Report to Mayor and City Council
Wednesday, June 08, 2016
Discussion
SUBJECT:
Title
APPROVE A COOPERATIVE IMPLEMENTATION AGREEMENT WITH CALTRANS FOR THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE CARSON STORM WATER CAPTURE FACILITY AT CARRIAGE CREST PARK (CITY COUNCIL)
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I. SUMMARY
The City of Carson is regulated under a storm water permit issued by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board. The City is participating in the Dominguez Channel Enhanced Watershed Management Plan (EWMP) under the requirement of this permit. The Council has previously reviewed cost estimates to implement the permit over the next twenty years in excess of $235 million. Implementation costs of this magnitude are a major financial issue for the City.
The City of Carson was able to secure a $13M grant from the Caltrans Grant Program to fund the Carson Storm Water Capture Facility at Carriage Crest Park, as outlined in the Dominguez Channel EWMP. The Regional Board is encouraging cities to consider the capture and possible reuse of storm water as a way to deal with surface water quality issues, as well as to provide new supplies of reclaimed water for irrigation and to enhance ground water supplies. This grant does not require any local matching funds and all expenses incurred by the City will be reimbursed by Caltrans.
Caltrans generated a Cooperative Implementation Agreement which defines in detail the project’s scope of work and the City’s associated responsibilities. Staff requests that City Council consider entering into a Cooperative Implementation Agreement with Caltrans for the design and construction of the Carson Storm Water Capture Facility at Carriage Crest Park. Construction of this facility will demonstrate to the Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board) the City’s ability and commitment to comply with the Dominguez Channel EWMP(Exhibit No. 1).
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
1. APPROVE the Cooperative Implementation Agreement with Caltrans for the design and construction of a storm water capture facility at Carriage Crest Park.
2. AUTHORIZE the City Manager to execute the Cooperative Implementation Agreement following approval as to form by the City Attorney.
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III. ALTERNATIVES
1. DO NOT APPROVE the Cooperative Implementation Agreement.
2. TAKE another action the City Council deems appropriate and consistent with the requirements of the law.
IV. BACKGROUND
In November 2012, the Regional Board adopted the fourth National Pollutants Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit. The Permit was established for the purpose of protecting the beneficial uses of the City’s storm water run-off to the Dominguez Channel (receiving water) in the Los Angeles region by ensuring that the storm water discharges are not causing, or contributing, to exceedances of applicable water quality permit standards. The Permit allows the permittees to customize their storm water programs through the development and implementation of an Enhanced Watershed Management Program designed to achieve compliance with receiving water limitations.
On December 15, 2015, the City Council approved the submittal of the addenda to the Dominguez Channel Watershed Management Area Group (DCWMA Group) Enhanced Watershed Management Program (EWMP) and the Coordinated Integrated Monitoring Program (CIMP) (Exhibit No. 2) in order to incorporate the City of Carson as a member of the DCWMA Group. The addendum to the Enhanced Watershed Management Program for the Dominguez Channel Watershed Management Area Group was approved by the Regional Board on April 21, 2016. As a member of the DCWMA Group, the City must demonstrate to the Regional Board their ability and commitment to fund specific storm water projects.
The DCWMA Group has decided to address water quality impairments through a combination of institutional Best Management Practice (BMPs), low impact development, green streets, and regional BMPs. One of the regional BMPs in the Addendum to the Enhanced Watershed Management Program for the Dominguez Channel Watershed Management Area Group is Carriage Crest Park.
Carriage Crest Park was identified as a high priority site for a regional storm water capture project due to its proximity to two large storm drains with a total drainage area of 1,118 acres. This area discharges to Machado Lake via the Wilmington Drain. One of the strategies that the Regional Board has encouraged is for cities to use existing open space areas to capture and treat storm water, since this helps to control land costs, which can adversely impact these projects.
It is proposed to construct a Water Capture Facility at Carriage Crest Park that would greatly assist the City of Carson, Caltrans, and other municipalities, in complying with the applicable Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDLs) by reducing the transport of pollutants downstream to Machado Lake. The concept for this project is to capture water in an off-line cistern below the 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) where it would receive primary and secondary treatment and be available for a proposed advanced treatment facility operated by the Metropolitan Water District (MWD). The water produced by the MWD would augment drinking water supplies through recharge of groundwater basins in Los Angeles and Orange counties. The Carriage Crest Park project will initially involve an evaluation of the most effective method of capturing runoff given the space and budget available. A cost-benefit analysis of treating the water on-site, versus sending the water to the JWPCP will also be performed.
During the next ten-year period, it is likely that Carson will need to spend approximately $9M annually in order to comply with the EWMP. Unlike water and sewer utilities, there are currently no special revenue sources for storm water programs. Local municipalities are primarily relying on grants and their general fund budgets to fund storm water compliance projects. Given that the general fund budget supports a variety of services including public safety, diverting funds to address new storm water compliance mandates could adversely impact critical services.
The project would be installed primarily in the ball field area of the park and will require the closure of the park for a period of time. The exact time period will be better known as the plans are developed. The City is also considering relying on SB 485, which was passed last legislation session. The bill allows cities to contract with the Los Angeles County Sanitation for design and construction management services. Carson plans to enter into an agreement with the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (LACSD) to manage the project; conduct engineering and geotechnical investigations; and assist with environmental clearance, permitting, design, and construction management. City staff assigned to manage the project will charge hours to the project in accordance with the Caltrans requirements under this agreement.
This arrangement would be very beneficial for Carson, due the proximity of the County Sanitation District’s facilities and the ability to expand the storm water capture on property east of the park. This land is currently under a lease to Color Spot for a plant nursery. Since Caltrans has been identified as a stakeholder in the TMDL, staff worked with the City’s consultant to secure a total of $13M in funding for the Water Capture Facility at Carriage Crest Park. Caltrans and the City will work collaboratively to implement the NPDES requirements. The other jurisdictions involved are the City of Los Angeles, the County of Los Angeles and the City of Torrance. The City has begun reaching out to these jurisdictions to determine if they would like to participate in and expand the project to meet their permit needs as well.
If the Cooperative Implementation Agreement can be executed between the City and Caltrans before June 30, 2016, Caltrans will encumber $3M for FY 2015/16, and provide the City with two additional installments of $5M in both FY 2016/17 and FY 2017/2018.
The proposed project would be located in Carriage Crest Park, near the intersection of Sepulveda Boulevard and Figueroa Street. A more accurate project cost estimate will be developed during the preliminary design stage. If it is determined that a funding gap exists, the City will need to determine how best to address the shortfall. The City also has the option to revise the project in order to stay within the allocated budget.
Key requirements of the Caltrans grant include 1) the City enter into the agreement with Caltrans prior to June 30, 2016; and 2) the proposed project be constructed within the span of 3 calendar years.
Staff requests that City Council approve this agreement in order to proceed with the design and construction of the Carson Water Capture Facility project.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
None. This project will be funded by Caltrans, no local matching fund is required, and all expenses incurred by the City will be reimbursed by Caltrans.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. Cooperative Implementation Agreement. (pgs. 3-18)
2. Minutes, December 15, 2015, Item No. 28. (pg. 19)
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Prepared by: Julio Gonzalez, Senior Engineering Technician