HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-0819 Study Session MIN CITY OF
ASHLAND
CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION
MINUTES
Monday, August 19, 2019
Council Chambers, 1175 E. Main Street
Mayor Stromberg called the Study Session to order at 5:30 p.m.
Councilors' Slattery, Graham, Akins, Seffinger, Rosenthal and Jensen were present.
Public Input
Julie Bonney-Shanor—Ashland- Read a statement into the record regarding E. Coli and piping
the irrigation ditch (see attached).
William Shanor—Ashland— Spoke regarding an experiment he conducted. He suggested to
shotcrete the canal. He explained that it would cut the cost and last 50 years He submitted a
statement into the record (see attached).
I. Council Rules
City Attorney David Lohman gave a Staff report.
Council discussed whether or not to have PowerPoint Presentations delivered in advance of the
meeting. City Administrator Kelly Madding spoke that Staff would work toward delivering the
slides prior to the meeting.
Council discussed the location of Study Sessions and having a round table type setting and move
the Study Sessions back to the Siskiyou Room. Staff discussed that due to videotaping and poor
audio the Council decided to move the Study Sessions to Council Chambers. Council decided to
have Staff look into possible set-up changes. It was also discussed to only have Study Sessions
for complex information.
Council discussed when to have Executive sessions. Council gave consensus to have Executive
Sessions prior to the Council Business Meeting.
Council discussed having Business Meetings earlier than 7 PM.
Council discussed having Public Forum limited to those on the agenda. Council gave consensus
to not limit Public Forum to just agenda items.
Slattery/Seffinger moved to stop Study Session and go into Executive Session. Discussion:
None. All Ayes. Motion passed unanimously.
The Study Session adjourned to Executive Session to review and evaluate the employment-
related performance of the chief executive officer of any public body,a public officer,employee or
staff member who does not request an open hearing,pursuant to ORS 192.660(2)(i). at 6:30 PM.
The Executive Session was adjourned at 7:00 PM.
Respectfully submitted by:
)/‘-toil"
City Recorder Melissa Huhtala
Attest:
41
Mayor mberg
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this
meeting, please contact the City Administrator's office at(541) 488-6002(TTY phone number 1-800-735-
2900). Notification 72 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to
ensure accessibility to the meeting (28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title I).
Yesterday,my husband brought to my attention an article that appeared in the
February 4,2019 edition of the Mail Tribune. It's entitled "Ashland Canal Loses 62
Million Gallons"and was written by Caitlin Fowlkes.
In this article a statement is attributed to an employee of the City of Ashland and
states,"the bacteria (E. cola)grows under sunlight,so if the water is enclosed
underground,the bacteria will decrease significantly." Now, I don't know whether
the employee actually said this or whether the reporter misrepresented what the
employee said,but it is inaccurate information and is unfortunate that it has been
disseminated to the public. I feel compelled to correct it
E.coli is actually killed by sunlight and U.V.light is often used to kill pathogens in
fresh water. "Non-government organizations recommend that rural communities
(or third world countries)with no treatment for basic drinking water should store
their water in transparent plastic bottles,and that they place these bottles in direct
sunlight for some hours before consumption."
(https://discovery.kaust.edu.saJen/article/402/sunny-solution-for-killing-e.-coli)
The Nobel Prize in Physiology went to a Scandinavian scientist in 1903 for his
studies on phototherapy and how UV light kills bacteria.The French began using UV
water disinfection in 1906.
When E.coli is grown in a laboratory setting it is incubated in complete darkness at
37°C(98.6°F i.e.body temperature),and isn't this the same condition that is
present in our guts?
If the irrigation ditch gets piped,think about the nice stable environment that will
be provided for the bacteria to multiply. I'm guessing that the temperature of the
water will be more consistent,the E.coli will not be subject to sunlight,and that
there will still be sediment,a natural reservoir for the organism that will not be
filtered out. My guess is that the E.coli present will continue to multiply,albeit at a
slower rate,but it will continue to survive and multiply.
We've already seen that this is the case in the Ashland Creek Study especially
between the Herbert St.site (143.6; 9 samples) and the TID outfall (163.7; 53
samples). Some of this could be explained by the huge discrepancy in the sample
size between the two sites,and is one of the reasons why this study should not be
used when making a decision to pipe the irrigation ditch or not I remind you that
the authors stated that"As the study did not initially focus on the TID ditch or areas
along Ashland Creek above Lithia Park,a limited data set is available for these areas
from which to draw conclusions. It would benefit future studies to collect a greater
quantity of samples from the TID ditch and to collect samples from the time the TID
ditch is turned on in April to when it is turned off in late September or early October.
While this study indicates that the TID ditch is a conveyance for bacteria,the source
of the bacteria remains unknown. Further study is warranted to enable more
confident identification of locations and sources for E.coli entering Ashland Creek."
Julie Bonney-Shanor
B.A.Microbiology CSU Chico
B.A.Chemistry CSU Chico
MT(ASCP)
CLS (NCA)
CLT (State of California)
Retired Medical Laboratory Manager
67` 93` 94`
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Ashland Canal loses 62 million gallons F s.
by Caitlin Fowlkes for the Mail Tribune q SoaU„•r or.•,<aI',
Monday,February 4th 2019 Aft I c,l u[[ t�{ir •'.
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The Ashland Canal loses about 62 million gallons of water per . ~ '
irrigation season due to evaporation and seepage. VOTE NOW
That's enough water to supply the.entire city of bout a month and a
half during winter or supply irrigaton to an additional 800
properties,city Conservation Analyst Julie Smitherman said at a TRENDING
community meeting Thursday evening at Southern Oregon
University.
City staff and partners have recommended the city pipe a 2-mile
stretch of the canal from Starlite Place to Terrace Street,
The Ashland Canal is a branch of the Talent Irrigation District system
that serves Ashland.Most of the water delivered during irrigation
season is stored in Emigrant and Howard Prairie lakes and Hyatt Experts make tough decision on beached
whale calf
Reservoir. Mess at the Mill
3 out of 5 articles remaining
presentation of the preliminary engineering phase. limitations
Mostly,homeowners seemed concerned with the potential for Chevy's is long gone,but
diminishing property values.If the canal is piped,construction for billboard lingers
the staffs recommendation would require the removal of
approximately 285 trees and landscaping due to a variety of The Wild End of Summer
reasons,such as roots that have grown into the current cement Giveaway
liner.
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"If we continue to maintain the canal the way we currently are we 1
would have to remove trees anyway,"Smitherman said. L l i`L4pif CIA n
( fit f ma/tiI- {'vt -
The other options for the project would require removal of fewer
trees,around 260.
Various audience members piped up with concerns of loss of privacy
once the trees are removed and fear of erosion.
"We are definitely listening and want to do what's right by making
sure property values aren't affected,"Smitherman said.
Staff reassured attendees that a decision has not been made yet. STAY CONNECTED
The City Council is expected to decide on one of four options March
5 at its business meeting.If the council decides to move the project
forward,then the final engineering phase will begin,including an
analysis of every home and trail easement backed up to the canal.
C:2019 Mail Tribune
Public works has offered free backyard analyses to concerned Privacy Terms
homeowners.Public works can be contacted at 541-488-5587.
Besides reducing water loss due to leakage and evaporation,
another benefit to piping the canal is that it would significantly
reduce the amount of E.coil bacteria in the water,which is used to
supplement Ashland drinking water in years of low water supply,
Smitherman said.
Most recently,TID water has been treated for use as drinking water
in 2018,2015 and 2014.
Robyn Janssen,a Rogue Riverkeeper clean water campaigner,said
the nonprofit supports the piping because it emphasizes its core
value of improving water quality.
Rogue Riverkeeper performed an initial E.coli bacteria study in 2011
when the nonprofit learned there was an unusual amount of the
bacteria in the Ashland Creek.Because the creek is home to native
salmon and steelhead,the organization got involved.
They found that the main source of the E.coil was coming in at the el Sit (Z421. CPUA-
canal outfall. }h _ s ,;CW,J-r
ca)-1 A IA fe_ki m.rrv.
E.coil lives in the intestines of warm-blooded animals and can be
contracted through their feces,Janssen said.The open canal attracts
animals to it as an easy water source.
The city of Ashland and the Rogue Valley Council of Governments
conducted another study this past summer and found that although
the amount of E.coil bacteria has reduced significantly,its still
coming in at the source.
Smitherman said the bacteria grows under sunlight,so if the water is _
enclosed underground,the bacteria will decrease significantly. , _ t2
If the project moves forward,construction would begin in the fall of
2020 and take two winter seasons to complete to avoid interfering
with the irrigation season.
Contact Tidings reporter Caitlin Fowlkes at cfowlkes @rosebudmedia.com
or 541-776-4496.Follow her on Twitter @cfowlkes6.
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From U. S. Water System:
Q. —HOW DOES UV LIGHT KILL BACTERIA?
A. — UV or ultraviolet light is a type of radiation. In simple terms, when bacteria or
another type of microbe is directly exposed to certain types of UV light, the DNA
(its fundamental building block) of the cell is damaged,preventing it from
replicating. if a cell cannot reproduce, then the cell cannot cause infection, which
is how UV light kills bacteria.
Q. —I'VE NEVER HEARD OF UV AS A TREATMENT METHOD BEFORE, IS iT
NEW?
A. —Ultraviolet light has been used for water treatment for over 100 years.
Scandinavian scientist Niels Finsen was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology
in 1903 for his studies on phototherapy, and how UV light kills bacteria. UV water
disinfection was first used by the French in 1906 and advancements in the
technology have allowed it to become commonplace in the residential,
commercial, and municipal markets over the past 20 years. Today, UV is likely
the first form of treatment that many people consider when looking to address
microbiological concerns in their drinking water.
Q. —I HAVE BEEN HEARING ABOUT A LOT ABOUT E. COLT ON THE NEWS.
IS UV EFFECTIVE AGAINST THIS MICROORGANISM?
A. —Escherichia coil, or E. coil for short, is a bacterium found in the lower
intestine of warm blooded organisms. There are many strains of E. coil, some of
which can be found in the water supply. Although this bacteria has been blamed
for many deaths (i.e. Walkerton in 2000), when exposed to ultraviolet light, at
relatively a relatively(ow dose, it is easily destroyed. Even the particularly virulent
0157:H7 strain of E. coil has a 4-log(99.99%) reduction at a UV dose of 6
mJ/cm2 It should be mentioned that all US Water UV systems deliver a UV dose
in excess of 30 mJ/cm2 at the end of the lamp life.
R� f
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Sunny sotuttiorN fov E toll
E.cols
Nov 12,2017
increasingly virulent strains of Escherichia coil are circulating in wastewater around the world,and the
race is on to find novel treatment processes that could help reduce the spread of these pathogens.KAUST
researchers examined how three strains of E.soli found in Jeddah's wastewater supply fared when placed
•
under strong sunlight:they showed,while two strains were reduced,one strain persisted.
"Solar irradiation is used unintentionally in many places when treated wastewater is stored in an
�,
evaporation pond prior to reuse or when it is used to irrigate crops in daylight,"says Pei-Ying Hong,who i4 r V�. �t
led the project with PhD student Nada Al-Jassim and coworkers at KAUST's Water Desalination and
Nada Al-Jasslm and coworkers conducted
Reuse Center."However,because this approach is unintentional,it is difficult to know how successful it experiments to verify tvhethersolar irradiation
has been.We therefore decided to analyze what happens to E.coif in wastewater under solar irradiation:' can be used to kill E.coli strains in wastewater.
za7fuusr
Sunlight is known to kill pathogens in freshwater.In fact,as Hong notes,nongovernment organizations
recommend that rural communities with no treatment for basic drinking water should store their water in transparent plastic bottles,and that
they place these bottles in direct sunlight for some hours before consumption.
Hong's team used a similar idea;they prepared two reactors each carrying a strain of E.coif—a recently discovered,highly antibiotic-resistant
strain called PI-7,and a common,nonvirulent strain called DSMito3.These reactors were subjected to solar irradiation for 24 hours,while two
identical reactors were stored in the dark as controls.The team took samples at regular intervals from the four reactors and analyzed changes
to the genetic make-up and the survival rates of each strain of E.coif.
"The viable cell counts of both strains reduced considerably,but B.coil PI-7 decayed at a slower rate compared to DSMr[o3,"says Hong."Rather
worryingly,and unlike DSMi ro3,PI-7 formed'persister'cells in the later stages of prolonged solar exposure.This means a small portion of PI-7
cells can withstand solar treatment and regrow again when the environmental conditions become favorable."
PI-7 defended itself against solar irradiation by upregulating genes related to cellular repair and oxidative stress,along with various virulence
factors.However,during the genetic analysis,Al-Jassim noted with interest that genes carried by PI-7 to protect it from viruses were
downregulated during solar irradiation.
"I'm now working on isolating these viruses,known as bacteriophages,in the hope that they could be used to increase the susceptibility of PI-7
toward solar irradiation,"says Al-Jassim."By using both bacteriophages and solar irradiation at the same time,such antibiotic-resistant strains
might be more easily killed off"
References
1. Al-Jassim,N.,Mantilla-Calderon,D.,Wang,T.,&Hong,P-V.Inactivation and gene expression of a virulent wastewater Escherichio coil St rain and the nonvirutent
commensal Escherichia coil DSM1103 strain upon solar irradiation.Environmental Science and Technology$i,3649-3659{2017). article