By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
When the city of Hays implemented a new Stormwater Utility fee in July 2011, flood control was anticipated as the biggest concern.
Since then, according to City Manager Toby Dougherty, “aging infrastructure has become a bigger problem, and now, (state and federal) regulatory requirements are a pressing issue.”
During Thursday’s Hays City Commission work session, new Stormwater Specialist Steven Walters reviewed stormwater activities in Hays.
Walters explained the city’s new stormwater permit, issued in February, requires further reduction of “impairments” or contaminants in the city’s Big Creek watershed.
“We as a municipality are supposed to reduce the levels of these impairments to the ‘maximum extent practical’, and we may see that change to actual numbers required for the next permit,” Walters said. “We don’t know what will happen:”
Hays collects water samples in five locations — only three are required — four times a year following “significant rainfall events of more than one-half inch.” The contaminants monitored are E. coli, nitrogen, phosphorus, orthophosphate and total suspended solids.
Collections of stormwater runoff Sept. 5 show E. coli contamination is very high in the Big Creek Oxbow on the Fort Hays State University campus. The Sept. 5, E. coli MPN (Most Probable Number) was measured at 199,000. Recreational Use Water Exposure Limits is 126 MPN.
Commissioner Shaun Musil asked how that compares with other similarly sized Kansas cities.
“There hasn’t been a whole lot of data collected,” Walters replied. “That’s what this permit kind of does, is gather information to establish a ‘baseline’ number for the state so they know where they want to go with regulations.”
“The biggest E. Coli contributor there is dogs and cats — pet waste,” according to Walters, “and it’s made worse by limited sunlight penetrating the stagnant water which will kill the bacteria.”
Commissioner Eber Phelps pointed out the FHSU campus area is home to a “hundreds of feral cats” and “pet owners often walk their dogs along the Big Creek dike.”
“We have to try and do our best to control these contaminants coming off our watershed and flowing into Big Creek,” Walters added. “It’s a challenge and will require some city expenditures.”
Stormwater runoff is regulated by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment through the federal Clean Water Act of the Environmental Protection Agency.
In other business, commissioners agreed to move a bid recommendation for storm sewer structure repair to the Oct. 28 meeting. Commissioners, the city manager and city attorney met in a 15-minute special session at the end of Thursday’s meeting. No action was taken.
The Oct. 9 Hays city commission meeting has been canceled due to a lack of quorum.