Green Advisory Board

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

6:00 PM

The Green Advisory Board Meeting was held in the 1st floor Council Conference Room at City
Hall, 825 W. Irving Boulevard, Irving, Texas.
Members Present: Simone Grimmer
Scott Boyette
Ashley Halfast
Janet Stovall
Vinay Thite
Suzette Bryan

Members Absent: Jehazaib Alvi

Sharon Barbosa-Crain

Staff Present: Orlando Sanchez, Assistant City Manager

Daniel Vedral, Director, Traffic and Transportation
Jayce Proctor, Drainage Program Specialist
Melissa Baker, Transportation Project Manager
Chairman, Scott Boyette, called the meeting to order at approximately 6:17 p.m.
Citizen Comments on Items Listed on the Agenda
There were no citizen comments.

Approval of Minutes
There was no quorum to approve the July 26, 2022 Minutes.
Chairman, Scott Boyette came back after item three to ask are there any comments or
corrections on the July 26th, 2022 Minutes. Chairman, Scott Boyette asked for a motion to
approve the minutes. Simone Grimmer made the motion, and Suzette Bryan seconded. Votes
unanimously. These minutes are approved.

DCURD Projects Update

DCURD Raw Water Supply System Update
Chairman, Scott Boyette introduced Dallas Burke, General Manager for the Dallas Country Utility
and Reclamation District.
Dallas Burke, General Manager for the Dallas County Utility and Reclamation District presented
the update for DCURD’s raw water supply system. Raw water Supply is separate from the
government tax collection, no tax dollars go towards funding this operation. This program goes
off an enterprise system, so it must generate revenue to stay in business. Treated wastewater is
purchased from TRA plant, pumped to the facility, and ran through DCURD’s system. DCURD
1|P a g e
manages 58 waterways in Las Colinas that range from 1/3 of an acre to 107 surface acres. Lake
Carrolton is the largest and the remaining 57 waterways are spread throughout Irving from
boarder to boarder. Hackberry Creek, Elm Fork Lake, Cottonwood, South Fork of Hackberry
Creek, as well as any other small waterway in Irving is more than likely managed by DCURD.
The Dallas Country Utility and Reclamation District collects more than 50% of all the total runoff
anytime it rains. The rainwater either comes down through the various water pathways, ending up
in the river or ends up in Lake Carrolton where it is released by flood control gates or pumped out
into the river.
As well as managing the waterways, DCURD was also given a state-wide permit that states that
water must be kept in all waterways found in Irving. The best way to manage the state-wide
permit is by having a large supply of water. DCURD was granted permission by the state to
purchase treated wastewater from the Trinity River Authority. About a billion gallons of water is
purchased each year from TRA. Half a billion gallons of this water goes towards irrigation which
services the golf courses in Irving. The treated water provides a droughtproof solution in hopes of
preventing these entities from using potable water. By utilizing this program, a large amount of
potable, drinking water is conserved each year. Dallas mentioned that during his tour of the
Trinity River Authority’s central treatment plant, raw sewage is taken into the facility and is crystal
clear by the end of the treatment. The DCURD pump station located at the TRA’s central
treatment plant pumps water through a pipeline to Lake Remle. It then makes its way down
through Irving’s system of lakes back into the river where the City of Dallas can pick it up as
drinkable water. There are 12 miles of pipeline from TRA’s central treatment plant to DCURD
operations and then another 23 miles of pipeline to disperse the water to supply various
customers. 15 pump stations transfer treated water through the pipelines and have dispersed
over 32 billion of gallons of water since 1986. For the last 5 years, about a billion gallons of water
has been dispersed each year for purposes of lake evaporation and irrigation. Various aerators
can be found within this system to bring more oxygen into the water.
This water is a drought proof source of reclaimed water and DCURD has been awarded many
awards for its efforts including Outstanding water conservationist of Texas.
DCURD Waterway Debris Removal Efforts
Dallas Burke, General Manager for the Dallas County Utility and Reclamation District presented
the update for DCURD’s waterway debris removal efforts. DCURD participates in this effort with
the City of Irving. The record of the number of debris collected, which is calculated in tons, is
reported to the City of Irving’s team who assemble a report. This report is then sent to the state.
DCURD has collected 50 tons of debris in the Los Colinas area, 50 tons in the valley ranch area,
and 40 tons in the Irving flood 1 area. There are 3 full time crews that collect debris from the
waterways. The debris can be anything from wood from vegetation after a storm to trash and
other forms of waste. After a large rainstorm, it can take up to 3 weeks to clean the fallen debris.
Most of the debris is bagged by hand and taken to a 30 yard open top container where it is
weighed.
In 2019, a trash boat was added to the fleet. The trash boat has an opening for the debris to be
fed through. The operator will drive through the trash, which is scooped into a big basket. When
the basket is full, it is picked up with a crane truck and the entrails are taken to a dumpster.
Around 250 pounds of debris is extracted with the trash boat each week. After the most recent
rainstorm, almost 1000 pounds a day was captured. The trash boat operates with a two-man
crew and has been a great addition to the fleet.
2|P a g e
Dallas Burke asked if anyone had any questions over the updates on DCURD raw water supply
system and waterway debris removal efforts. Chairman, Scott Boyette thanked Dallas Burke for
their efforts.
Chairman, Scott Boyette asked if there were any further questions. Dallas Burke was asked who
picks up the debris to which he replied that waste management picks it up. Two trucks haul the
entrails of the dumpsters from their facility.
Chairman, Scott Boyette asked Dallas about the purpose of the lift station at south end of Camp
Young Trail. Dallas responded that in 2015 TRA had major issues with their pipeline so the city
built a sewage lift station that goes down to the treatment plant. Dan Vedral mentioned that it
serves the Valley Ranch area as well as most of North Irving. Before the station was built, when
there was a rain event the system would get backed up and cause issues within the city. The
station helps get an accurate meter on how much wastewater is being treated as well as keep the
system from being back logged during a big rain event.
Ashley Halfast mentioned that along most of Irving’s waterways, there is no vegetation. She
asked if that was intentional. Dallas responded that most of the waterways are mowed and
Cypress trees are planted in some areas to help with vegetation growth. He said that one
program they tried to get off the ground was water edge plantings where Texas native vegetation
would be planted along the waterways. The team had a professional botanist come out to help
get the program established but had no success. A portion of their land was donated by Valley
Ranch parkway for bluebonnet plantings and a Monarch waystation. There have been situations
where DCURD works with the city on projects because they own the water, and the city owns the
land.
Orlando Sanchez mentioned that the city has partnered with DCURD for the relocation of fire
station 8.
Ashley Halfast stated that other countries place solar panels along their waterways to help
reduce evaporation as well as collect energy. She asked if it was something that his team has
discussed or seen before. Dallas responded that he had never seen anything like that before but
in California they use black balls to help reduce evaporation. He mentioned that all the waterways
in Irving are flood controlled for stormwater, so he is unsure if it would work. He said that if
someone had a plan that seemed functional, that they would consider it. Dallas mentioned that
DCURD spends 1.5 million dollars a year to make up for evaporation.
Chairman, Scott Boyette asked if there were any other questions.
Committee Discussion and Selection
There was no committee discussion and selection.
Committee Updates
There were no committee updates.
Staff Updates
There were no staff updates.
Chairman’s Report

3|P a g e
There are no items on the Chairman’s Report. Chairman, Scott Boyette mentioned that EarthX is
having a conservation conference on October 21st at 4:00pm, located at the old parkland hospital
in Dallas.

Chairman, Scott Boyette asked if there were any other items. Samone Grimmer asked the
chairman if the presentations could be sent to the board.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at approximately 6:40 p.m.

Minutes were prepared by Savannah Dosher, Environmental Programs Coordinator

4|P a g e