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Study Session Meeting January 29, 2005 and the west side has sanitary sewage and storm water that combines in their sanitary sewers and flows to a dead end which is capped. It can no longer flow into the River because the overflows have been plugged up and goes into the basement of houses there. This is also a current MSD project. The main goals of avoiding flooding and sewage back-up should not be done in such a way as to cause new problems. Determining the right way to deal with these problems is paramount, but there are various ways to deal with the problems: concrete box, wide flood plain, a trapezoidal channel with a landscape bank, a steeper channel with rock walls, or many other alternatives. The City lobbied the Congress and the Army Corps of Engineers to undertake a detailed alternative analysis of what to do with the River. Instead of fixing problems with the River on a piecemeal basis, the Corps of Engineers is urged continually to embrace the problem and determine a significant "once and for all" solution. In the 1980's half of the study was conducted, then Congress would not authorize additional funds to complete it, until two years ago. The next phase of this alternatives analysis was approved a year ago. MSD is the sponsor of the River but said they no longer had money in their budget to cover the local share, which meant the City had to do that; so $20,000 was forwarded from the City for this purpose. University City is doing all that it can to solve these problems, but MSD was approached to budget funds for this purpose for the next ten years. Two weeks ago a letter from the Corps of Engineers was received, advising Congress appropriated money for this purpose, but MSD applied this money to the budget for next year, so a City check for $6,000 for winter expenses was forwarded to keep the study underway. Councilmember Wagner asked if results from the study had been received and was advised that computer-generated diagrams showing alternative 60-foot, 80-foot, or 100- foot-wide channels and possibly some other alternatives for the flood plains were shown, according to Councilmember Welsch who studied them. Councilmember Sharpe asked when the study would be completed, and was advised that it would be another three or four years. Councilmember Brot asked what would be done in the interim, while waiting for the study to be completed, and Mr. Ollendorff said the City would continue to improve "every little piece" that could be repaired. Mr. Wagner thought the study would be a comprehensive plan to improve the whole City. Mr. Ollendorff stressed the need to consider the entire problem and all of its issues. He predicted that in the next three to four years when the study is completed and the alternatives are introduced, there will be considerable discussions. Mr. Sharpe wanted to know who will pay for the improvements and Mr. Ollendorff said Congress, but they will not appropriate the funds until the detailed alternative study has been completed. Ms. Welsch pointed out that there is a "local share" of the cost, which could be four or five million dollars. Mr. Ollendorff said MSD will be approached to pay the "local share." Mr. Ollendorff repeated that twenty years ago the City Council favored "any solution, for any part of the River which is possible", so there have been many projects undertaken over the years. After debate over unfinished or under funded projects between the City, the citizens and MSD over unfinished on under funded projects, it was decided that joint funding was the best solution. Some years grants were obtained from the State to pay Page 2