HomeMy WebLinkAbout200204 TF Staff Report - Meeting 12
February 4, 2020
Flood Risk Reduction Strategy Task Force
Ross Bintner, P.E., Engineering Services Manager
Jessica V. Wilson, Water Resources Coordinator
Flood Risk Reduction Strategy - Meeting 12
Introduction
The purpose of this staff report is to summarize the results of the prioritization exercise and outline the
Flood Risk Reduction Strategy. Staff will be writing the Strategy over the next two months, checking in with
the Task Force and City Council at the March 4th work session before asking City Council to approve the
Flood Risk Reduction Strategy at their April 7th meeting.
Prioritization Exercise Results
A draft version of the prioritized actions was emailed to Task Force members on January 28th. A revised
prioritized list will be provided at the meeting, incorporating any corrections that are submitted.
Flood Risk Reduction Strategy Outline
Problem statement;
Why it matters: Flood can affect people, damage property, threaten health and safety, and disrupt
transportation and business. Flooding is common in Edina and climate change is expected to make
flooding worse.
What is flooding? When intense rain events occur, the ability for water to soak into the ground
diminishes and water runs off the land. Flooding happens when systems designed to route water
runoff away are overwhelmed.
o Types of flooding, very briefly, perhaps a sidebar; surface, groundwater, sanitary sewer.
Drivers of increased flooding;
o Climate change
o Aging and obsolete infrastructure
o Demand for well-drained landscapes
o Imperviousness
What is flood risk? Flood risk is defined by exposure, vulnerability, and climate.
o Protecting homes is a core value.
o Public assets at risk; i.e. water supply, sewer, transportation, private utility
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Brief introduction to City sectors of work that influence risk.
Brief introduction to risk management approaches.
Brief description of how this strategy fits into the Comprehensive Water Resources Management
Plan and the Council direction at the time of its approval.
Study/Process
A Task Force was formed.
o Staff expertise in design/engineering/water resources management. Task Force expertise in
customer value and community enthusiasm/support/values/opinion.
We learned
o Edina is on the frontier in the metro of understanding, communicating, and building
community capacity for addressing urban flood risk.
o How our customers define flooding, perceive risk, and perceive city service delivery.
o How city services are influenced by factors that define flood risk (exposure, vulnerability,
climate) and influence drivers of increasing flood risk (climate change, aging and obsolete
infrastructure, demand for well-drained landscapes, imperviousness).
o Climate change is biggest factor. IPCC provides relevant models for risk and approaches for
risk management.
o Groundwater levels are changing.
o Sensitivity of impervious cover (very brief, in 3-5 sentences big picture take away, reference
technical dive later in report).
o Sensitivity of private storage (very brief, in 3-5 sentences big picture take away, reference
technical dive later in report).
o The gap in service delivery/expectation.
o Resource constrained.
o Contrast current Comprehensive Water Resources Management Plan implementation
section with what we’ve learned and proposed strategy.
Strategy
Comprehensively reduce flood risk.
The framework for this strategy. Reference IPCC report connection. Provide custom definitions.
o Climate; Mitigate sources of greenhouse gasses to reduce future climate change risks.
o Exposure; Adapt city infrastructure to changing risks.
o Vulnerability; Promote community flood resilience.
Reference risk management approaches per IPCC (reduce exposure, reduce vulnerability, transfer
and share risks, prepare/respond/recover, etc.).
City sectors of work (and city budget goals);
o Infrastructure: building, renewing, operating, and maintaining assets that determine exposure
to flooding (strong foundation and reliable service).
o Regulatory program: reducing exposure of new homes and buildings, reducing vulnerability
of homes and buildings that are exposed, ensuring people manage their own risk when
making improvements, and taking actions that do not increase exposure of neighbors (livable
city).
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o Outreach and engagement: promoting awareness of exposure and vulnerability, increasing
system understanding, providing resources to help people reduce their own vulnerability
(better together).
o Emergency Services: preparing for emergencies, helping the community recover after a
flood, mitigating carbon emissions, and planning for more rain in the future (reliable service
and livable city).
Intro to brainstorming possible actions and components to consider. Cost, effectiveness, community
enthusiasm/support/values/opinion, categorization (quick-win, planning, development, none).
Possible future actions
Description of possible actions and components;
o Cost, effectiveness, community enthusiasm/support/values/opinion.
o Categorization;
quick-win – do with existing resources
planning – do with additional resources or if existing resources are reprioritized
development – do under special circumstances or resources
none
Detailed description of actions (refer to appended action sheets/matrix).
Recap of prioritization per Task Force.
Resources and Implementation
The gap between actual and perceived/desired level of service.
Description of what level of achievement can be attained related to prioritized action items.
Technical extensions
Analysis on key topics (sensitivity analyses, groundwater data), what works what doesn’t, gap
analysis, areas of work, etc.
Next Steps
March 4th, 2020 – Final City Council work session with the Task Force
April 7th, 2020 – City Council meeting
o Action request: Approve Flood Risk Reduction Strategy
o Action request: Authorize Comprehensive Water Resources Management Plan major
amendment scope of services
o Action request: Authorize Morningside Neighborhood roadway reconstruction concept and
preliminary engineering for 2022-2023 capital improvements, as well as community
engagement plan