Presentations and Special Events per year RIVERSAFE HOMES PROGRAM The RiverSafe Homes Program enables Washtenaw County residents to identify water quality protection activities they already do around their homes by completing an online or hard copy survey, and to commit to other pollution prevention activities they may not have considered before. The survey includes topics like Home Toxic Disposal, Yard Care and Outdoor Housekeeping, Pet and Urban Wildlife Waste Disposal, and more. In return, for completing the survey satisfactorily, respondents select a RiverSafe Homes marker to place at a front door or other visible location. Through a partnership with the City of Ann Arbor, city residents that are RiverSafe Homeowners are eligible to receive a Stormwater credit on their quarterly stormwater bills. RAIN GARDENS Since 2005, more than 297 rain gardens have been designed and installed at residential, church and institutional properties through this program. In 2016, 63 new gardens were constructed. The project was initiated as a Clean Water Act 319 grant, but has since been funded by the County, the City of Ann Arbor and a grant from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Sixteen gardens were constructed through the Rain Garden Assistance Program, and 47 were built through the Master Rain Gardener training program. In the assistance program, design and one-on-one assistance with construction is provided. Master Rain Gardeners are trained to design and build rain gardens, and to serve as neighborhood educators. Each year, the County hosts two certification classes, one online and one in person. Our website is Our office began partnering with the City of Ann Arbor to maintain public rain gardens. We coordinated 20 workdays, recruited 22 stewards and organized a total of 1,110 volunteer hours. Rain garden lessons were taught at three elementary schools.

5 SOLID WASTE As the Water Resources Commissioner in Washtenaw County, Commissioner Pratt also serves as the Director or Public Works and oversees the Washtenaw County Solid Waste Division. The Washtenaw County Solid Waste Division encourages residents to practice the 3R s Reduce, Reuse & Recycle in that order and provide resources to do so. Our year round Home Toxics Reduction Program is a drive-through drop-off site which collects motor oil, cleaning products, paint and much more. In addition, single day clean up events are held at regionally diverse sites throughout the County, where residential electronic waste, construction and demolition waste and recyclables are collected for proper disposal. Also offered is a Pharmaceutical Take-Back Program which provides residents with a safe disposal outlet for unused and unwanted medications, preventing them from entering and contaminating waterways. For the commercial sector, our Waste Knot Program provides education and best practices to facilitate waste reduction and recycling along with public reward and recognition to empower those that demonstrate community leadership. These programs help preserve landfill space and assist residents and businesses to meet their sustainability goals. The Solid Waste Division takes pride in providing services at a high quality and efficient level while being cost effective. We strive to listen to our community members and hope to create solutions that balance community needs with individual interests. 12 tons RECYCLING FROM 22 ELECTRONIC WASTE 3.5 tons EVENT WASTE RECYCLED OR COMPOSTED tons HAZARDOUS HOUSEHOLD WASTE SHRINK WRAP RECY- 2.5 tons 22 ZERO WASTE EVENTS 20,000 ATTENDEES NEW TOTAL WASTE WASTE KNOT 4 COLLECTED PARTNERS 1.5 PHARMACEUTICAL ESTIMAT- ED 25 SATURDAY 6,100 PARTICI- over 18 PROGRAM GRADUATES from 2015 MASTER COMPOSTER 80, NEW STUDENTS in WEB PAGE VIEWS Residents attend a Saturday drop-off event

6 Asset Management The Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner has recognized the need for an enterprise Asset Management System (Cityworks) to streamline and assist in the optimization of their business processes. Funded using the Michigan Stormwater, Asset Management, and Wastewater (SAW) Grant program, Water Resources has deployed GIS-centric workflows designed around the State of Michigan Drain Code, including methods that integrate financial information. This allows the staff to budget, plan, react, and review activities in detail, on a map. Residents of Washtenaw County may have grown more accustomed to crews with video equipment in and around drains this past year. The reason the Water Resources office is looking to make drain infrastructures last longer and lower the maintenance costs. With a $1.7 million two-year SAW grant, the office is hard at work conducting drain asset inventories, condition assessments, infrastructure modeling and water quality management planning. Solid Waste Management Plan Amendment The Washtenaw County Solid Waste Plan has been undergoing the amendment process since August 2015, with anticipated completion in The amended plan will include up-to-date and actionable objectives to reflect a new set of solid waste management goals for Washtenaw County. In tandem with the Plan amendment process, the County is conducting a Waste Diversion Site-Feasibility Study which assesses both existing and potential waste recover facilities within the County to optimally and efficiently manage recoverable materials, which will serve as an important implementation tool for the County to reach its plan goals. Dispose of hazardous home toxics here! Hours: April-November: Open the first 3 Saturday s of the month, 9am-Noon December-March: By weekday appointment only! For appointments or questions, please call (734)