environmental criteria manual rule changes sections 1.3, 1.10 and 1.12 march 6, 2014 presented by...
TRANSCRIPT
Environmental Criteria Manual Rule Changes
Sections 1.3, 1.10 and 1.12
March 6, 2014
Presented by
Scott Hiers, P.G.
Sylvia Pope, P.G.
Ana González
Andrew Clamann
Environmental Resource Management
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED RULES CHANGES TO
ENVIRONMENT CRITERIA MANUAL (ECM) SECTIONS 1.3.0, 1.10.0 AND 1.12.0
By Scott Hiers, P.G. and Sylvia PopeEnvironmental Resource Management Division
Watershed Protection Department
OVERVIEW
ECM 1.3.0 • Required elements of EA• Definition and protection
for all CEFs
ECM 1.10.0• Details specific to Point
Recharge Feature (karst) CEF guidance
ECM 1.12.0 • Void and water flow mitigation
ECM 1.3.0• Guidance for ERI• ERI Standardized format• Forms (ERI, waiver, variance)
ECM 1.10.0• Definition and protection
for all CEFs • Details specific to Karst CEF
guidance
ECM 1.12.0 • Void and water flow
mitigation
(before 12/30/2014) (after 12/30/2014)
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED RULES CHANGES TO
ENVIRONMENT CRITERIA MANUAL (ECM) SECTIONS 1.3.0, 1.10.0 AND 1.12.0
By Scott Hiers, P.G. and Sylvia PopeEnvironmental Resource Management Division
Watershed Protection Department
• “EA” now called “ERI” (to avoid confusion with Phase I EA) Valid for 7 years
• Report is now standardized (to promote efficiency, consistency and simplicity)
• Includes both guidance and format for report
• Includes forms for waivers and CEF variances
Summary of Changes to 1.3
.pdf forms can be downloaded, filled and saved at:
ftp://ftp.austintexas.gov/Forms_ERI_Environmental_Review/
ECM 1.3
Still includes the same basic requirements as before:(i.e. CEFs, Hydrogeology, Vegetation, Wastewater)
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED RULES CHANGES TO
ENVIRONMENT CRITERIA MANUAL (ECM) SECTIONS 1.3.0, 1.10.0 AND 1.12.0
By Scott Hiers, P.G. and Sylvia PopeEnvironmental Resource Management Division
Watershed Protection Department
ERIBasic
Information
ECM 1.3
Site
Identifies if a Functional Assessment
is required
CEF Description(s)
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED RULES CHANGES TO
ENVIRONMENT CRITERIA MANUAL (ECM) SECTIONS 1.3.0, 1.10.0 AND 1.12.0
By Scott Hiers, P.G. and Sylvia PopeEnvironmental Resource Management Division
Watershed Protection Department
ECM 1.3 ERI
Maps
Resources include, but are not limited to:
• COA Development Web Map,
• COA GIS/Map Downloads,• U.T. Bureau of Economic
Geology (BEG) BEG STATMAP GIS database,
• USDA NRCS web soil survey
The following site maps are attached at the end of this report (Check all that apply and provide):
All ERI reports must include: Site Specific Geologic Map with 2-ft Topography Historic Aerial Photo of the Site Site Soil Map Critical Environmental Features and Well Location Map on current Aerial Photo with 2-ft Topography
Only if present on site (Maps can be combined): Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone with the 1500-ft Verification Zone (Only if site is over or within 1500 feet the recharge zone) Edwards Aquifer Contributing Zone Water Quality Transition Zone (WQTZ) Critical Water Quality Zone (CWQZ) City of Austin Fully Developed Floodplains for all water courses with up to 64-acres of drainage
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED RULES CHANGES TO
ENVIRONMENT CRITERIA MANUAL (ECM) SECTIONS 1.3.0, 1.10.0 AND 1.12.0
By Scott Hiers, P.G. and Sylvia PopeEnvironmental Resource Management Division
Watershed Protection Department
ECM 1.3
http://www.austintexas.gov/GIS/developmentwebmap/
Map resources
Elevation Contours
Historic and current aerials
CEFs (only some of the known ones)CEF Setbacks
CWQZ/WQTZ
“Biological Resource Buffers”
“Waterway Setbacks”
Floodplains
Natural Features
Recharge Zone (in development resources)
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED RULES CHANGES TO
ENVIRONMENT CRITERIA MANUAL (ECM) SECTIONS 1.3.0, 1.10.0 AND 1.12.0
By Scott Hiers, P.G. and Sylvia PopeEnvironmental Resource Management Division
Watershed Protection Department
ECM 1.3
Map resources
USDA NRCS
web soil survey
Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG)
BEG STATMAP GIS database
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED RULES CHANGES TO
ENVIRONMENT CRITERIA MANUAL (ECM) SECTIONS 1.3.0, 1.10.0 AND 1.12.0
By Scott Hiers, P.G. and Sylvia PopeEnvironmental Resource Management Division
Watershed Protection Department
ECM 1.3 ERI
Soils(information found in USDA NRCS County Soil Survey)
Hydrogeologic Element
Geologic units(information found in U.T. BEG maps)
Wells(both known (TWDB), nearby and undocumented)
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED RULES CHANGES TO ENVIRONMENT CRITERIA MANUAL (ECM) SECTIONS 1.3.0, 1.10.0
AND 1.12.0
• By Scott Hiers, P.G. and Sylvia Pope• Environmental Resource Management Division
• Watershed Protection Department
ECM 1.3 ERI
Vegetation Element
Hydrophytic species:
Facultative (FAC) Facultative Wetland
(FACW) Obligate (OBL)
as listed by theUSACE or USDA
Must include the descriptionof all “protected riparian areas” on the site
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED RULES CHANGES TO ENVIRONMENT CRITERIA MANUAL (ECM) SECTIONS 1.3.0, 1.10.0
AND 1.12.0
• By Scott Hiers, P.G. and Sylvia Pope• Environmental Resource Management Division
• Watershed Protection Department
ECM 1.3 ERI
Vegetation Element
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED RULES CHANGES TO
ENVIRONMENT CRITERIA MANUAL (ECM) SECTIONS 1.3.0, 1.10.0 AND 1.12.0
By Scott Hiers, P.G. and Sylvia PopeEnvironmental Resource Management Division
Watershed Protection Department
ECM 1.3
Type
In accordance with applicable regs
Irrigation/drainfield
Location
ERIWastewater Element
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED RULES CHANGES TO
ENVIRONMENT CRITERIA MANUAL (ECM) SECTIONS 1.3.0, 1.10.0 AND 1.12.0
By Scott Hiers, P.G. and Sylvia PopeEnvironmental Resource Management Division
Watershed Protection Department
ECM 1.3CEF worksheet
ECM 1.3
Include all applicable information
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED RULES CHANGES TO
ENVIRONMENT CRITERIA MANUAL (ECM) SECTIONS 1.3.0, 1.10.0 AND 1.12.0
By Scott Hiers, P.G. and Sylvia PopeEnvironmental Resource Management Division
Watershed Protection Department
ECM 1.3.2ERI waiver request form
ECM 1.3
25-8-121(D) The director may permit an applicant to exclude from an Environmental Resource Inventory information required by this section after determining that the information is unnecessary because of the scope and nature of the proposed development.
• Submit waiver request form before application submittal
• Staff will review and return a signed copy that has been approved or denied
• Submit approved/signed copy with application submittal
DO NOT SUBMIT A WAIVER WITH AN APPLICATION PACKET THAT HAS NOT YET BEEN REVIEWED/APPROVED/SIGNED BY STAFF
CAUTION
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED RULES CHANGES TO
ENVIRONMENT CRITERIA MANUAL (ECM) SECTIONS 1.3.0, 1.10.0 AND 1.12.0
By Scott Hiers, P.G. and Sylvia PopeEnvironmental Resource Management Division
Watershed Protection Department
ECM 1.3.3Administrative Variance Form
For LDC 25-8-281 or City Code 30-5-281
ECM 1.3
On October 17, 2013, the Austin City Council passed a new Watershed Protection Ordinance – LDC 25-8-281 was added to the Administrative Variance Section (LDC 25-8-42)
The variance will preserve all characteristics of the critical environmental feature and provide at least equal to the water quality and quantity and achievable without the variance. Prevent the loss of recharge. Protect the water quality of recharge
to area aquifers. Maintain and/of enhance baseflow in
area creeks. Reduce existing and future pollutant
loads to watercourses.
(This form does not apply to wetlands if Staff agrees that the mitigation is compliant with ECM)
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED RULES CHANGES TO
ENVIRONMENT CRITERIA MANUAL (ECM) SECTIONS 1.3.0, 1.10.0 AND 1.12.0
By Scott Hiers, P.G. and Sylvia PopeEnvironmental Resource Management Division
Watershed Protection Department
Summary of Changes to 1.10
Moved and Expanded Section to Included All CEFs, Buffering and Buffer Maintenance. Information in ECM 1.3.0 on Critical
Environmental Features (CEFs) was moved to section 1.10.0 and section renamed and revised to include all CEFs.
CEF buffer maintenance (ECM 1.14.0) was moved into this section.
Updated CEFs identification information to include more field indicators and added definitions.
Align Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s recharge feature evaluation guidance with City Code.
Revised CEF buffer evaluation section to include all CEFs and added reasoning for requiring buffering.
Added language that CEF buffers are in 3-dimensions, not just 2-dimensions.
Rimrocks and Bluffs
Wetlands
Karst Recharge Features
Springs and Seeps
ECM 1.10
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED RULES CHANGES TO ENVIRONMENT CRITERIA MANUAL (ECM) SECTIONS 1.3.0, 1.10.0
AND 1.12.0
• By Scott Hiers, P.G. and Sylvia Pope• Environmental Resource Management Division
• Watershed Protection Department
ECM 1.10
The standard Code CEF buffer of 150-ft.
The administratively reduced buffer in purple hatched area (50-ft downslope,150-ft upslope, which captures all the upslope surface drainage to feature.
ECM 1.10.0 – Example of karst recharge buffer for sinkhole with no cave.
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED RULES CHANGES TO ENVIRONMENT CRITERIA MANUAL (ECM) SECTIONS 1.3.0, 1.10.0
AND 1.12.0
• By Scott Hiers, P.G. and Sylvia Pope• Environmental Resource Management Division
• Watershed Protection Department
The standard Code CEF buffer of 150-ft.
The CEF measure from the cave footprint shown in hatched purple area.
ECM 1.10
ECM 1.10.0 – Example of karst recharge buffer for cave using the cave footprint.
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED RULES CHANGES TO ENVIRONMENT CRITERIA MANUAL (ECM) SECTIONS 1.3.0, 1.10.0
AND 1.12.0
• By Scott Hiers, P.G. and Sylvia Pope• Environmental Resource Management Division
• Watershed Protection Department
ECM 1.10
The standard Code CEF buffer of 150-ft in hatched purple area .
No administrative variances required.
ECM 1.10.0 – Example of rimrock buffer
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED RULES CHANGES TO ENVIRONMENT CRITERIA MANUAL (ECM) SECTIONS 1.3.0, 1.10.0
AND 1.12.0
• By Scott Hiers, P.G. and Sylvia Pope• Environmental Resource Management Division
• Watershed Protection Department
The standard Code CEF buffer of 150-ft.
The administratively reduced/modify buffer is shown in the purple hatched area. This area was platted as drainage /CEF buffer lot.
A four lot single-family subdivision was created with one of the lots being the drainage/CEF lot.
ECM 1.10.0 – Example of Rimrock and spring buffer
ECM 1.10
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED RULES CHANGES TO
ENVIRONMENT CRITERIA MANUAL (ECM) SECTIONS 1.3.0, 1.10.0 AND 1.12.0
By Scott Hiers, P.G. and Sylvia PopeEnvironmental Resource Management Division
Watershed Protection Department
1.10.4 Determining the buffer distance for CEFs that aren’t wetlands
• Evaluate the physical characteristics such as slope, vegetation, ecological habitat, natural hydrology
• Applicants needs to justification of variance requests.
• FYI, administrative reduced buffers of less than 50-ft are rarely granted by staff. For springs and point recharge features, buffers less than 50-ft is a formal variance.
Wetlands
• The standard setback is 150 feet around the outside edge of the wetland area.
• If any modification to the standard setback is requested, then guidance for alternative compliance is described in 1.10.4(D)
Guidance for CEF BuffersECM 1.10
Rule Implementation (April 22, 2008)
Notification
Geologist inspection
Engineer select/design mitigation measures
Site plan correction
Implementation
Standard note on cover sheet of site plan:
“This project is subject to the Void and Water Flow Mitigation Rule (COA ECM 1.12.0 and COA Item No. 658S of the SSM). All trenching greater than 5 feet deep must be inspected by a geologist (Texas P.G.) or a geologist’s representative.”
Void and Water Flow Mitigation Rule ECM 1.12
Rule changes to align with LDC 25-8
Void reporting and compliance now in LDC 25-8-281(D); changed with adoption of the Watershed Protection Ordinance Nov. 2013
Watershed Protection Dept. must agree to proposed mitigation plan prior to DAC approval
Concurrent changes to 658s of SSM
APPROVED
DAC
Changes to the Void and Water Flow Mitigation Rule
ECM 1.12
Rule changes (12/30/2014)
Minor changes to align with TCEQ requirements; stop work within 50 feet, 2500 psi concrete allowable
Cover sheet note required Matrix of mitigation measures Owner’s geologist will also
oversee and report on mitigation installation
Penalties may apply
Changes to the Void and Water Flow Mitigation Rule
ECM 1.12
Other changes
Applies to tunnel and large, open shaft projects
Attachment A, Geologist’s Description, revised format
Attachment B, Describes protocol for analyzing cave roof stability of large features. Cave 120, Pearson Ranch Road
Changes to the Void and Water Flow Mitigation Rule
ECM 1.12
Shaft and Tunnel Projects Add to rule language for
clarification
• Excavations must be inspected by a Texas P.G.
• Environmental sensitivity within the Edwards Aquifer requires greater scrutiny of open shafts and tunnels. Tunneling is becoming more common.
Void in the Four Points shaft, JTM
Changes to the Void and Water Flow Mitigation Rule
ECM 1.12
Cave Roof Stability Analysis
PWD, Street and Bridge engineers provided protocol
Required for caves with volume > 160 ft3 and a minor span > 10 feet
• Cave collapse potential was inadequately addressed due to lack of criteria in previous rule
• Needed for infrastructure integrity
Changes to the Void and Water Flow Mitigation Rule
ECM 1.12
FIND THE RULES ONLINE Austintexas.gov/online/
development/ ftp://ftp.austintexas.gov/Forms_ERI_Environmental_Review Or email [email protected] or
Changes to the ECM 1.3.0, 1.10.0 and 1.12.0
Questions?
ftp://ftp.austintexas.gov/Forms_ERI_Environmental_Review/