TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Erick Lee, Public Works Director
Katherine Doherty, City Engineer
Tim Birthisel, Senior Civil Engineer
SUBJECT:Title
Consideration of a Resolution Adopting the 2017 Updated Greater Los Angeles County Region Integrated Regional Water Management Plan to Enable the City to Apply for Proposition 1 Integrated Regional Water Management Implementation Grant Funding for the Total Maximum Daily Load Trash Treatment Project (Public Works Director Lee).
ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 22-0123
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 22-0123 adopting the 2017 Updated Greater Los Angeles County Region Integrated Regional Water Management Plan to enable the City to apply for Proposition 1 (Prop 1) Integrated Regional Water Management Implementation Grant Funding for the Total Maximum Daily Load Trash Treatment Project.
Body
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There is no fiscal impact associated with the adoption of this resolution.
BACKGROUND:
Agencies in Los Angeles County have long recognized the importance of regional collaboration in water management and acknowledge that integration and cost-sharing is the key to meeting the area’s future water resource management challenges. Los Angeles County agencies regularly work across jurisdictional boundaries to implement regional projects and programs that address multiple water resource management issues including recycled water, stormwater capture, water use efficiency, and many others.
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) created the Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Program to encourage regional strategies for managing water resources and to fund the planning and implementation of projects that support management of water supply, water quality, environmental interests, drought protection, flood protection, and reduction of dependence on imported water. The IRWM Program is comprised of regional water management groups, which develop and administer IRWM Plans. The Los Angeles County Flood Control District (LACFCD) leads the Greater Los Angeles County (GLAC) IRWM and the preparation and adoption of the GLAC IRWM Plan, a living document detailing our region’s integrated water management efforts. IRWM Program Guidelines issued in 2016 by DWR and State Legislators require governing bodies of member agencies of the IRWM groups, as well as project proponents included in IRWM grant funding proposals, to formally adopt updated IRWM Plans. The 2014 GLAC IRWM Plan was amended in 2017 to conform to the 2016 IRWM Guidelines.
The proposed Coastal Restoration and Resiliency Project creates a mutual benefit partnership with the City and The Bay Foundation allowing the City to apply for DWR grant funding via the IRWM program. The Coastal Restoration and Resiliency Project combines the Bay Foundation’s Dune Restoration Project with the City’s Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Trash Treatment Project, meeting grant criteria by partnering with another local agency. The Project provides multiple benefits to the coastline including reducing dune erosion and trash discharged to the Ocean. As the City’s portion of the Coastal Restoration and Resiliency Project, the TMDL Trash Treatment Project proposes a combination of high-flow capacity stormwater treatment devices, which remove trash, debris and sediment-borne pollutants from storm drain outfalls to the beach addressing the City’s stormwater requirements for trash control. The Bay Foundation’s Dune Restoration Project restores 3.2 acres of native coastal dune habitat established to protect the coastline from erosion and storm surge while providing safe harbor for shorebirds and coastal wildlife, creating a vibrant living shoreline that is resilient to climate change impacts. The Project may be selected for Prop 1 IRWM Implementation grant funding, and to be eligible for these funds the City must adopt the 2017 IRWM Plan. The proposed partnership with The Bay Foundation would involve a three-year agreement and would require the City to indemnify the State and follow IRWM documentation requirements.
The City is identified as a responsible jurisdiction subject to the Santa Monica Bay Debris TMDL due to the City’s contribution to stormwater runoff, which discharges via the municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) to the Santa Monica Bay. As a result of having adopted ordinances prohibiting public smoking, plastic bags at point-of-sale, and polystyrene food service ware, the City has until March 20, 2023, to meet the final compliance milestones for the Santa Monica Bay Debris TMDL by installing full capture devices to address 100% of the storm drainage system tributary to Santa Monica Bay.
DISCUSSION:
The DWR recently released the Prop 1 Round 2 IRWM Implementation Grant solicitation package making available $210M for IRWM implementation projects statewide, of which $17.15M is allocated to the GLAC IRWM area. This GLAC IRWM grant funding is further being distributed amongst five subregional steering committees, with each receiving $3.43M for selected projects from their subregion. Manhattan Beach is within the South Bay subregion and is requesting $1.5M in grant funds for the $3M Coastal Restoration and Resiliency Project. If selected by the South Bay Subregional Steering Committee, the project will be presented to the GLAC Leadership Committee for approval and inclusion in the application package to DWR.
If the Coastal Restoration and Resiliency Project is selected for funding through the Prop 1 IRWM Implementation Grant, the City will be required to provide 50% matching funds, which will be met using already allocated Municipal Safe Clean Water Program funds (Measure W) and Stormwater funds.
As a condition of funding, the City will be required to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with LACFCD who will administer the regional grant from DWR. The MOU with LACFCD will pass-through certain provisions of the Prop 1 IRWM Implementation Grant Agreement between LACFCD and DWR to individual projects being funded by the grant. The MOU is not yet available and will be brought back to City Council at a later time. However, project proponents are being asked to review the Prop 1 Implementation Grant Agreement template, attached, and confirm that its terms are acceptable.
The adoption of the GLAC IRWM Plan is part of the grant application process which allows the GLAC IRWM Leadership Committee to verify the City’s eligibility and does not guarantee the City will be awarded funding or obligate the City to accept funding. According to Section 2.7 of the MOU for IRWM Planning and Implementation for the GLAC Region dated November 1, 2016, endorsements do not obligate entities beyond the demonstration of support for regional water management cooperation. Entities endorsing the GLAC Region’s IRWM Plan will not be members of the Regional Water Management Group or Parties unless they are added to the MOU in accordance with Section 2. If the City were to become signatory to the MOU, its obligations would be limited to the scope of the MOU.
The GLAC IRWM Plan, developed by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, is a feasibility, or planning, document which identifies potential projects and activities to meet the GLAC Region’s water management goals. The goals include a reduction of the GLAC Region’s reliance on imported water; compliance with water quality regulations; protection, restoration and enhancement of natural processes and habitats; increase in watershed friendly recreational space; reduction in flood risk; and adaptation to climate change. This planning exercise allows outside funding sources such as the state and federal governments to support the activities proposed within.
The list of eligibility criteria for IRWM grant funding includes the requirement that projects be included in an adopted IRWM Plan and that each project proponent included in a proposal for IRWM funding formally adopt the IRWM Plan. Therefore, staff recommends adopting the 2017 GLAC IRWM Plan to enable the City to compete for Prop 1 IRWM Implementation grant funding for the TMDL Trash Treatment Project as part of the proposed partnership with The Bay Foundation for the Coastal Restoration and Resiliency Project, and other grant funding opportunities in the future. The 2017 IRWM Plan consists of the 2014 IRWM Plan, along with the 2017 amendment to the GLAC IRWM Plan attached herein.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed the Prop 1 Implementation Grant Agreement template and approves as to legal form.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution No. 22-0123
2. 2017 Amendment to the Greater Los Angeles County IRWM Plan
3. 2014 Greater Los Angeles County IRWM Plan
4. Prop 1 Implementation Grant Agreement Template