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COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 2005 UPDATE In March 2004, the City Council initiated a project to complete a thorough update to the City's Comprehensive Plan (Plan).The Plan is a policy and planning document that guides our community's land use,transportation,open space and public facility master planning decisions. The proposed Plan is the result of the collaborative efforts of community residents, business owners and operators, public and private organizations in the City,as well as the City Council and Planning Commission. The drafting of the proposed Plan has included extensive public outreach,including three public workshops, stakeholder interviews, and public hearings. The project is now in the final adoption phase. The complete Draft Comprehensive Plan 2005 Update is now available for review on the City's website at www.ci.louisville.co.us. Hard copies may also be reviewed at the Planning Department in City Hall (second floor) and at the Library. In February and March,the Planning Commission began public hearings on the draft Plan. Following a Planning Com- mission recommendation, the plan will be forwarded to the City Council for final action. The City Council will hold additional meetings and continue to take input from the public.Those public hearings are scheduled to begin in April.Please check the website for upcoming meeting dates. Public participation in this process is encouraged. If you have comments or questions,please attend the public hearings and speak. Seven "opportunity areas"have been identified within the City.These areas may undergo change in the coming 5, 10,or 20 years. Northeast Louisville,the South Subarea (StorageTek,Monarch School Campus), and the Centennial Valley/ McCaslin Boulevard corridor are three of those opportunity areas. Some of the land use scenarios being considered would include the addition of medium to higher density housing in the McCaslin/Centennial Valley area,the introduction of regional retail in the South Subarea,and the creation of more diversity in housing options in several of the opportunity areas. Public input is very important in this process.We recommended that you become informed about the Plan and that you participate in the public hearing process.Additional detailed information regarding the Plan is available at www.ci.louisville.co.us in the Comprehensive Plan section,or you may contact the Planning Department at 303.335.4592. NEW SOLAR TECHNOLOGY IMPROVES WATER QUALITY Monitoring the City's raw water storage facilities and tracking the quality of the water held in these facilities is an on- going responsibility of the City's water plant operators. One of the main problems that operators face is the unwanted growth of algae in the water. This problem increases with the warmer weather and the increase of nutrients in the water from spring run off. High levels of algae can cause a depletion of oxygen in the water which can result in treatment problems when the water enters our water treatment plant.Unnecessary clogging of filters and the need to increase treatment chemicals to alleviate the problem are just two of the situations that plant operators face. Depletion of oxygen levels in reservoirs can also lead to the death of fish. Plant operators take samples of water from our facilities on a regular schedule and place them under a microscope to determine existing levels of algae. In the past,when algae readings reached problem levels,plant operators would add algae controlling chemicals to the water to lower the algae levels to acceptable amounts. In the spring of 2004, the City invested in a new technology known as a Solarbee for the Louisville Reservoir. Solarbee is a water recirculation system that uses solar power to take water from the bottom of the reservoir and spread it out over the top surface.By circulating the water in this fashion the oxygen levels increase and create an atmosphere in which algae has difficulty existing.The increased oxygen level also helps to remove iron and manganese from the water causing fewer problems in the water treatment plants. The bulk of the Solarbee unit is below water level and is not visible,while the solar powered motor and solar panels float on the surface by means of stationary floats. The units are typically anchored to the bottom of the deepest part of the reservoir.Once installed,the units are very inconspicuous. Our experience with the unit installed last spring in the Louisville Reservoir has been very good.We no longer spend money on man power or the chemicals to treat this facility.We have also experienced a higher and more constant raw water quality. This year,the City plans to install a Solarbee unit in Harper Lake to see the same improvements we have had in Louisville Reservoir.You may see the installaion of the machinery in Harper Lake as early as this summer. If you have questions about the Solarbee installation or the water treatment process,please contact Sid Copeland at 303.335.4792. April/May 2005 10