Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, January 09, 2018
Discussion
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER APPROVAL OF A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES AND THE CITY OF CARSON FOR THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF PROJECT NO. 1515: CARSON STORMWATER CAPTURE FACILITY AT CARRIAGE CREST PARK (CITY COUNCIL)
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I. SUMMARY
The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board) is encouraging cities to capture and reuse stormwater as a way to address surface water quality issues, as well as to provide new supplies of reclaimed water for irrigation and to enhance ground water supplies. The City of Carson (City) was able to secure a $13M grant from the Caltrans Grant Program to fund Project No. 1515: Carson Stormwater Capture Facility at Carriage Crest Park.
Los Angeles County (County) representatives reached out to the City and expressed their interest in joining our project. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City and the County was drafted to define the scope of work and each party’s responsibilities. This MOU is in the best interest of the City and the County as it will provide the capture of stormwater runoff from City and the County’s respective land areas, and will help both entities to implement the Dominquez Channel Enhanced Watershed Management Plan (EWMP).
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
1. APPROVE the Memorandum of Understanding between the County of Los Angeles and the City of Carson to design, construct, operate, and maintain Project No. 1515: Carson Stormwater Capture Facility at Carriage Crest Park.
2. AUTHORIZE the City Manager to execute the Memorandum of Understanding following approval as to form by the City Attorney
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III. ALTERNATIVES
1. DO NOT APPROVE the Memorandum of Understanding.
2. TAKE another action the City Council deems appropriate and consistent with the requirements of the law.
IV. BACKGROUND
The City is regulated under a stormwater permit issued by the Regional Board, and is participating with the County and number of cities in the implementation of the Dominguez Channel Enhanced Watershed Management Plan (EWMP). The City Council has previously reviewed the $235 million cost estimate to implement the permit over the next twenty years and directed staff to work on grant applications to implement the program.
The City secured a $13M grant from the Caltrans Cooperative Agreement Grant Program to fund the Carriage Crest Park project. This grant does not require any local matching funds and all expenses incurred by the City will be reimbursed by Caltrans.
On June 8, 2016, the City Council approved a Cooperative Implementation Agreement with Caltrans for Project No. 1515. The Cooperative Implementation Agreement specified the design and construction of the joint use project to capture stormwater and renovated park improvements.
On July 19, 2016, the City Council approved a Stormwater Project Services Agreement with the Sanitation District for the design, and construction management of the project.
The project will greatly assist the City and the County of Los Angeles in complying with the applicable Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) by reducing the transport of pollutants downstream to Machado Lake, bringing a large portion of the community into compliance with the EWMP’s requirements. The plans and specifications have been completed and the City has solicited bids for the design, fabrication, storage, and delivery of the precast modular watertight storage system to be constructed under the park.
The project will capture stormwater in an off-line cistern below a renovated ball field at Carriage Crest Park. The water would then be treated for irrigation use at the park, or be transferred to the nearby Joint Water Pollution Control Plant (JWPCP) operated by County Sanitation for reclamation. This is one way that the City can deal with surface water quality issues, as well as to provide new supplies of reclaimed water for irrigation, and to enhance ground water supplies.
The County of Los Angeles reached out to the City and expressed an interest in joining the Carson Stormwater Capture Facility at Carriage Crest Park project. The County expressed their desire to provide additional funding of a not-to-exceed amount of $5,720,000.00 to the City to increase the storage capacity of the project. The County also offered to share with the planning, engineering design, construction cost, associated with the upsizing of the project.
The upsizing of the project will result in the capture of the 85th percentile, 24-hour storm event runoff volume from the County’s land area tributary to the project. A MOU between the County and the City has been generated to establish each party’s responsibilities and financial obligation for the project. Allowing the County to join this project would also help the city share the future operation and maintenance cost of the facility. The staff will be returning with a separate MOU to share in the maintenance and operational costs of the project. This separate MOU would base these costs on the percentage capacity of the City and County (a 56% City of Carson and 44% County of Los Angeles allocation).
Staff requests that the City Council consider entering into a MOU between the County of Los Angeles and the City to design, construct, operate, and maintain the Carson Stormwater Capture Facility at Carriage Crest Park project.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
None. This project will be funded by Caltrans; no local matching funding is required, and all expenses incurred by the City will be reimbursed by Caltran. Staff will return with a separate MOU outlining the cost sharing between the City and the County on the ongoing operation and maintenances costs. It is currently estimated that these annual costs will be $320,000, with the County’s share $140,000 annually.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. The MOU between the County of Los Angeles and the City of Carson to design and construct the Carson Stormwater Capture Facility at Carriage Crest Park project. (pgs. 4-14)
Prepared by: Julio Gonzalez, Senior Engineering Technician