Timber-Hyrst Subdivision Phase 4 Storm Water Management Copyright 2014
City of Dubuque Consent Items # 20.
ITEM TITLE: Timber-Hyrst Subdivision Phase 4 Storm Water Management
SUMMARY: City Engineer Gus Psihoyos providing information regarding Timber-Hyrst
Subdivision storm water management concerns.
SUGGESTED DISPOSITION: Suggested Disposition: Receive and File
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
❑ Timber-Hyrst Subdivision Phase 4 Stormwater Management Concerns- City Manager Memo
MVM Memo
❑ Council Memo-Timber Hyrst Subdivision Phase 4 Staff Memo
❑ CCWMA South Fork Timber-Hyrst letter Supporting Documentation
❑ Catfish Creek Watershed Map Timber-Hyrst Supporting Documentation
THE CITY OF Dubuque
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Masterpiece on the Mississippi 2007-2012-2013
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Timber-Hyrst Subdivision Phase 4 Storm Water Management Concerns
DATE: February 26, 2015
City Engineer Gus Psihoyos has provided information regarding Timber-Hyrst
Subdivision storm water management concerns.
I am including the memorandum from the Engineering Department for information
purposes during the March 2, 2015 City Council meeting.
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Micliael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:gp
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Gus Psihoyos, City Engineer
THE CITY OF Dubuque
DUB EAU*mdcaCftV
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Masterpiece on the Mississippi 2007-2012-2013
TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Gus Psihoyos, City Engineer
DATE: February 25, 2015
SUBJECT: Timber-Hyrst Subdivision Phase 4 Storm Water Management Concerns
INTRODUCTION
This memo is being written to provide information regarding the issues surrounding the storm
water management for Timber Hyrst Estates Subdivision No. 4 in the City of Dubuque. As you
know, Marty McNamer of North Cascade Road Developers LLC is the developer for the
subdivision. Jeff Arensdorf, a county property owner adjacent to the subdivision, has been
contacting county and city staff over the last year with complaints regarding storm water runoff
from Timber-Hyrst Estates. Mr. Arensdorf has also expressed concerns with storm water
management practices on properties within the entire South Fork Catfish Creek drainage basin.
The Catfish Creek Watershed Management Authority has also recently contacted the city with
similar storm water concerns over the Arensdorf property as well as the South Fork drainage
basin.
BACKGROUND
In June of 2014 the City Council approved the improvement plans for Phase 4 of the Timber-
Hyrst Subdivision. This phase of the development connects Creekwood Drive to North Cascade
Road and includes approximately 110 residential lots. The approved improvement plans
include provisions for a traditional storm water detention basin, a storm water ponding area, and
improved residential lawn areas in order to preserve peak storm water flow rates in the post
construction condition. Construction of the subdivision improvements started last summer and
has continued up to this date.
Last summer during mass grading and utility construction activities, storm water from the
Timber-Hyrst Phase 4 areas did cause soil erosion and soil deposition damage to the Arensdorf
property. Per the developer's NPDES Permit and City Stormwater Discharge Permit, Dean
Mattoon did follow up on these events with the affected property owner. A violation letter was
written to the developer and changes on the construction site were promptly made.
DISCUSSION
Since the initial damage to his property last year, Mr. Arensdorf has been in contact with City
staff with concerns regarding the storm water management design and report submitted by the
developer's consultant, Buesing and Associates. Although the design does provide for one
conventional detention basin and one storm water ponding area, Mr. Arensdorf has concerns
over increased runoff from areas that are not planned to have conventional detention basins
and point-storm water discharges.
The city has met with Mr. Arensdorf to explain the details of the storm water management
design by Buesing and has supplied him with copies of the applicable reports and review
reports. It should be noted that prior to approval of the plans by the City Council, the city
contracted with CDM Smith, Inc. a consulting, engineering, construction and operations firm that
provides solutions in water, environment, transportation, energy and facilites to provide a review
of the storm water management design and report. Consistent with the city staff's conclusion,
the CDM Smith review report showed that the consultant's design met the city's requirements
for storm water management. Over the past month, the city has been meeting with Mr.
Arensdorf at his property every week to discuss these storm water issues and provide him with
updates on the subdivision construction progress.
The engineering department is working with the developer and its consultant to try to prevent
any further storm water related damage to neighboring properties. A list of items the
engineering department is working on to address the immediate issues with this subdivision is
as follows:
1. As stated above, engineering staff is meeting with the affected land owner on a weekly
basis to discuss current concerns and provide updates on construction activities.
2. Engineering staff is working with the developer and its consultant to provide a testing
procedure that ensures that the improved residential lawn areas of the subdivision
perform as designed and per the design assumptions.
3. Through the establishment of a TIF District over the subdivision properties, $50,000
worth of funding will be available to further mitigate any drainage problems for "over
detention" improvements or best management practice activities in Phase 4.
The engineering department also has started working to update the city storm water
management ordinance to help mitigate future storm water damages. The current city storm
water detention policy was adopted in the early 1990's and limits post development storm water
runoff to pre-development (recent development) rates. . In March of 2010, the County of
Dubuque adopted a storm water management ordinance that allows for alternative storm water
management practices and limits storm water from developed sites to pre-settlement (prior to
European settlement) rates. Because rural and urban land uses can differ greatly, the
engineering department is recommending that the city ordinance be revised if deemed
appropriate. Having similar ordinances will help developers who work both in the city and the
county and will help achieve the goals set out by the Catfish Creek Watershed Management
Authority (CCWMA) and other similar groups. By working with the city, the CCWMA was able to
secure 1.4 million dollars to make improvements throughout the entire 46,000 acre watershed.
It is the engineering department's understanding that a portion of these funds will be used
specifically for improving the upper sections of the South Fork of Catfish Creek.
Recently, Mr. Arensdorf had attended a CCWMA meeting and voiced his concerns regarding
the subdivision. By a letter dated February 20, 2015 to Mayor and City Council, the CCWMA
has also contacted the city with similar storm water concerns over the Arensdorf property and
the entire South Fork drainage basin. The letter commends the city on its work to date and asks
for a timely response to the current issues as a result of the Timber Hyrst Estates development.
The city is planning to meet with the CCWMA board as soon as possible in order to understand
all the issues stated in the letter.
ACTION TO BE TAKEN
The City Manager is requested to review the enclosed information and forward to the City
Council for their reference.
Prepared by Nate Kieffer, PLS
• �I
CATFISH CREEK
WASeasxeD
February 20, 2015
The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
City of Dubuque
City Hall-50 W. 13`" Street
Dubuque IA 52001
SUBJECT: Timber-Hyrst Subdivision Stormwater Management Concerns for South Fork
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:
The Catfish Creek Watershed Management Authority(CCWMA)has received information from
an impacted landowner, Jeff Arensdorf of 11800 Miners Lane in Dubuque County, about his
concerns with stormwater run-off and erosion from Timber-Hyrst Subdivision along the South
Fork of Catfish Creek.
This subdivision is in the City of Dubuque corporate limits and is being developed by North
Cascade Road Developers LLC. The project lies upstream from the Mines of Spain State
Recreation Area. Enclosed is a map locating the Catfish Creek Watershed, Timber-Hyrst
Subdivision, and the Mines of Spain Rec Area.
Formed in 2012 by intergovernmental agreement, the CCWMA Board consists of representatives
from the Cities of Asbury,Centralia,Dubuque,and Peosta;Dubuque County;and the Dubuque Soil
and Water Conservation District. Representatives include private landowners in the watershed.
Under Iowa law,the CCWMA was created to accomplish several initiatives, including:
• Assess and reduce flood risk;
• Assess and improve water quality; and
• Educate residents of the watershed regarding flood risks and water quality.
The City of Dubuque, in partnership with the CCWMA Board,received a state grant to develop a
Catfish Creek Watershed Management Plan. The Plan was finalized recently. The CCWMA
Board is making the Watershed Management Plan available to member governments for review.
The South Fork of Catfish Creek has emerged as a High Priority in the Watershed Management
Plan due to flooding risk,poor water quality, sedimentation, erosion, and stream bank
degradation.
The CCWMA Board shares the impacted landowner's concerns with the potential for prolonged
impacts of stormwater run-off and erosion to water quality and flooding risk in the South Fork.
Timber-Hyrst Subdivision Stormwater Management Concerns for South Fork Page 2
The Board understands that staff from the City of Dubuque's Engineering Department and the
Dubuque Soil and Water Conservation District meet regularly with the impacted property owner
and the developer about managing stormwater from Timber-Hyrst Subdivision along the South
Fork of Catfish Creek. The CCWMA Board commends the City for holding these meetings.
The CCWMA Board urges the City of Dubuque to act in a timely and urgent manner to rectify
the problems before more development occurs in Timber-Hyrst Subdivision,to prevent further
impact to adjacent land and water quality of the South Fork of Catfish Creek.
The CCWMA Board further encourages the City of Dubuque to adopt stronger post-construction
stormwater management regulations, such as those enforced by Dubuque County, to proactively
reduce and prevent these types of impacts.
The CCWMA is committed to educating people about flood risks and water quality in the Catfish
Creek Watershed in partnership with the City of Dubuque and our other member governments.
Please feel free to contact the CCMWA for more information about coordinated educational
opportunities via email at eschmechelAdubugueswcd.oror phone at(563) 876-3418 Ext. 305,
or at the Dubuque Soil & Water Conservation District office at 210 Bierman Road, Epworth, IA
52045-9529.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
�—' &,
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Eric Schmechel
Urban Conservationist/ CCWMA Administrator
Dubuque Soil & Water Conservation District
Enclosure: Watershed Map
cc: Michael Van Milligen, City Manager
Gus Psihoyos, City Engineer
Dean Mattoon, Engineering Assistant/ CCWMA Administrator, City of Dubuque
Board of Directors, Catfish Creek Watershed Management Authority
Jeff Arensdorf, 11800 Miners Lane, P.O. Box 182, Dubuque, IA 52004
North Cascade Road Developers LLC c/o Marty McNamer, 1800 Manson Road,
Dubuque IA 52002
Catfish Creek Watershed Locator Maps
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