SR-01-28-2014-3CCity of City Council Report
Santa Monica'
City Council Meeting: January 28, 2014
Agenda Item: +C
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Dean Kubani, Manager, Office of Sustainability and the Environment
Subject: Accept a Grant from the Foundational Actions Funding Program of the
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Authorize the City Manager to accept a grant awarded in the amount of $400,000
from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for a local runoff
harvesting and use demonstration project and to accept all grant renewals.
2. Authorize budget changes as outlined in the Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
section of this report.
Executive Summary
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California administers the Foundational
Actions Funding Program to provide grants for the efficient use of different local water
resources. Funds are made available on a competitive basis to water providers' for pilot
projects that reduce barriers to future water resource production and that promote
sustainable water supplies. The City is working on a plan to make Santa Monica water
self- sufficient by 2020 by reducing water use and increasing local water supplies. The
City was awarded a $400,000 grant through the Foundation Actions Funding Program
to partially fund a local runoff harvesting and use demonstration project, which will help
the City meet its water self- sufficiency goal.
Background
On January 25 2011, Council directed staff to develop a water self- sufficiency plan and
to prepare a study session on the topic.
On March 8, 2011, staff presented a study session on achieving water self- sufficiency.
Council requested that staff produce a Sustainable Water Master Plan (SWMP) by
spring 2012 to achieve water self- sufficiency by 2020. The SWMP is currently being
finalized and on track to be presented to City Council in, late Spring or early Summer
2014.
One of the SWMP's supply portfolio strategies is increasing local water supplies, which
could include groundwater, greywater, wastewater and urban runoff. This grant- funded
project would demonstrate the effectiveness of urban runoff harvesting, including dry
weather runoff and stormwater.
Discussion
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) has a Foundational
Actions Funding Program (FAF) to distribute funds for technical studies or
demonstration projects to enable effective future resource planning and potential
development of recycled water, seawater desalination, groundwater and stormwater.
The FAF helps address regional funding needs for actions that reduce barriers to future
water resource production, as well as,
® Advance the field of knowledge for future water resource production;
® Provide results that are unique and transferable to other areas in the region; and
® Represent a catalytic, critical path to water resource implementation.
Staff applied for and received a $400,000 grant for a local water harvesting
demonstration project.
The grant would be used to fund an urban runoff harvesting demonstration project at
Los Amigos Park, which is the location for stormwater harvesting required as part of the
Ocean Park Green Street Project, itself a project of Measure V's 5 -year Capital
Improvement Program. The project would pilot a sustainable watershed management
strategy to harvest local water resources for non - potable uses, such as irrigation, and
toilet and urinal flushing, in lieu of potable water. Presently, the City uses imported
potable water for 30% of its total water supply. Replacing this imported supply with
local water resources is one major strategy of the City's goal to be water self - reliant by
2020.
Staff recommends that Council accept this MWD $400,000 grant to construct a pilot
urban runoff harvesting system for park irrigation and bathroom flushing.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
Award of a $400,000 grant from MWD of Southern California requires the following FY
2013 -14 budget changes:
1. Establish revenue budget at account 20226.410280 in the amount of
$400,000.
2. Appropriate the following expenditures to reflect receipt of the Foundational
Actions Funding Program grant: $400,000 at account 20226.522350.
3. The grant requires a 100% local match, or $400,000, which is included in the
FY 2013 -14 capital improvement program budget at account
C066021.589000.
If renewals are awarded, budget changes will be included in subsequent year budgets,
pending Council budget adoption.
Prepared by: Neal Shapiro, Office of Sustainability and the Environment
Approved:
Dean Kubani
Manager, Office of Sustainability and the
Environment
3
.7 Tr 11 't : C � ' E roy a id U Ti n F
Rod Gould
City Manager
Reference:
Grant No. 9863
(CCS)