SR-03-18-2014-3CCity Council Report
City of
Santa Monica
City Council Meeting: March 18, 2014
Agenda Item: -5-°a
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Dean Kubani, Manager, Office of Sustainability and the Environment
Subject: Apply for three grants to improve ocean water quality and augment the
local water supply and adopt a resolution to apply for one of the grants.
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that City Council:
1. Adopt the attached resolution authorizing the application for grant funds in the
amount of $500,000 from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of
Reclamation's WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grant program to
demonstrate an urban runoff harvesting project for non - potable irrigation at
Ozone Park.
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary documents to apply for
and accept grants from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration in the amount of $65,000 for marine debris education and
outreach, from the U.S. Department of the Interior's WaterSMART Program in
the amount of $500,000 for a stormwater harvesting and irrigation use
demonstration project at Ozone Park, and from the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency in the amount of approximately $50,000 for designing the
stormwater harvesting system at Ozone Park, if awarded; and
3. Authorize budget changes as outlined in the Financial Impacts and Budget
Actions section of this report.
Executive Summary
The City has the opportunity to apply for three federal grants to improve local ocean
water quality and comply with federal water quality requirements, and to augment local
water supply to reach the City's water self- sufficiency goal.
Santa Monica is a signatory to the Santa Monica Bay Marine Debris Total Maximum
Daily Load (TMDL) and must implement strategies to eliminate trash and debris inputs
into Santa Monica Bay. The City would apply for a $65,000 federal marine debris
educational grant to produce educational materials to assist the City in meeting the
TMDL regulations.
The City is nearing completion of a Sustainable Water Master Plan to make Santa
Monica water self- sufficient by 2020, which includes many demand reduction and
supply augmentation strategies. Increasing local water supply is one important
strategy. The City would apply for a $500,000 Federal WaterSMART water efficiency
grant to construct an urban runoff harvesting and irrigation use demonstration project.
To support the design of the WaterSMART project, the City would apply for a third
federal grant specifically for engineering design for approximately $50,000.
Discussion
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Educational
Grant
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the Santa Monica
Bay Marine Debris TMDL on March 20, 2012, requiring municipalities to eliminate all
debris (trash and plastic pellets) entering the Bay by March 20, 2020. As a signatory to
the debris TMDL in the Bay's offshore and nearshore waters, the City is required to
implement structural and non - structural strategies to reduce to zero debris entering the
Bay. An implementation schedule lists tasks and deadlines to comply with the TMDL.
Staff from Public Works and the Office of Sustainability and the Environment are
developing a plan to install full capture structural devices to meet the zero debris
requirement. A full capture device is one which removes all anthropogenic materials 5
mm and larger. Anything smaller is allowed to pass through the storm drain system and
into the Bay.
Structural systems are effective at removing debris and trash already released into the
storm drain system. However, these systems require annual cleaning and
maintenance, which can be expensive over time. A less expensive, non - structural
strategy that helps to reduce cleaning and maintenance costs is to change people's
behavior to reduce or eliminate littering through education and outreach.
This grant, if awarded, would help fund a comprehensive educational outreach program
to inform the public about the negative consequences of trash and plastic pollution on
marine fauna and solutions to improve water quality to meet the TMDL's requirements.
Staff recommends that Council approve the submission of a grant application to the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Prevention
through Education grant program to help fund an educational outreach project. The
NOAA marine educational grant would provide the City with matching funds to develop
a comprehensive program with numerous strategies to reach out to those segments of
the population most prone to litter.
The present estimated cost for this educational outreach project is $136,114. The grant
requires a minimum 100% match of the requested grant amount. The City is requesting
a $65,000 grant.
Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART Water Efficiency and EPA Design Engineering
Grants
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) to
achieve water self- sufficiency by 2020.
One of the SWMP's supply portfolio strategies presented to Council on May 14 2013
includes increasing local water supplies, which could include harvesting dry weather
runoff and stormwater for beneficial uses. These two grants would help fund a project
to demonstrate the effectiveness of urban runoff harvesting, including dry weather runoff
and stormwater, for non - potable irrigation use.
WaterSMART Water Efficiency Grant
The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation's (Reclamation)
WaterSMART Program establishes a framework to provide federal leadership and
assistance on the efficient use of water, integrating water and energy policies to support
the sustainable use of all natural resources. Through this program, Reclamation is
working to achieve a sustainable water strategy to meet the nation's water needs. With
WaterSMART Water Efficiency Grants, Reclamation provides cost - sharing funding on a
competitive basis for projects that focus on improving water and energy efficiency to
reduce demand on limited water resources and to promote sustainable water use.
Staff recommends that Council approve the submission of a grant application to
WaterSMART to help fund an urban runoff harvesting and irrigation demonstration
project at Ozone Park. The project would divert and harvest dry weather urban runoff
and stormwater from the storm drain running under the park. Harvested runoff would be
treated and stored for park irrigation, replacing the use of potable water. This project
would help maximize local water supply and minimize imported water supplies, and help
the City reach its goal for water self- sufficiency.
The present estimated cost for this demonstration project is $1,352.606. The grant
requires a minimum 100 % match of the requested grant amount. The City is requesting
the grant's maximum amount of $500,000.
EPA Design Engineering Grant
The EPA Office of Wastewater Management's Green Infrastructure Technical
Assistance Program provides assistance to help communities overcome the most
significant barriers to green infrastructure, and to develop innovative approaches to
implementation that meet multiple environmental, social and economic goals. Green
infrastructure uses vegetation, soils, and natural processes to manage water and create
healthier urban environments. At the neighborhood or parcel
scale, green infrastructure refers to stormwater management systems that mimic nature
by storing water for onsite beneficial use. This program provides a municipality with a
design engineering consultant to formulate a green infrastructure solution to a local
urban runoff water quality and supply challenge.
Staff recommends that Council approve the submission of a green infrastructure
technical assistance grant application to help fund the Ozone Park urban runoff project
referred to in the previous section. This grant would defray much of the project design
cost to hire an engineering consultant.
The grant does not require a match. The final grant amount would depend upon how
many municipalities apply to this program. The 2014 assistance program has $400,000
budgeted; EPA expects to assist 5 -7 communities. Therefore, the individual grant
would likely be between $50,000 and $80,000 per city.
The WaterSMART grant is the only grant requiring a resolution.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
NOAA Marine Debris Educational Grant
The total amount of grant funds requested from the Department of Commerce's NOAA
Marine Debris Prevention through Education and Outreach is $65,000. If awarded, the
grant requires a 100 percent local match, or $65,000, which staff would divide over the
next two fiscal year budgets, FY 2014 -15 and 2015 -16, in division 226. Of the match,
$50,000 would be included in account 01226.522540, and the remaining $15,000 would
be made up of in -kind staff and volunteer time.
If awarded, revenue and expenditure budgets would be established in division 20226 for
FY 2014 -15 for the awarded grant amount. If renewals are awarded, budget changes
would be included in subsequent year budgets, pending Council budget adoption.
Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART Water Efficiency Grant
The total amount of grant funds requested from the Department of the Interior's Bureau
of Reclamation WaterSMART Water Efficiency Program is $500,000 and the grant
requires a 100% match, or $500,000. If awarded, revenue and expenditure budgets
would be established in division 20226 and a capital improvement account in the
Miscellaneous Grant Fund, respectively, for the awarded grant amount. An additional
appropriation would be established for the match in a capital improvement account in
the Stormwater Fund (34) using funds restricted for capital projects. Establishing the
expenditure budget would require a release of funds from the Stormwater Parcel In Lieu
Fee restricted cash account. If awarded, staff would return to Council to request these
budget changes, pending Council approval.
EPA Engineering Design Grant
The total amount of grant funds requested from the Environmental Protection Agency is
dependent upon the number of grants awarded by EPA. If awarded, the grant would be
in the range of $50,000- 80,000. There is no local match required. If awarded, no
budget changes are required as all grant expenditures would be paid by the EPA.
Prepared By: Neal Shapiro, Senior Administrative Analyst
Approved:
A X- Z ,
Dean Kubani
Sustainability Manager
Attachment 1: Resolution
Forwarded to Council:
Rod Gould
City Manager
Reference:
Resolution No. 10803
(CCS)