SR 08-23-2016 3E
Ci ty Council
Report
City Council Meeting : August 23, 2016
Agenda Item: 3.E
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Susan Cline, Director , Public Works, Civil Engineering
Subject: Memorandum of Understanding with the Los Angeles County Flood Control
District for Operation and Maintenance of Trash Excluders
Recommended Action
Staff rec ommends that the City Council a uthorize the City Manager to execute a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Los Angeles County Flood Control
District (LACFCD) for operation and maintenance of trash excluders installed on or
within LACFCD owned catch b asins.
Executive Summary
In order to reduce debris discharged into the Santa Monica Bay and to meet the marine
debris total maximum daily load (TMDL) requirements as set forth by the Los Angeles
Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), the City pla ns to install screens (trash
excluders) on drains owned by the City . The City is also responsible for trash excluder
installation on catch basins within City limits that are owned by the Los Angeles County
Flood Control District (LACFCD) in order to preve nt debris and pollution originating in
the City from entering into the storm drain system and being discharged into the Santa
Monica Bay. Maintenance of the trash excluders on LACFCD catch basins is also
required, and staff recommends completing maintenan ce in -house as the most cost
effective option to ensure full compliance with water quality standards . Staff
recommends that Council authorize staff to negotiate and enter into a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) with the LACFCD to outline operation and ma intenance
responsibilities for the trash excluders installed on LACFCD catch basins within City
boundaries .
Background
Storm water runoff in urban areas, especially from street and surrounding hardscape
surfaces, ultimately enter s catch basins and is co nsidered a significant source of
pollution because of trash and other debris it transports to the storm drain outfalls at the
Santa Monica Bay. On November 4, 2010, the Regional Board adopted Resolution No.
R10 -010, amending the Water Quality Control Plan for the Los Angeles Region by
establishing a Total Maximum Daily Load for debris (Trash TMDL) in near shore and
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offshore Santa Monica Bay. This water quality standard requires 100% reduction of
trash discharge into Santa Monica Bay by 2020.
The City ’s compliance strategy for this water quality standard includes the installation of
trash excluder devices such as connector pipe screens (CPS) and/or automatic
retractable screens (ARS) at catch basins in specific areas of the City (pictured in
Attachments B and C). A CPS is installed inside the catch basin at the outlet pipe,
allowing debris to enter the catch basin , but preventing it from escaping into the outlet
pipe and discharging into the Santa Monica Bay. An ARS is a screen that is installed at
the curb face inlet and precludes debris from entering the catch basin structure. The
debris would subsequently be swept up by existing street cleaning operations. These
trash excluder devices are certified as full capture devices by the RWQCB and are
being installed as part of the Storm Drain Catch Basin Connector Pipe Screens Project.
Discussion
As part of the Storm Drain Catch Basin Connector Pipe Screens Project and in an effort
to meet the 2018 deadline to achieve the Trash TMDL’s 60% trash reduction
r equirement, the City is installing CPS and ARS units at 745 catch basin s in the Kenter
Canyon, Pico -4 th and Pico -Caltrans sub -watersheds. These 745 catch basins currently
do not have trash excluder devices installed. The LAFCD owns 314 of these 745 catch
basins . The City is responsible for trash excluder installation on these LACFCD
facilities in order to prevent debris and pollution originating in the City from entering into
the storm drain system and being discharged into the Santa Monica Bay. After th e
project is complete, the City will be responsible for maint aining all 745 catch basins,
including the 314 owned by LACFCD.
LACFCD Permitting
In any instance where LACFCD facilities are modified by an agency other than Los
Angeles County, including cat ch basins, a flood permit is required. Part of the flood
permit requirement is execution of a MOU between the LACFCD and the City regarding
operat ion and maintenance of the trash excluders installed on LACFCD catch basins .
Maintenance is required to be com pleted on a regular basis in strict accordance with
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regulations .
Staff compared in -house maintenance costs to County maintenance costs,
recommends conducting maintenance on the LACFCD catch basins in -house as the
most cost effective option to ensure full c ompliance with water quality standards. The
cost for overall maintenance of LACFCD catch basins by City forces would be
approximately $140 per catch basin per year, or $44,000 total per year. This consists of
city staff time, debris disposal and inspectio n time by County staff. County costs for the
same service would be $375 per catch basin per year , or $118,000 per year . The first
cleaning would occur between October 2017 and April 2018 and would be funded out of
the Clean Beaches and Ocean Park Tax Fund .
LACFCD would pay the City of Santa Monica about $16 -17 per catch basin as
reimbursement for the pre -retrofit catch basin maintenance costs. This amount
represents the annual amount the LACFCD would otherwise have had to incur for
removing trash and deb ris from the catch basins had the City not installed trash
excluders in their catch basins.
Next Steps
Once an MOU is executed and a permit is obtained by LACFCD, the contractor would
mobilize and install trash excluders on City and LACFCD owned catch basi ns. The
project is scheduled to run through December 2016.
Maintenance responsibility is anticipated to begin in January 2017. Along with routine
City services such as trash pickup and street sweeping near or around these facilities,
additional tasks would include repairing, maintaining, operating and inspecting trash
excluder devices installed on or within LACFCD catch basins. LACFCD catch basins
would be cleaned a minimum of once per year.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
There is no immediate financi al impact or budget action necessary as a result of the
recommended action. Maintenance of the LACFCD catch basins is anticipated to begin
in FY 2017 -18 and is estimated to cost $44,000 per year, to be funded from the Clean
Beaches and Ocean Parcel Tax Fun d. Approximately $5,500 per year will be
reimbursed by the LACFCD. Budget a uthority for maintenance costs will be requested
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during the FY 2017 -19 biennial budget process.
Prepared By: Joshua Carvalho, Civil Engineer
Approved
Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Staff Report - October 13, 2015
B. Typical CPS Device
C. Typical ARS Device
Reference:
MOU No. 10355
(CCS)