HomeMy WebLinkAbout190924_TF Possible Assumptions_KathySummary of Possible Task Force Recommendations from the Staff Report of 9/24/19
The task force charge was to “Provide recommendations to inform a Flood Risk Reduction Strategy (FRRS) to be considered for adoption by the City Council and incorporation as a major
amendment to the City’s Comprehensive Water Resources Management Plan.” Page 1
Task Force members very quickly expressed their agreement with council that this issue is of great importance to the safety and stability of their communities and to the City as a whole.
Page 1
Task Force members were unanimously concerned for the growing evidence that flooding challenges are worsening and impacting a greater number of Edina residents. Page 2
Force members were adamant that any FRRS would need to be flexible enough to function under a variety of flooding conditions due to the variety of flooding issues present in the City
while still presenting City leadership with a reliable decision-making process and clear recommendations. Page 2
The following were identified as primary drivers leading to increased flood risk, listed from most to least impactful: Page 2
Climate change and changing weather patterns – Climatologists indicate that large, intense rainfall events are occurring more frequently and models predict that large rainfall events
will become more intense in the future. This increase is also impacting neighboring communities, is occurring at the watershed level and is expected to get much worse.
Aging infrastructure and increasing service level expectations modeling of storms and risk have improved dramatically in recent decades, which has increased the visual accessibility
of
flooding information for any community members. The current stormwater system was built for a different time and standard, and service expectations for intensity of land use, drainage,
stormwater management, and flood management have increased.
Changing development patterns – An increasing trend of imperviousness has spread across the City of Edina. Specifically within the focal geography of Morningside, nearly one million
square feet of impervious surfaces (structures, driveways, patios, swimming pool decks, etc.) have been added since 1950. This equates to about 14% of the total size of occupied parcels
in the Morningside neighborhood (2019, City of Edina staff).
The Task Force noted the community perspective on what flooding is and who is responsible varies broadly. Complaints of flooded park spaces have recently been voiced in the community.
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Many Task Force members have experienced structural (home) damage first-hand and have said a definition for flooding may be helpful. Page 3
Key takeaways. Tradeoffs. Opportunities. Page 4
Outline public areas of opportunity (service level definition, preparedness, emergency response, communications, infrastructure)
Outline private areas of opportunity (preparedness, redevelopment)
Staff and the Task Force see increasing storage as an opportunity. Coupling storage projects with existing capital expenditures, such as when a road or park is due for reconstruction
can result in some efficiencies.
Page 5
The Task Force seemed to favor a more aggressive, ‘built it now’ storage strategy.
Page 5
The Task Force also seem to favor voluntary acquisition as strategy to create space for flood storage.
( five homes on Weber Pond) Page 5
The Task Force and staff seem to agree that maintenance of the existing system was important. The status quo allows for the minimum.
Page 5
All seemed to favor increases in street sweeping, high value infrastructure retrofits, and proactive maintenance. (Does this include excavating landlocked basins?) Dredging as a maintenance
activity is often performed for a clean water outcome or to keep outfalls open for water flow. Dredging below an outlet does not add storage, unless the water is predictively pumped
out of the basin ahead of a storm event.
Page 5
Continued investment in the sanitary sewer system and its resiliency during floods is a key strategy.
Page 5
The city can promote the adopt-a-drain program. Private property owners can volunteer to assist in keeping stormwater infrastructure clear ahead of rain events.
Page 5
Some Task Force members thought the regulatory controls should do more to reduce risk.
Page 5
The Task Force expressed a desire for more and better communication. The City could provide increased messaging before, during, and after a flood to include forecasting, preparedness
tips, city response, and report on any disruptions.
Page 5
The Task Force also described a desire for more prompt communication in response to requests for service. There seems to be an opportunity to clarify level of service so that callers
have a sense for where their issue ranks during a flood response.
Page 5
The city provides sand bags at no cost, including delivery and pick-up. More communication can be done to let people know the service is available.
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Private property owners can reduce flood losses by preparing for a flood. FEMA has several resources for flood preparedness; www.floodsmart.gov lists practical before and after tips.
Flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program is available for anyone who lives in the city to purchase. The city could assist in dispelling the myth that flood insurance
is only available in certain circumstances. Page 6
Ownership of the issue Page 7
The City and local homeowners bear equal responsibility to improve stormwater management.
Public outreach and education around flooding issues will be critical method of ensuring buy-in from
residents. This should directly involve underrepresented groups such as renters, low-income, and
minority residents.
The City should provide technical assistance to customers facing flooding issues but should also
effectively communicate all resident responsibilities. 2. Resident actions :
Edina property owners should fund installation, operation, and maintenance through an increase in stormwater utility fees.
All residents should be educated on the level of service that the City is able to provide, what limitations are, where their stormwater utility fee is being spent, and what their
role is.
Residents should take responsibility for all runoff originating on their private property and should be incentivized to collect and manage it onsite.
Neighborhood and community organizations should fill the gap between City services and resident actions. They should also be a primary resource for dissemination of information
and for promotion of best practices.
Homeowner strategies and actions that go above and beyond the City’s requirements by homeowners should be
incentivized or official recognized.
3. City actions:
The street sweeping program should be optimized for a flood risk reduction outcome. Programs such as adopt-a-drain should be promoted to residents to help maintain the drainage
service of the stormwater system.
The City should develop a framework to prioritizing capital spending for flood risk reduction projects.
The FRRS should be supported by the City’s creation of a hard-cover policy, such as the one being developed by the Planning Commission.
City should dedicate resources to improving triage and intake during flooding events.
City code related to floodplain development should be strengthened to decrease the amount of
development within the floodplain.
Increased funding is needed to support infrastructure improvements that maximize the public
opportunities for storage. Funding for ongoing maintenance of improvements is crucial to sustain
performance.
Addition of temporary flood storage should be a primary focus of City-led infrastructure
improvements.
STAFF REPORT Page 8
The city should consider voluntary acquisitions as a flood risk reduction strategy.
Park spaces should be optimized for flood protection and take priority over other uses.
The city should reduce flood water levels in basins only when primary structures are at risk of
flooding and the activity will not directly result in flooding of primary structures downstream.
Improvements to reduce flood risk should be prioritized over solving drainage issues. Drainage
issues, or nuisance flooding, refers to low levels of inundation that do not pose significant threats to public safety or cause major property damage, but can disrupt routine day-to-day
activities, put added strain on infrastructure systems such as roadways and sewers, and cause minor property damage1.
Motivating factors: Page 8
Limited space, funding, and public will (in the way of stormwater tradeoffs)
means the city cannot solve all flooding and drainage issues. Thus, issues ought to be defined, categorized, and prioritized so that the service level may be defined and communicated.
Flooding and drainage issues vary in the severity of consequences and the ability or willingness for individuals to influence the issue (due to size, scale, and frequency).
Flooding and drainage issues are related. Solving drainage issues can contribute to larger flood problems.
4. Overall FRRS goals and strategy
Flexibility should be a key element of the FRRS to ensure that all types of flooding in a variety of locations can confidently be addressed by decision-makers.
The FRRS should be prescriptive and regulatory to prevent loopholes and reduce the pressure of enforcement on leadership and staff.
Preventative, proactive measures should be prioritized over reactive strategies.
Falling into the jurisdiction of two watershed districts, flooding in Edina is just a piece of a larger flooding issue. The City should collaborate with other local governments
or regional governance
structures.
Kathy added…
The city should collect data on all flood related call needs that come into the engineering and utility department so that the scope and areas of flooding can be documented.
Proposed definition of flooding: a flood is a general and temporary condition where homes that are normally dry are inundated by water, snowmelt or mudflow.
A multi-city commission should be set up to identify the remaining issues related to creek flooding and plan the solution to the creek flooding that all cities involved agree upon.
Proactive maintenance must include basins and landlocked basins to avoid flooding and also to increase the capacity to handle more water.
The utility department needs more trained staff to handle the service needs during the flooding episodes.