Wichita Lake Study Commission Minutes - 04/08/2014 MINUTES RECEIVED IN
LAKE WICHITA STUDY COMMITTEE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE
DATE: 74/1/4
April 8, 2014 BY: 1air° TIME: i''#40r'1
MEMBERS PRESENT:
Stephen Garner, Chair •Members
Clayton Lane. Vice Chair
Penny Miller, Secretary
Nancy Heath Howell
Jennifer Ojeda
Tom Lang, Ex-Officio
Brian Hooker • Council Liaison
Jack Murphy, Director of Parks and Recreation •Staff
Miles Risley, City Attorney
Davis Powell, City Engineer
Pat Hoffman, Property Administrator
Monique Coleman, City Planner
Curt Cassidy, Engineering
Janet Conley, Engineering
Shelley Mackey, Engineering
Tim Osting, PE, DWRE, RPS Group • Guests
David Flores, PE, RPS Group
ABSENT:
Sam Bownds, City Manager, Lakeside City •Members
Nic Brisette
Michael Chapman
Larry Scott
I. Call to Order and Introductions
Stephen Garner called the meeting to order and all members and staff introduced
themselves.
II. Approval of Minutes
Penny Miller presented the draft minutes. Clayton Lane moved the minutes of the March
meeting be approved. Brian Hooker seconded. Minutes were approved.
III. Preparation for Pre-Application Meeting with the Corps of Engineers
The primary purpose of this meeting was to review the information to be presented and
develop questions to be asked in a pre-application meeting with the Corps of Engineers.
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Steve Garner stated the purpose of the pre-application meeting is to find out what
information the Corps of Engineers will need to approve our permit application.
Tim Osting, RPS Group discussed the pre-application meeting. He had prepared a letter
itemizing the information that should be outlined for the impact area which he distributed to
the committee. We need to determine the wetlands affected so we can determine
mitigation. A draft of the proposed areas impacted was also provided by Davis Powell. It
appears preliminarily that much of the impact area is self-mitigating. Miles Risley asked
about the amount of mitigation area required. Tim Osting replied that the Corps will
determine that, but as a rule of thumb, emergent wetlands require 2 —3 times the amount
of area in mitigation and forest wetland requires 5—7 times. Our project is emergent
wetlands.
Some tasks and questions that came from the discussion follow:
• What is the final property line for the project? Although this is not needed for the
pre-application meeting, this information will be required to determine wetlands
affected. The City of Wichita Falls will need to determine this.
• An environmental assessment will probably be needed, but an environmental
impact statement will probably not be required. The Corps of Engineers will let us
know.
• The committee reviewed a map of the proposed project with the various amenities
included to scale, which shows the proposed lake bottom contours. The City of
Wichita Falls will need to determine the amount of dredging needed in various
areas to achieve these contours.
• We will need to provide possible disposal sites for dredge materials. Steve Garner
is still waiting on final commitments. We will need approximately 900 acres to cover
to a depth of 4 feet. Miles Risley asked what options we will have once the fill sites
are determined. Tim Osting replied that the Corps mainly wants to know if the fill
sites are feasible. We need to ask the Corps about the exact boundaries of the
spoil areas. The Corps' primary concern is that the spoil areas are not wetland.
The City could take a lot of the spoil at the landfill, depending upon the cost of
transport. It may also be possible to delineate other city property as spoil sites.
Another question for the Corps would be how to handle optional soil areas.
• We will need to know if there are endangered species in the area and whether the
impact area of the project may have a potential impact on those species. Tom
Lang indicated that TPWD is creating a list of species in the area and the US Fish
and Wildlife Service will assess possible impact.
• Other areas the Corps may ask about include: water quality, the water supply plan,
and our phasing approach. We need a long timeframe on the permit.
• We need to ask the Corps about using our previous studies. How much of this
information will they accept and how much will have to be redone?
• We also need to ask the Corp how specific do the locations for the amenities need
to be? Tim Osting indicated that the final application will need to be close to what
you intend to build.
• Miles Risley stated the City Council will want to know the cost of engineering
required to complete the permitting process.
• At the pre-application meeting we will need: a revised map with the completed
boundaries (Engineering), a map of the lake contours (Engineering), a 1-page
summary of the project with the chart of impacted areas (Jack Murphy.)
IV. Other Items of Discussion
Tom Lang presented the Lake Wichita plan to the Lakeside City Council, which voted
unanimously to establish a Friends of the Reservoir chapter for Lake Wichita. He also
LAKE WICHITA COMMITTEE April 8, 2014 Page 2
provided updated information to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in Austin. They
offered additional help from habitat specialists.
The Committee discussed possible dates for the pre-application meeting with the Corps. It
will probably require a 2-hour meeting. The group could make the trip in one day. The
proposed window is April 28—30. Tom Lang will confirm the date with the Corps.
V. Adjournment
-eti • -•'ourned at 2:30 p.m.
I /
-Irmo to St,p �• . - Chairperson Date
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