Fiscal Note
No Appropriation Required
Title
Authorizing the City of Madison Engineering Division and Madison Water Utility to work cooperatively with the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District and other stakeholders on means to reduce the impacts of Sodium Chloride on surface waters, drinking water, and the wastewater treatment plant.
Body
WHEREAS, The City of Madison has been actively working on improving storm water quality for decades, starting with the preservation of greenways in the 70’s, progressing to the construction of detention and retention ponds and today building bioretention facilities, greenroofs, raingardens, porous pavement and much more; and,
WHEREAS, The pollutants of concern in stormwater runoff and the technology required to address them is continually evolving; and,
WHEREAS, Total Phosphorous and Suspended Solids are currently regulated by the EPA and WDNR under the City’s Stormwater discharge permit; and,
WHEREAS, additional pollutants, currently not numerically regulated under this permit, such as salt are impacting our receiving waters and groundwater; and,
WHEREAS, The City of Madison is committed to continuing to improve our environment by taking action to reduce pollutants being introduced to our receiving waters and groundwater; and,
WHEREAS, The Storm Water Utility has partnered with other Municipalities and Dane County to coordinate educational efforts around best practices for storm water; and,
Whereas, the Madison Water Utility Board has adopted water quality policies directing utility management to deliver water that meets all primary and secondary drinking water standards; and
Whereas, chloride may impair drinking water making it unpalatable particularly when the level exceeds the US Environmental Protection Agency secondary maximum contaminant level of 250 mg/L; and
Whereas, chloride has been steadily increasing at several Madison municipal drinking water wells, most dramatically at Well 14 where chloride has more than doubled from 58 mg/L in 2000 to 137 mg/L in December 2016; and
WHEREAS, the Madison Storm Water Utility, Madison Water Utility, and Madison Metropolitan Sewage District recognize that it is beneficial to work cooperatively on source reduction efforts and education; and
WHEREAS, this group of agencies has determined that potential reductions in the use of the chemical sodium chloride (salt) would benefit most from a cooperative source reduction effort;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT:
The Mayor and Common Council authorize City Engineering and the Water Utility to work cooperatively with MMSD and other stakeholders on means to reduce the impacts of Sodium Chloride on the surface waters, drinking water and the MMSD treatment plant.