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RE 01-12-88.1 RESOLUTION NO. 011288.1 RESOLUTION STATING THE NEED TO SUPPORT A COMMON VISION FOR THE CORRIDORS OF THE ELM FORK OF TEE TRINITY RIVER; TO PRESERVE AND PROTECT THE RIVER CORRIDOR; AND TO RECOGNIZE THAT LOCAL GOVERNMENTS MUST BE THE STEWARDS OF THE TRINITY RIVER CORRIDOR FOR ITS SAFE AND BEST USE. WHEREAS, the Elm Fork of the Trinity River and its tributaries form major portions of the boundaries of the City of Coppell; and WHEREAS, the City of Coppell values the irreplaceable invironmental resources provided by river corridors, as well as the developments and infrastructure along the Elm Fork of the Trinity River and its tributaries as integral and valuable resources of the City; and WHEREAS, the City of Coppell cannot allow present flood protection along the Elm fork of the Trinity River to be compromised; and WHEREAS, the City of Coppell sees the absolute necessity for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the cities of Lewisville, Coppell, Carrollton, Farmers Branch, Irving, Dallas, Grand Prairie, Arlington and Fort Worth to agree to a Common Vision for the Trinity River Corridor; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Coppell, Texas that: SECTION 1: Any increase in the elevation of the Standard Project Flood (SPF) is unacceptable. SECTION 2: The City of Coppell be]/eves that development along or in Regional Policy Position on Trinity River Corridor By the Steering Committee and the Executive Board of the North Central Texas Council of Governments The Dallas/Fart Wodh metroplex is the largest inland m~tropolitan region in the country, surrounding a relatively small stream named the Trinity River. To assure adequate water supply to the region's 4 million people, upstream reservoirs have been built on ail major forks and tributaries. Thus, the summer flows in the West Fork and Main Stem of the nver consist pnmarily of highly*treated wastewater effluent, while the Elm Fork conveys mostly lake reteases to a Dallas water treatment plant Long-standing federal plans to construct a barge canal from Fort Worth to the Gulf were abandoned in the eddy 1980's, leading to numerous unrelated requests for federal permits to reclaim pod(ions of the flood plain for commercial and residential development. The Fort Worth District of the US. Army Corps of Engineers, which was formed after severe river flooding in the 1940's. has recently completed a three-year regional study of the cumulative effects of alternative development scenanos. Throughout this effort they have worked closely with elected officials and staff from the n~ne affected cities and three counties through the North Central Texas Council of Governments. The Corps of Engineers indicates that two major conclusions have emerged from their Final Regional Environmental Impact Statement. The timt 'reemphaaizes that a widespread lack of Standard Project Flood (SPF) protection currently exists" throughout the river comdor. The SPF flood plain now consists of about 69,500 acres, with 4,400 acres of residential property and 10,000 acres of commercial/industrial property. Damages to property if a Standard Project Rood were to occur today could approach several billion dollam. T~e second ma~or Corps of Engineers conclusion is that "different permitting strategies have a measurable and signiticant impact on the extent of increase of this lack of SPF protectionS' Under the most extensive development scenario, flood damages could triple the estimates for the baseline condition, not including the catastrophic effects if the Dallas Floodway levees were breached. However, the Corps of Engineers has stated that it has limited permit authority in the flood plain to affect these scenanos, and that any- solutions must come from a cooperative approach among local governments Since mid-1986, NCTCOG has been serving as convecor and facilitator of affected local governments in pursuit of s COMMON VISION for the Trinity River Corbdor. The Regional ElS provides invaluable information to aid local governments in this quest. The Steenng Committee of elected officials which is guiding the interjudsdictional program has recognized that the risk of flooding, which has been increasing, must first be stabilized before it can be reduced. Attention must also be placed on meeting water quality goals and implementing desired regional public facilities. The Fort Worth Distnct of the Corps of Engineers will use the Regional ElS and related public comments to revise their permit policies in a Record of Decision. It is important that this CorDs document incorporate the policies that have emerged from the interlurisdictionai program and commit to continued cooperation with local governments to refine and enhance their effectiveness. AS a significant next step in its pursuit of a COMMON VISION, the Trinity River Corndor Steedng Committee and the Executive Board of the North Central Texas Council of Governments adopts this Regional Policy Position on the Trinity River Corridor. The Trinity River Corridor is a unique regional resource. The t00-mile Tdnity River Corddor includes the Standard Project Rood (SPF) flood plain of the West Fork, Elm Fork, Mom Stem and malor tributaries from the reservoir dams downstream to south DalLas. The river corddor is a unique regional resource ~n the heart of a growing metroplex. Desires to reclaim or preserve it can and will obviously conflict--there is room in the 70.000 acres of the corridor for both. The nver corridor is valuable to all 4 million residents of the region and the millions to come. Local governments must be the stewards of the Trinity River Corridor. Whatever is done to reclaim or preserve the nver comdor will require local government action--zoning, perm,s, capital expenditures, maintenance. While other governmental bodies, such as levee districts, several state agenc;es. and three Federal agencies, have fragmented authon'w within the nver corndor, local governments are directly responsible for the overall health, safety and welfare of their own citizens. Thus, local governments must take the lead as stewards of the nver corridor. Individual local goals can only be achieved through cooperative management. The river corddor encompasses portions of at least nine cities and three counties. No single local government can attaJn its own goals alone, since actions of upstream and downstream communities will directly affect them The participating ~ocai governments have recognized this even more clearly ss they have revieweq the Final Regional ElS, and have reaffirmed their desire to pursue a COMMON VISION for the Trinity River Corridor A key to successful cooperative management is common permit criteria. A significant finding from the Final Regional ElS is that different local poticies for flood plain reclamation can ~ncraase or reduce the risk of flooding or the potential for water quality degradation. Each city in the river corndor currently uses its own set of cntana for permitting a development project, which must meet minimum flood insurance requirements To assure successful cooperative management, 0articipating local governments should develop and use common criteria for per?t decisions. The common criteria should be derived from the Corps of Engineers interim permit criteria. Because of the significant findings in the 1986 draft Regional ElS. the Corps of Engineem formulated a set of stricter "intenm~' critena for their use until their Record of Decision ~s rendered. A set of draft criteria have been developed by the Steering Committee to serve as the basis for further negotiations among local governments, the Corps of Engineers, and other state/federal agencies. They are derived from the Corps interim criteria, using the Revised Baseline Future Discharges development scenano as the base. They would be applied for the entire flood plain, not just the Corps' jurisdictionaJ area. Cities could still have site-apecific requirements as long as they would not conflict with the common criteria. The common criteria should be adopted through regulation by local governments, the Corps of Engineers, and other statelfederel agencies. TO be effective, the common permit criteria should be incorporated by IocaJ governments into current flood plain ordinances, the Corps of Engineers into a Distdct policy, and other agencies such as the FederaJ Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Fish and W~ldiife Service into their rules. To aid permit applicants and assure consistency of interpretation, a cnteria manual should be developed which cleady describes and illustrates the common permit cnteria. A computerized Trinity'River Information Network (TRIN) should be initiated to track public and private actions. tt is clear from the recent program that there is poor tracking of proiects along the corndor and inadequate communication among local, state and federal agencies. TRIN would be a computer mapping anq geographic information management system maintained by NCTCOG The Reviseq Baseline would initially be encoded, then each public or private project would be aqqed as considered under the common criteha, it would serve as permanent documentation of permit decisions, and be used as input by the Corps of Engineers and others to the hydraulics/hydrology computer moqels, Expanded technical assistance within the river corridor should be provided by the Corps of Engineers. It is extremely important that computer medeling of the river corridor be pertormed on a consistent Padis so that the impacts of a proposed development activity can be faidy evaluated under the common critarla. Since the Corps of Engineers has updated these models for the Regional ElS, they could provide valuable assistance to consultants anq cities for loc, al permits not covered under the Corps' permit authority on a feaster-service basis. A regional review and comment process on major actions should be established. To improve communication among affected local governments, and coordination with state and federal agencies, a regional review and comment process should be established for maior actions. Applications for local, State, FEMA and Corps of Engineers development permits within the comdor would be transmitted by NCTCOG to ail agencies for rewew and comment only. The review and comment process currently used by the AUanta Regional Commission would be examined for its applicability. A Trinity Greenway of major parks linked by a regional trails system should be pursued. Tens of thousands of acres of open space are being preserved within the nver corridor with outstanding potential for active and passive recreation. Even if the most extensive development scenario were implemented, the remaining open space acreage would equal more than twenty New York Central Parks. Using TRIN, local parks and recreation professionals should prepare a realistic Trinity Greenway strategy of ma~or parks linked by a regional trails system Funding priorities for implementing such a greenway would then be sought from the Texas Parks and W~ldlife Depaztment in their 1990 Texas Outdoor Recreation Plan Current designated uses of the Trinity River should be maintained until the Trinity Greenway strategy is prepared. The Texas Water Commission proposal to upgrade recreation use of the Trinity River from noncontact to contact recreation should be delayed until the state use-attainability study is completed (1989) and the potential for a Tdnity Greenway is further defined by the' Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and local governments in the Texas Outdoor Recreation Plan, The feasibility of swimming and other contact recreation activities in the nver comdor would be directly addressed. Studies to identify the causes and solutions fo periodic fish kills should be continued. Dissolved oxygen quality in the nver under normal flow conditions has improved significantly during the last decade, as major wastewater treatment plants have been upgraded. However, periodic fish kills have occurred downstream of the regJon during peak river flow events with Iow dissolved oxygen levels. The Texas Water Commission should continue its lead role in coordinating local, state and federal studies to document the causes of these fish kills and to identity realistic and effective solutions. Scientifically. sound information on toxic pollutants should be obtained. In the past, limited sampling of dver bottom sediments at scattered sites has found elevated levels of selected toxic pollutants. Several monitoring studies are now undenNay to detetTalne the levels of selected pesticides and heavy metals in the water and fish. The Texas Water Commission should use scientifically-sound technical data as the basis for setting any new toxic standards required by federal law. Sites for future regional_'stormwater detention basins should be preserved. AS identified in the Final Regional ElS, sites for future regional wet detention ponds should be preserved, since the fish kill studies or the emerging statewide nonpoint source assessment and management program may identify a need for such facilities as an alternative to costly stormwarer treatment. However, the need for tertiary treatment of wsstewater effluent by land abp~ication in the flood p~aln has not been justified at this time. Particular attention should be given to desired regional public facilities. There are important regional public facilities that must be protected from potential flooding damages, such as the joint system wastewater treatment plants. New. oublic facilities such as bridge crossings, a potential parkway, and the Ralitran mass transit system must be planned carefully and comply with the common criteria. Even more aggressive actions will be needed to reduce future flooding risks. Acoomplishment of the significant actions contained in this Regional Policy Position should ensure that the risk of flooding does not increase substantially, that water quality problems are addressed fortt~dghtry, and that opportunities for recreation within the comdor are fully explored. However, parbcipating local governments recognize that these significant actions represent only the next step in the long-term pursuit of a COMMON VISION for the Trinity River Corridor. L~cal governments should seek Congressional authorization and funding for Corps participation in a comdor drainage master Dian which would identity structural and nonstructural alternatives for reducing future flooding risks. Cost- sharing by the Texas Water Development Board should also be sought. NCTCOG Executive Board 1987.88 Trinity River Corridor Interjurisdictiohal Management Program President "In Pursuit of a Common Vision" Joe Regian Counc~lmember City of Garland Designateg Local Government Representatives: Vice President Jurisdiction Steering Committee Staff Task Force Everett B. Gladding ~'~ CouncdmemDer City of Greenwlle City of Arlingto~ Ken Groves Jerome F. Ewen Asst Counc~lmember Dir of Community bev Secretary Treasurer Bert C. Williams City of Carrollton Gary Blanscet Pat Canuteson Mayor Pro Tern C~ty of Fort Worth Councdmember City Engineer Past President City of Cobpeli Mark Wolfe Shohre M. Oaneshmand Gary Skaggs Counc~lmember City Civil Engineer Former Qouncilmemeer. City of Richardson City of Dallas John Evans Michael H. Askew Director Mayor Pro Tern Program Manager John Evans Mayor Pro Tern. City of Dallas City of Farmers Branch David Blair, Jr. J.V. Murawski, Jr. Councllmember City Engineer Director Bill Lofland City of For[ Worth Belt C. Williams Gary L. Santerre County Judge, Rockwall County Mayor Pro Tem Dir of Public WORKS Alt: R~ck Trice. Flood Director Plan Manager Margie Waldrop Mayor Pro Tern. City of Lancaster City of Grand Prairie Ed Galligan Dale Powell Counc~tmember Senior Civil Engineer Director Bob Hampton City of Irving Jell Singleton Jack Angel. ~st Dir Commissioner Tarrant County Counc~lmemDer of Pudlic WorKs Director City of Lewisviile John Peveto T.S. Kumar Marti VanRavenswaay Counc~rnember Staff Engineer Councilmember, City of Arlington Dallas County Chris V, Samos John W. Bryan Regional Citizen Representaaye Commissioner Dir. of Public Works David R. Braden Dallas County Denton County lee Walker Tammy Lucas Commissioner Assistant to Comrn Regional Citizen Representative Ro~ Eaton Tarrant County Bob Hambton Clare McAlister. Director, Wise County Commissioner Hgt. Research Services General Counsel Chairman Gary Skaggs Jerry C. Gilmore Past President. NCTCOG Attorney at Law Dallas Vice Chairman Gary Bennett Executive Director County Judge, Navarro County William J. Pitstick Adopted by the Trinity River Corridor Steering Committee on November 17, 1987 and the Executive Board o! the North Central Texas Council of Governments on November 19, 1987. What is NCTCOG? The North Central Texas Council of Governments is a voluntary association of cities, counties, school distncts, and special districts in the sixteen-county North Central Texas region, Established in January, 1966, COG assists local governments in planning for common needs, cooperating for mutual benefit, and coordinating for sound regional development. The Council of Governments is an organization of. by, and for local governments. It strengthens both the individual and collective power of local governments -- and helps them recognize regional opportunities, resolve regional problems, eliminate unnecessary duplication, and make joint regional decisions COG also develops the means to assist in the implementation of those decisions. North Central Texas ~s a sixteen-count~ metropolitan region centered around Dallas and Fort Worth. It has a poou~,tion of 3.8 million persons and an area of 12,789 square miles. NCTCOG has 200 member governments -- including 16 counties. 149 cities, 20 independent school distncts, and 15 special districts. For more information contact: No~lh Central Texas Council of Governments, Department of Environmental Resources -- P O. Drawer COG/616 Six Flags Drive/Arlington, Texas 76005-5888/(817) 640-3300 (metro),