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Board reviews draft MOU for flood response; board members seek clearer railroad and departmental responsibilities
Summary
A first-draft memorandum of understanding from Banning Engineering describing flood-response steps and triggers drew discussion about which agency will trigger and carry out closures, storage of flood panels and training; board members asked for working meetings with the city, railroad representatives and other stakeholders before signing.
Board members reviewed a first draft of a memorandum of understanding from Banning Engineering that would coordinate responses at the pump house and other infrastructure during high-water events, but members said the draft needs clearer assignment of responsibilities — particularly for railroad closures and who triggers the response.
"We've already been out to figure out how to put the aluminum steel walls up and the I beams," a Fire Department official said, noting crews have scoped assembly and storage arrangements. The draft identifies the fire department as the monitoring unit for gauges; staff explained that the process would be triggered by preset gauge levels at Blue Bluff.
"When it gets to that 9 foot, that alert should send out to everybody's computer that said that they have an alert to it. And then that's the mechanism to where the rest of this kicks in," a staff member said, describing how alerts from gauges would initiate the response. Board members pressed for clarity on who notifies the railroad and how quickly tracks can be closed. "Railroad's gonna be hard to work with because they're just hard to work with," one board member said.
The board discussed storage and deployment logistics for aluminum flood panels and a need for regular drills. A fire official suggested annual or semiannual mock exercises: "Within this draft, we also ought to have some type of mechanism that we tell the crews do mock at least once a year," the official said.
Members agreed to arrange a working meeting that includes the railroad contractor and city officials to resolve open items before the board signs the MOU. No formal action to adopt the MOU was taken; the board received the draft and directed staff to coordinate stakeholder meetings and to return with a revised draft after outreach and clarification.
