SR 07-11-2017 3D
Ci ty Council
Report
City Council Meeting : July 11, 2017
Agenda Item: 3.D
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Susan Cline, Director , Public Works, Office of Sustainability & the
Environment
Subject: Cost -sharing Memorandum of Agreement with the City of Los Angeles for the
Shoreline Coordinated Monitoring Plan for Santa Monica Bay
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council a uthorize the City Manager to negotiate and
execute Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the City of Los Angeles to implement a
cost -share monitoring plan to comply with the Los Angeles Regional Wat er Quality
Control Board's NPDES permit requirements for Santa Monica Bay. The cost over the
five -year (FY2017 -22) monitoring period of the Santa Monica Bay MOA will not exceed
$316,084.
Executive Summary
As a municipal agency within the boundaries of the National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (NPDES) permit system of Los Angeles County, the City is
obligated to comply with the NPDES requirements to reduce pollution from urban runoff
into the Santa Monica Bay. The NPDES permit requires Shoreline C oordinated
Monitoring Plans (CMP) to collect data on water quality to demonstrate compliance with
water quality objectives of the NPDES permit. As a member of the jurisdictions that
drain into the Santa Monica Bay watershed the City is obligated to share i n the costs of
implementing CMPs for this water body. The cost over the five -year (FY 20 1 7 -22)
monitoring period of the Santa Monica Bay MOA will not exceed $316,084 .
Background
The Federal Clean Water Act (CWA) requires the California Regional Water Quali ty
Control Board, Los Angeles Region (Board), to develop water quality standards that
identify criteria to protect beneficial uses for each water body found within its region.
Beneficial uses include swimming, fishing, drinking water, navigability, and wi ldlife
habitats and reproduction. Section 303(d) of the CWA requires states to prepare a list of
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water bodies that do not meet water quality standards and establish for each of these
water bodies pollutant load allocations known as total maximum daily load s (TMDLs)
which will ensure attainment of water quality standards. A TMDL represents an amount
of pollution that can be released by anthropogenic and natural sources of a watershed
into a specific water body without causing a decline in water quality and b eneficial uses.
The Santa Monica Bay watershed has been listed since 1998 on California’s Section
303(d) list due to impairments by bacteria and trash. The Board adopted many TMDLs
for these pollutants since 2003 to address these impairments. These TM DLs reduce
the amounts of pollutants found in runoff discharges from the cities within the
watersheds.
The City Council previously approved a renewed Santa Monica Bay Shoreline
Coordinated Monitoring Plan (CMP) MOA for bacterial monitoring cost -sharing on
August 13, 2013 , per Attachment A .
In accordance with these TMDLs, the City of Los Angeles submitted a CMP for
compliance with the TMDLs on behalf of the agencies within th is watershed . The City of
Los Angeles currently performs all required monitorin g and reporting to the Board and
invoices the City of Santa Monica annual for its share of monitoring costs for Santa
Monica Bay.
Discussion
The current MOA expired on June 30, 20 16, but was extended on a month -to -month
basis for one year only . The new 5 -year MOA would replace the previous MOA. Under
the terms of the MOA, the City of Los Angeles would continue to be responsible for all
monitoring and reporting activities to the Board.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Santa Monica’s share of the moni toring costs per the terms of this MOA is not to exceed
$316,084 over the five -year monitoring period ending FY 2021 -22. The estimated
payments to the City of Los Angeles are as follows:
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FY 2017 -18 $58,823
FY 2018 -19 $61,688
FY 2019 -20 $62,934
FY 2020 -21 $65,262
FY 2021 -22 $67,677
Estimated Total $316,084
Funds of $58,823 are available in the FY 2017 -18 budget in the Public Works
Department and will be charged to account 06402.555170. Future year funding is
contingent on Council budget approval.
Prepared By: Neal Shapiro, Senior Sustainability Analyst
Approved
Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. August 13, 2013 Staff Report
REFERENCE:
MOA No. 10491
(CCS)