Plan Commission Let Down

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend tonight's planning commission meeting, in which they were voting to allow the placement of the huge pump station into Menominee Park. The ONW reported that this passed without issue. I submitted the following statement below.

I received two messages while in class that the committee discussed my letter and suggested that there was inaccurate information in it. I greatly appreciate the city staff adding my letter to the meeting, as this is not required, and demonstrated a solid commitment to citizen participation in the governmental process.

I reviewed the letter again this evening thinking that maybe I missed something and possibly included false information. After reviewing, I do not see anything that isn't true. It is possible that the committee viewed consulting neighbors of the park to obtain their opinion as representing all stake holders - as if my family, a daily user of the park, has no say, and nor does anyone else in the city. Now, of course, I haven't seen the meeting, and would hope the group would be more intelligent about this.

My feeling on the passing of this is that there is way too large of base of folks who are just uninformed about sustainable water management, and probably don't care much either. This is highly unfortunate for a community that borders a significant amount of water. There is a good deal of education and consensus building needed on this issue. It is clear that the majority of citizens support sustainable water management (Comprehensive Plan Survey, Parks Plan survey, Vision Oshkosh process) - now we just need to get their views heard in the uninformed corners of the city.

The ONW reported that Kathy Propp cast the lone vote against the station, citing that she felt "the pump station was not part of a coordinated effort to manage storm water in multiple water sheds on the city’s east side". Congrats to Kathy for doing some research into the subject and taking a knowledgeable, responsible stance on the issue.

Here's the letter:

To: Planning Commission Board Members

From: Justin Mitchell, Oshkosh

Concerning: Menominee Park (Melvin Street) Storm Water Pump Station

I apologize for not being able to be present in person at this meeting, as I have a class at UW Oshkosh the evening of Tuesday, February 16. Please accept this written statement in place of my public comments:

I strongly oppose the placement of a pump station in Menominee Park for the following reasons:

1. This project has not included a water quality assessment. State regulations concerning storm water management are based upon water quality improvement. However, this project has not identified water quality gains, nor has it provided alternative option assessments to compare improvements in water quality.

2. This project contradicts the city’s efforts to achieve a reduction in pollution solids discharged into our lakes, rivers, and streams. The city met the 2008 mandate of a 20 per cent reduction of pollution (360 tons per year) but may be unable to attain the further reduction of 317 tons per year to reach the 40 per cent goal mandated for 2013 by the state. By increasing the pollution discharge into the lake with this pump station, the city is taking steps backwards.

3. The Miller's Bay area has already been identified by the professional Onterra study as a disturbed water system, and adding significantly larger quantities of untreated and unfiltered water will have a severely negative impact on this already volatile area.

4. Construction and operation of a stormwater pump station is not included in the city of Oshkosh Parks Plan

5. The construction and operation of a stormwater pump station is not included in the city of Oshkosh Comprehensive Plan

6. The cost estimates for construction and operation of the proposed pumping station have been incomplete, failing to account for the significant increase in energy use created by a high volume pumping facility. According to the Wisconsin Water Association, water pumping is one of the most energy-intensive components for a municipality

7. The project details concerning a pumping station have not been extensively distributed to all stakeholders, including site design, noise level description, and environmental impact assessment.

8. The EPA identifies effective storm water management programming as that which involves public education and outreach, public involvement, illicit discharge elimination, construction runoff elimination, and pollution prevention. The current proposal does little if any to address any of these essential components to effective storm water management.

9. The Vision Oshkosh survey has called for the city to "Develop surface-runoff policies and plans that require diversion and collection of water to natural drainage and filtration areas", which is inconsistent with the current proposal to pump unfiltered water directly into our water system.

I am recommending that before any proposal involving a pump station in Menominee Park is approved, the following conditions are met:

A. The city complete a full cost analysis, including financial requirements for on-going energy costs

B. An environmental impact assessment is completed, including a detailed description of anticipated pollutants to be discharged directly into the lake. This assessment should detail quantity, as well as identify potential negative impacts on the water in the Bay

C. An extensive stakeholder involvement campaign is conducted, ensuring extensive understanding and acceptance of a project before construction
- Full review by related advisory boards is completed
- Complete water quality data is provided, including benefits and costs, and alternative options beyond big or small pumping
- A plan is developed to address any anticipated area disturbance or water contamination caused by the proposed pumping station

If you ignore this request and determine it is appropriate to move forward with this project, I strongly encourage you to add a provision that recommends or requires the following:

I. The structure roof is plant-based to eliminate additional runoff issues (already cited as a possibility in the present plan)

II. The area is extensively landscaped to include native plants, shrubs and trees that will help to protect the water quality and park setting (already cited as a possibility in the present plan)

III. Equipment and energy-using items in the facility meet high standards of energy efficiency

IV. As this is clearly not a sustainable water management solution, further planning should be required to implement storm water runoff mitigation solutions that protect water quality.

Thank you,

Justin Mitchell

Posted in: education,Local Government,Our City,parks,sustainability,Water