SR-505-008 (11)
EPWM:BJ:NS:LACountycatchbasinsinserts.doc
Council Meeting: November 9, 2004 Santa Monica, California
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Authorize the City Manager to Negotiate and Execute an Agreement with Los
Angeles County Flood Control District for the Operation and Maintenance of
Catch Basin Excluder Devices to Reduce Urban Runoff Pollution in County
Catch Basins within the City Of Santa Monica
Introduction
This report recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and
execute an agreement with the Los Angeles County Flood Control District to allow the City
to operate and maintain approximately 200 newly-installed catch basin excluder devices to
reduce urban runoff pollution originating from County catch basins located within the City
and flowing into the Santa Monica Bay.
Background
The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) of the federal Clean Water
Act requires municipalities and counties to manage and control pollutants contained in
urban runoff. The City of Santa Monica is signatory to and regulated under the Los Angeles
County (County) NPDES permit. The permit requires both the County and Santa Monica to
take steps to improve the water quality of Santa Monica Bay through the improvement of
urban runoff quality discharged into the Bay. To help achieve this goal, the City has
installed numerous urban runoff treatment devices, including 485 catch basin inserts and
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screens, three large in-line litter and pollutant- removal units and has constructed the Santa
Monica Urban Runoff Recycling Facility. Along with public education and enforcement
programs, these installations are an important component of the City?s overall Best
Management Practices (BMPs) management program to remove urban runoff pollutants
and meet our NPDES permit requirements.
In 1999, the Los Angeles County Flood Control District (District) and the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority submitted and obtained a grant from the 1999 Transportation
st
Improvement Program (TIP) Call for Projects Transportation Equity Act for the 21 Century
(TEA-21) Grant Program. The project proposed is to install catch basin inserts in County-
owned catch basins located in various cities within LA County. The City of Santa Monica
participated in this program by working with the District to select locations for the devices
within the City and to provide a 25% grant match. The City?s grant match was to fund the
monitoring of the devices during storm events and their replacement, as necessary, until
such time that the City?s match of $80,000 is expended. Staff anticipates that Santa
Monica?s match would be expended within five years.
Discussion
Each year City crews remove pollutant-laden debris from approximately 650 City-owned
catch basins (both those outfitted with inserts or screens and those without treatment
devices) and other treatment units. Last year, 30 tons of debris containing many types of
pollutants were removed from the City?s catch basins. In addition to the removal of visible
pollutants, such as trash, sediment, oil and grease, a variety of microscopic pollutants that
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are attached to these larger pollutants are removed, such as heavy metals, organics and
pathogens. The pollutants are prevented from entering the Bay, thereby improving the
quality of the coastal environment.
The County has been awarded the TEA-21 grant, and City staff is prepared to initiate the
project. The City will be responsible for inspection, monitoring, replacement and clean out,
funded by the City?s proposed grant match of $80,000. The City?s Wastewater crews and,
if necessary contracted assistance, will complete the work for the City. Once the City?s
commitment of $80,000 is expended, responsibilities for operation, maintenance, alteration
and/or removal of the devices will revert to the County.
This agreement will also allow the collaborative testing of a new type of catch basin insert.
Two advantages of the newly designed device are that trash and other debris are kept out
of the storm drain system and the Bay during dry weather and small storm events, and that
potential flooding is prevented during larger storm flows.
Budget/Fiscal Impact
The City has committed a maximum $80,000 for the proposed five year agreement.
Adequate funds for this project exist in account M340588.589000.
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and
execute an agreement with the Los Angeles County Flood Control District to operate and
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maintain up to 200 catch basin excluder devices to reduce urban runoff pollution originating
from County catch basins within the City and flowing into the Santa Monica Bay, and to,
provide matching funds in the amount of $80,000.
Prepared by: Craig Perkins, Director, Environmental and Public Works Management
Tony Antich, City Engineer
Gil Borboa, Manager, Water Resources Division
Brian Johnson, Manager, Environmental Programs Division
Neal Shapiro, Senior Environmental Analyst ? Urban Runoff
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