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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem OAGENDA REPORT DATE: MARCH 26, 2001 TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL FROM: JOHN B. BAHORSIa CITY MANAGER SUBJECT: APPROVAL OF A REQUEST FOR GRANT FUNDING UNDER THE ORANGE COUNTY URBAN WATER RUNOFF GRANT PROGRAM SUMMARY OF REOUEST: Staff is requesting City Council approve the submission of a grant proposal to Orange County under the Urban Water Runoff Grant Program. A total of $30,000 is being requested from the County of Orange under this program to implement an important water quality project. Council is also requested to appropriate matching monies from the General Fund in order to be eligible for this program. Approximately $30,000 is required from the General Fund. V1yX1]X1'Li11"0 The Orange County Board of Supervisors has approved $1,000,000 in grant funds for the Urban Water Runoff Grant Program. This grant program is designed to encourage all cities in Orange County to continue working on solutions for urban water runoff problems. According to the County program coordinator, the $1,000,000 will be equally distributed to all cities whose projects meet the grant program criteria. With 33 cities in Orange County, Seal Beach is eligible to receive $30,000 under this program. Staff has prepared a grant requesting the total amount eligible under the grant program. Grant proposals must be submitted to the County Executive Officer by April 1, 2001 to be considered for funding. The Urban Water Runoff Grant Program is open to any city in Orange County and projects must meet the following criteria: • Projects that will result in reduction of polluted urban runoff entering storm drains • Projects can be designed, permitted and constructed quickly • Funds allocated for the project will be matched by the city • Cities can work together on sub -regional proposals Agenda Item 0 The grant proposal prepared by the City comply with grant criteria established by the County of Orange. The grant proposal submitted by the City of Seal Beach will address areas of vital concern to the City. Staff has prepared a grant that requests funding to install filters in catch basins in the City. These devices have proven effective in reducing the amount of trash, debris, silt and hydrocarbons entering the storm drain system. Attachment A is the grant proposal prepared by staff that requests funding to install the filter devices. The total project cost is $60,000 with the costs allocated in the following manner: City of Seal Beach $30,000 and in -land services provided, County of Orange $30,000. Staff is requesting City Council approve the submission of the grant proposal and provide the necessary matching funds when the County of Orange approves the grant. FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact until the County of Orange approves the grant proposal. If approved, $30,000 will be needed from the General Fund to create the necessary City match. Depending upon when the County awards the grant, staff will attempt to include these costs into the FY 2001-2002 budget. Approve submission of the grant application to the Orange County Urban Water Runoff Grant Program. A. Grant request for installation of citywide catch basin filters B. Announcement of Urban Water Runoff Grant Program Orange County Urban Water Runoff Grant Program 2001 Funding Request for Installation of Citywide Catch Basin Filters Submitted by: City of Seal Beach Project Description: The City of Seal Beach is proposing to install filters in catch basins within the City limits of Seal Beach. Seal Beach will install and maintain the catch basin filters in order to reduce pollutants that are currently reaching the Pacific Ocean. Installing these filters is one of the many actions Seal Beach will be implementing to improve water quality within the City and Orange County. Field tests from other cities in Orange County have indicated catch basin filters have captured gross pollutants, petroleum products, heavy metals and fecal coliform before they reach ocean waters. Seal Beach is requesting grant funding to install the filters because it is a simple and effective means to improve water quality. In addition, filters can be quickly implemented to provide immediate water quality benefits. . Utilizing the grant funds, Seal Beach will install approximately 90 catch basin filters throughout the City. In addition, a portion of the grant funding will enable the City to clean each catch basin filter four times during the first year following the initial installation. Frequent cleaning has shown to increase the operational effectiveness of the filters and to promptly identify sources of pollution. A portion of the grant funds will be used to test 10% of the catch basin filters during the first year. Testing is vital to identifying the type of pollutants collected and determining strategies to correct the problem areas. The testing program will include identifying and quantifying the amount of heavy metals, hydrocarbons and fecal coliform captured in the filters. A component of this grant request is a commitment by the City of Seal Beach to share the information and testing data gathered as part of this project. The information can then be shared with other cities in Orange County so that all governmental agencies can benefit from the Seal Beach experience. The proposed project is estimated to cost $60,000 excluding project design, bidding and inspection. Seal Beach will contribute $30,000 and in-kind services to cover the design, bidding and inspection services. The funding requested under the Urban Water Runoff Grant Program is $30,000. Seal Beach is providing cash and in-kind services to ensure this project is implemented by November 30, 2001. Background: The City of Seal Beach is affected not only by local storm water runoff within city limits but also from regional urban runoff from upstream communities. Specifically, there are two watersheds that directly impact Seal Beach: the Seal Beach watershed and the San Gabriel River watershed. A long-term goal of the City is to enlist the support of inland cities in the fight to improve water quality. Before that can occur, Seal Beach must convincingly prove to the inland cities that the City has taken every feasible action to eliminate urban runoff generated within the community. Installation of catch basin filters is one of the steps to reduce pollutants generated in the City from reaching ocean waters. Seal Beach is fragmented with dense population in the southwestern section along the coast and suburban residential tracts in the northern section. The City can be divided into 16 drainage basins with a variety of land uses and developments. Preliminary work by the City water quality consultant, Tettemer & Associates, has identified potential water quality problems in each of the 16 drainage basins within the City. Installing filters in the City's catch basin can mitigate many of the potential water quality problems. Specifically, trash, debris, oil, grease, sediments, metals, petrochemicals can be captured in the filters before they reach the coastal waters. Seal Beach's proximity to ocean waters, bays, estuaries and tidal prisms is subject to a variety of designated beneficial uses per the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board Basin Plan. Of the beneficial uses now defined statewide, the waters surrounding Seal Beach have been identified as having 52 beneficial uses. Due to the importance that the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board has placed on the waters surrounding Seal Beach, it would be appropriate to provide funding to install filters in all catch basins in the City. Project Benefits: Implementing the proposed project as described will result in the following benefits • Gross pollutants will be significantly reduced through the installation of catch basin filters. Currently, any silt, debris, trash or other unsuitable material that finds its way into one of the City catch basins travels to the Pacific Ocean and pollutes coastal waters. Implementing a city catch basin filter program will reduce the amount of gross pollutants entering coastal waters. • The filters will reduce the amount of heavy metals that are currently reaching ocean waters. These heavy metals are the result of automotive usage and careless disposal practices. • Installing the catch basin filters will also capture petroleum products and fecal coliform. Tests have indicated that the filters capture fecal coliform even though they are not specifically designed for that function. • Seal Beach is submitting this grant request because this is a project that can be implemented within six months, requires no special permitting and can be easily designed. If approved, this funding will have a positive impact on the residents and visitors to Seal Beach. Improving water quality will have benefits to the local and regional economy by ensuring the beaches in Orange County remain free of postings and closures. Seal Beach attracts 1.2 million visitors annually and a vast majority of those visitors will partake in activities that require ocean water that is safe and clean. This project provides both environmental and economic benefits. Project Timeline: Task Timeframe Grant request submitted April 1, 2001 Approval of project funding July 1, 2001 Preparation of Request for Proposal August 30, 2001 Award of Proposal September 20, 2001 Installation and inspection November 30, 2001 Cleaning and Testing November 30, 2002 During the cleaning and testing phase, Seal Beach will share the testing data with PFRD and Health Care Agency staff. An annual report will be prepared and submitted to the County that summarizes the results and findings of the catch basin filter project. This report will be helpful in documenting the efforts the City and County have taken to achieve compliance with the NPDES permit. Project Budget: Installation of 90 catch basins @ $375 per filter $33,750 Cleaning of 90 catch basins 21,600 ($60 per cleaning, four times during the initial year) Testing of 9 catch basins 2,160 (10% of the filters tested in the initial year project @ $240 per test)* Project contingency 2,49 Total estimated project cost $60,000 City share** $30,000 Grant fund request $30,000 * Testing will include heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and fecal coliform. ** The City of Seal Beach will also provide project design, bidding and inspection as in kind services.