2022-02-23 Administrator's Report

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PUBLIC WORKS Snow Plow Season At the last meeting the city's snow plowing policy was discussed. Council had a few more questions about when snowplowing operations begin and the order in which streets, sidewalks, and trails are plowed. Also discussed was a desire for consistency between City Code and our Policy. Revisions to our policy have been made in an effort to address those issues. STORMWATER/WETLAND The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) will be conducting a random audit of our stormwater operations system during the third week in March. MPCA audits are routine for municipalities that hold NPDES MS4 permits; the permit that authorizes cities to operate stormwater systems. The purpose of the audit is to verify the city is fulfilling its regulatory paperwork requirements, as well as its environmental education program requirements. SEWER AND WATER Commercial Water Connection Fee Assistance As part of the city’s ongoing effort to help businesses through the pandemic, a new program was introduced, cutting connection fees for city water in half, for commercial properties. If you own a commercial property in Centerville that is not currently hooked to city water, and are interested in learning more, please call City Hall. The program is offered for a limited time only and is subject to conditions. Wellhead Protection Plan Staff has been working to secure bids on the well sealing for which a grant was obtained. Water Usage Report The city recently submitted its annual water usage report to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). In 2021, our community used over 120 Million Gallons of water. 115 Million gallons (MG) of that was used by residential customers and it’s estimated that almost 47 MG of that was for lawn irrigation. Yes, over 40% of our water use went to keeping the grass green. We know this by comparing our summer month usage to our winter month usage. In July, we used over 21 MG of water, as compared to a typical winter month of 5.5 to 6 MG, representing an increase of more than 3 and a half times. Obviously, last year was a tough year for our lawns, but it also highlighted our need for conservation efforts related to our drinking water supply. If our community continues to use water at this rate, the DNR could impose restrictions on our permit. While our city is not bound by any of the lawsuit mandates that some cities are facing, it is likely that we will be more heavily scrutinized due to our proximity to those who are.