Alluvial Fan Task Force

Minutes for Plenary Meeting #9

Friday, March 27, 2009

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Room 2-456

700 N. Alameda St. (MWD headquarters adjacent to Union Station)

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Members Present: Sara Agahi, Danielle Borish (for San Bernardino County Supervisor Paul Biane), Dale Casey, Georgia Celehar-Bauer, Mike Fox, Steven Hernandez (for Riverside Supervisor Marion Ashley), Rick Iger,John McCarthy, Tom O’Keefe, Lee Reader, Tom Scott, Scott Steinmetz, Brian Moore (for Ali Sahabi),Mark Pisano, Chris Stone, Iovanka Todt (for Marty Teal), Duane Young

State and Federal Representatives Present: Senareth Ekanayake, Kenneth Leep, Ray Lenaburg, Stephan Lorenzato, Maria Lorenzo-Lee, Allan Oto, Ricardo Pineda,Pete Sorenson, Mark Stuart,Robert Mead

Technical Consultants Present: Susan Lien Longville, Susan Carpenter, Suzie Earp, Gigi Hanna, Jeremy Lancaster, Lynn Merrill, Lisa Pierce, Massoud Rezakhani, Bill Short, Tom Spittler, Boykin Witherspoon.

Members Absent: Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, Tom Davis, Scott Dawson, San Diego County Supervisor Bill Horn, Mark Grey,Norman Meek, Kern County Supervisor Jon McQuiston, Dave Mlynarski,Vana Olson,Stephanie Pincetl,Paul Quill,Eric Shamp, Joan Taylor, Ray Torres, Sergio Vargas, Ralph Wagner,Kathleen Webb, Dusty Williams.

State and Federal Representatives Absent: Mike Anderson, Chris Adams, Steve Cowdin, Dave Gutierrez, Greg Krzys, Ed Bortugno, Rene Vermeeren

Others Present: Bart Brizzee, Marc Bruner, Jehiel Cass, Mekbib Degaga, David Garcia, Chuck Lackey, Stuart McKibbin, Julie Rynerson-Rock, Susan Woolam, David Zoldoski

Meeting called to order: at 9 a.m. by AFTF Facilitator, Susan Carpenter.

Welcome:

  • Mark Stuart, AFTF chair, welcomed the group.
  • Members introduced themselves

AFTF Business: Minutes of the AFTF Plenary Meeting 8, Sept. 19, 2008, April 11, were reviewed and approved by AFTF Task Force members.

The AFTF Facilitator gave an overview of the activitiessince the Plenary 8 meeting, presented the discussion goals for the meeting—for members to comment on the most recent version of the Planning Manual—and reviewed the agenda.

Susan Lien Longville, the Task Force Coordinator, presented the updated DRAFT AFTF Planning Manual Presentation and followed with a question and answer session, before breaking participants into smaller groups to discuss the latest version of the document. Highlights of the comments follow:

  • The cumulative impact of developing, such as increased runoff volume, erosion, and scour need to be addressed in the report tools.
  • Long-term cost reduction is self implementing when objectives of FEMA NFIP are met. The Model Ordinance and Planning Manual can be marketed into the framework of NFIP incentives (points).
  • Can the manual be used to come up with BMPs?
  • The Manual seems focused on development; hazard analysis and remediation only begins when development starts. (Some of these measures) need to be done even if there is no development.
  • All documents should indicate that engineered structures/flood mitigation facilities do not eliminate the flood hazard but reduce the flood risk.

AFTF Project Manager Ricardo Pineda introduced Marc Bruner, of Bingham McCutchun, retained by DWR to guide the direction of the Model Ordinance. Marc presented theupdated Draft Model Ordinance and followed with a question and answer session, before the group again broke into smaller groups to more fully discuss it. Highlights of the comments follow:

  • Make sure the Ordinance is compatible w/ FEMA
  • The purpose of theOrdinance should be to facilitate and establish incentives that protect health and welfare, minimizing societal costs, preserves and enhance eco values.
  • Regulation of ministerial permits would be a welcome tool
  • Language in the Model Ordinance and Planning Manual need to be consistent

Susan Lien Longville presented the DRAFT AFTF Findings and Recommendations and followed with a question and answer session. Meeting participants again broke into smaller groups for discussion of the Findings and Recommendations report, and were asked to fill out forms showing whether they agreed with the Findings statements. Highlights of the comments follow:

  • The state should encourage action rather than dictate.
  • Add to findings the value of knowing the value of beneficial values
  • Recommendations are too broad-brush at this point; need to link to findings. They need to be reworked into action based.
  • Findings need to reference externalized costs/ residual risks
  • There is a lack of resources/knowledge of how to manage alluvial fans.
  • Develop tools and develop GIS tools.

DWR’s Maria Lorenzo Lee explained the Alluvial Fan Floodplain Evaluation and Delineation Project

Susan Longville wrapped up the meeting with a discussion of deadlines for (1) final revisions to DRAFT AFTF Planning Manual and Model Ordinance (2) DRAFT AFTF Planning Manual and Model Ordinance public comment period (3) Recommendations Report to DWR (4) Final Report to FEMA

The meeting adjourned at 3 p.m.

Minutes respectfully submitted to the AFTF members by Gigi Hanna, AFTF Administrative Coordinator. Please contact if corrections are necessary.