UWCC Meeting Minutes

March 25-26, 2009

St. George, Utah

Attendees

Carl Adams / Wally Dodds / Todd Stonely
Mike Allred / Bob Fotheringham / Rhonda Thiele
Hilary Arens / Mike George / Monte Turner
Roger Barton / Dan Gunnell / Jim Webster
Jim Bowcutt / Marian Hubbard / Dave Wham
Brian Carver / Lynn Koyle / John Whitehead
Harry Campbell / Jay Olsen / Sandy Wingert
Corey Cram / Taylor Payne / Dex Winterton
Scott Daly / Mike Reichert / Lee Woosley
Amy Dickey / TomShore

The group met at 8am March 25, 2009 for a tour of Virgin River Watershed. The tour was mainly hosted by Corey Cram and Amy Dickey. We visited the PahTemple (Dixie) Hot Springs first. Corey and Amy explained that the springs flow from the travertine mounds along the Virgin River close to the Hurricane fault line. In January 2002, Washington Water Conservancy District constructed pipelines to divert water from the Virgin River to the Quail Creek reservoir and this disrupted the natural flow of the springs at the resort. The Virgin River from the UT-AZ stateline to the Quail Creek Reservoir was listed on the 303(d) for Impaired Waterbodies for total dissolved solids (TDS) in 2002. Gerner’s (USGS) research stated that average salt load to the river is 98,800 tons per year and the average TDS concentration is 9,650 mg/L. Utah’s water quality standard for TDS is 1,200 mg/L. The Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for Virgin River was completed in 2004 and a site specific TDS water quality criterion was developed for this section of 2,360 mg/L based on the fact that this concentration is considered “background”.

The next stop on the tour was looking at a successful tamarisk removal project along the Virgin River near Quail Creek where they used several removal methods including releasing the Salt Cedar beetle. The beetles were released in 2006 at 3 sites along the Virgin River. They postulate that several years of defoliation is needed to kill off the tree. This type of biocontrol is considered one the most effective tools in the tamarisk removal battle.

The last stop on the tour was at the Quail Creek Reservoir, which serves as the primary drinking water source for WashingtonCounty. Washington County Water Conservancy Districtreceived complaints about unpleasant tastes and odors in their drinking water. It was a result of compounds, MIB and Geosmin, produced by blue-green algae blooms in Quail Creek reservoir. Michelle Gregory, a district employee,spoke with us.She explained that the main MIB/geosmin producer at the reservoir was identified as a benthic alga, Oscillatoria. They use copper sulfate treatment method to treat this outbreak. She dives often to monitor plant and algae growth in the reservoir and also to check the efficiency and spread of the copper sulfate treatments.

After lunch, we reconvened back at the Comfort Suites in St. George at 1pm where Carl Adams welcome everyone and conducted introductions.

Mike Allred – UWCC Business and Budget

Mike stated that UWCC’s grant from Trees, Water, and People has approximately $10,000 left for mini-grants to spend by the summer tour. Other budgeted items from this grant include a land-use planning package presentation and materials for the local watershed coordinators, development of a UWCC webpage, 2 more minigrant applications, and trainings/conferences. The webpage will be finished by the summer. If the 2 mini-grant applications get approved, we have allocated all of the budgeted funds for minigrants.

Jim Webster – UWCC Funding and Partnerships

Jim from Trees, Water, and People, said that UWCC’s $100,000 grant terminates by August 2009. There is a 319 proposal in the works to continue the UWCC meetings past the summer. He will continue to look for funding and not necessarily from EPA. There is a Western Water Round Table meeting in May 2009. Carl, Wally, and Mike A. are scheduled to attend.

Mike Allred – November Meeting Survey Results

Jack Wilbur will provide a summary of the UWCC November meeting survey results at the summer tour. Generally, the survey results stated that “interaction with other watershed coordinators” was very helpful; majority said “UWCC was helpful”; “frequency of meetings” was just right; and UWCC has moderately improved “the involvement of your councils”.

The group asked Mike to recite UWCC’s purpose and goals. They are as followed:

UWCC Purpose:

The Utah Watershed Coordinators Council (UWCC) was organized in 2002 to support locally led watershed planning and implementation efforts throughout the State.

UWCC Vision:

The Utah Watershed Coordinating Council is a statewide collaboration dedicated to supporting locally led watershed groups to meet their watershed objectives.

UWCC Mission:

Our mission is to assist locally led watershed groups by facilitating and coordinating the exchange of information and identifying training and funding opportunities.

Objective 1:Build and strengthen the watershed partnership

  • Hold regular Watershed Council meetings
  • Provide training
  • Share successes

Objective 2:Increase the sustainability of the partnership

  • Seek funding to sustain the Council

Objective 3:Increase the partnership’s ability to monitor, restore and protect watersheds

  • Provide training to local coordinators to increase local committee’s ability to monitor, restore and protect watersheds
  • Pool Federal, State and local technical and financial resources

Objective 4:Provide new local watershed committees with financial support

  • Provide startup funds (mini-grants) to local watershed committees

Brian Carver – Land Use Planning Outreach

Brian is a planner for the Bear River Association of Governments. He is working on an educational presentation (powerpoint) for local communities on water quality issues in their community. His email is . He went through this draft of the presentation and welcomed feedback from UWCC. Carl explained this powerpoint presentation is to be used by local watershed coordinators to inform their local governments about how they should take into account water quality issues into their planning. Some of the suggestions by UWCC are:

  • Add source water protection plans for each coordinator’s basin
  • Add a stormwater section
  • Add the availability of septic tank density study
  • Add the availability of aquifer classification
  • Add TMDLs
  • Add items that local governments can use to add water quality issues to their general plan (practical tools)
  • Make 2 presentations – urban and rural communities
  • Add examples of when water quality planning can go wrong
  • Make presentations personalized to each coordinator
  • Add potential funding sources for planning and water quality improvements

Brian said that he will make a base presentation and each coordinator can tailor it to their local communities’ needs. Water quality sections in a community’s plan are optional and the presentation should include why it is beneficial to include water quality planning.

UWCC Website Subcommittee – UWCC Website

Mike Allred said that the website will be active by summer of 2009. There will be a homepage detailing information about UWCC. Other pages/links include: agenda/minutes/presentations, minigrant updates, Google calendar, photo page, and links page to other pertinent water quality websites. It will be hosted on UDWQ’s server and Dave Wham will be the website administrator.

NRCS and Lynn Koyle – Sevier River Aerial Survey

Lee Woolsey from NRCS and Lynn flew up and down the Sevier River surveying the river using high resolution video and digital imagery. It cost $55,000 for the entire project ($70 / mile to fly the 425 miles). The project was funded by 319 money (60%) and NRCS (40%). The contract was for oblique video but they also got vertical video as well. The digital still shots proved more valuable than the video. One could see vertical banks more closely from the still shots. One of the problems with the survey is that the helicopter did not follow the natural course of the river thus missed some oxbows. Lynn took the land-based photos and compared them to the still shots trying to target potential sites needing habitat work. The National Stream Visualization Assessment Protocol (SVAP) will conduct a workshop on the Sevier River on July 6-10.

Taylor Payne – Soil Erosion Trailer Demonstration

Taylor demonstrated how no till practices on farms effect water quality via Rainfall Simulator (435-753-6029 ext 38). He compared the amount of runoff from 3 different types of soils - mulch till, conventional till, and CRP Sod. Conventional till had the highest amount of runoff while the CRP Sod has the lowest. Taylor then added PAM to each soil container. PAM is a synthetic liner used on the bottom of canals to bind soil particles to prevent erosion. In the CRP Sod container, the soil was held in place. The mulch and conventional tilling soils had the smallest amount water at the bottom. Thus sod helps waters to percolate deeper in the soil layers thus reducing erosion. The Rainfall Simulator can be used by all who desire by contacting Taylor at 435-757-5616.

We broke for dinner at the Pasta Factory where Todd Stonely gave a presentation looking at reservoir sedimentation and what is being done to address the issue.

UWCC met at 8 am on Thursday March 26, 2009.

Carl Adams – Upcoming Training Opportunities

  • 5th National Conference for NPS and Stormwater Outreach, PortlandOR
  • May 11-19, 2009
  • Jim & Marian
  • RiverNetworkRiver Rally, BaltimoreMD
  • May 29 – June 1, 2009
  • Dan & Chad
  • American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, RenoNV
  • June 21- 24, 2009
  • Hilary & Lynn
  • American Water Resources Association Conference, SnowbirdUT
  • June 29- July 1, 2009
  • Bob
  • Sevier SVAP, RichfieldUT
  • July 6-10, 2009
  • Lynn, Scott, Chad, Sandy, & Amy
  • Upper Sevier Grazing Management Workshop, Panguitch
  • TBA
  • Wally
  • SWCS Annual Conference, Dearborn, MI
  • July 11-15, 2009
  • TMDL 2009: Combining Science and Management to Restore Impaired Waters, MinneapolisMN
  • Aug 9-12, 2009
  • Dan

Carl Adams- UWCC Leadership Nominations and Vote

Jim Bowcutt was nominated for co-chair.

DWQ’s Stormwater Staff – Utah’s Stormwater Program

Rhonda Thiele discussed MS4 permitting concentrating mainly on Phase II small MS4 permits. Mike George talked on the stormwater UPDES requirements for the Industrial facilities. Harry Campbell talked on the Construction Stormwater Program.

Mike Reichert – NPS Program Evaluation and 319 Grants

The deadline for the 2010 funding cycle for proposals is August 1, 2009. The proposals need to include a rough project estimate costs and PIP. Contracts need to end 6 months before the grant period ends. More than $600,000 is still available for funding.

Minigrant Recipients – Minigrant Updates and Proposals

There were 2 minigrant projects being proposed at this meeting. The first was presented by Hilary and Marian which asked for $5,000 for E. coli sampling along the Jordan River. The Jordan River Water Council would be the recipient of the grant and would use students from SLCC and Westminster to sample the tributaries of the Jordan River. Jay motioned to approve the project and Lynn seconded it. The 2nd proposal was presented by Dan. He asked for $1,836 to install 3 signs around ElectricLake warning the public about zebra mussels. Pacific-Corp and DWR will work with Dan to design and install the signs. Cory motioned to approve the project and Monte seconded it.

There were 3 minigrant project updates. The first was by Dave saying that 85% of the Provo River Watershed Council website is completed. He spent $3500 of the $5000 so far. Desert Rose Environmental was the contractor and DWQ will maintain the website. Jim, 2nd update, informed us that the grant was used for education and outreach for the CacheValley area. The money is spent and they bought numerous educational items. Sandy was the last to update on the Invasive Species display case for the Strawberry Reservoir. The Forest Service constructed the display case which will be housed at the visitor center. An Invasive Species informational board will also be completed by Memorial Day of 2009.

Carl Adams – Summer Tour and Next UWCC Meeting

Next UWCC meeting is schedule for October 21-22, 2009. The summer tour date has been set for July 16, 2009. Some possible tour areas or information for the fall meeting include:

  • CORPS – wetland issues
  • Quagga and Zebra mussels
  • Hobble Creek Restoration
  • UtahLake, Provo, or June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program
  • Coordinator Projects
  • Flow gages in SaltLakeCounty
  • Climate change

Round Table

Tom mentioned that NRCS doesn’t want to oversee archaeological compliance or use their own engineers with stand alone 319 projects. A solution might be to add the archeological consultant and the need for engineering consultation into the 319 project. Scott Daly will follow up to see if EPA will provide the oversight on cultural resources on 319 projects.

End of Minutes