Item No.
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
BY: MATT BAUMGARDNER, P.E., DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS/CITY
ENGINEER
DATE: SEPTEMBER 23, 2025
SUBJECT: ADOPTION OF A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING TO ENTER INTO AND
APPROVING A COOPERATIVE IMPLEMENTATION AGREEMENT WITH
CALTRANS TO RECEIVE GRANT FUNDS FOR THE FURMAN PARK
STORMWATER CAPTURE AND INFILTRATION PROJECT
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City Council will consider adopting a Resolution authorizing the City to enter into and approving a Cooperative Implementation Agreement with Caltrans to receive grant funds for construction of the Furman Park Stormwater Capture and Infiltration Project. Such grant funding will ensure the City has the funding necessary to implement the project.
RECOMMENDATION
That the City Council:
1.Adopt Resolution No. 25-25-8320, authorizing the City to enter into a Cooperative Implementation Agreement (CIA) with Caltrans to receive grant funds for the Furman Park Stormwater Capture and Infiltration Project;
2.Approve CIA No. D43CIAULA0004 with Caltrans to receive grant funds in the amount of $7,500,000 for the Furman Park Stormwater Capture and Infiltration Project;
3.Authorize the City Manager to execute the CIA including any non-substantive amendments; and,
4.Authorize the City Manager to execute any and all future amendments to the CIA as deemed necessary.
BACKGROUND
Furman Park is located south of and near the downstream end of a major Los Angeles County Flood Control District (LACFCD) storm drain located along in Florence Avenue, which captures dry and wet weather run-off that eventually drains to the Rio Hondo. This storm drain
ADOPTION OF A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DOWNEY AUTHORIZING TO
ENTER INTO AND APPROVING A COOPERATIVE IMPLEMENTATION AGREEMENT WITH CALTRANS
TO RECEIVE GRANT FUNDS FOR THE FURMAN PARK STORMWATER CAPTURE AND INFILTRATION
PROJECT
SEPTEMBER 23, 2025
PAGE 2
line has been identified as needing its dry and wet weather run-off diverted from draining towards the Rio Hondo to be in compliance with bacteria and heavy metals Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) as specified in the City’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit issued by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Los Angeles Region. The MS4 Permit requires the City to reduce the level of pollutants entering the Lower Los Angeles River (LLAR) watershed through the implementation of programs and projects such as regional treatment facilities. The City, along with its partners in the LLAR Watershed Management Group (WMG) developed a Watershed Management Program (WMP) identifying potential locations for regional facilities to capture, treat, and reuse stormwater runoff. One of the locations identified in the WMP is Furman Park. The City subsequently applied for the Safe, Clean Water (SCW) Program call for projects and the Furman Park Stormwater Capture and Infiltration Project was selected by the SCW Program for the design and construction of a subterranean regional stormwater project.
The scope of the project includes: connecting to LACFCD’s 96-inch storm drain pipe at Florence Avenue and Horley Avenue, installation of 36-inch storm drain diversion pipe along Horley Avenue, Irwingrove Drive, and Rives Avenue to the southwest corner of the park, construction of a 7 acre-foot infiltration basin beneath the baseball fields, installation of new baseball fields, field lighting, native landscape and butterfly garden and trail, and new pedestrian lighting along the garden trail.
ANALYSIS
The City recently completed the Furman Park Recycled Water Main Extension and Irrigation System Improvements, which were constructed separate from the stormwater improvements due to the City successfully obtaining Proposition 1 grant funding for the project. The City is now nearing completion of plans and specifications for the Furman Park Stormwater Capture and Infiltration Project and is currently completing the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements.
Given the scope and scale, financing the implementation of such large infiltration projects is a challenge confronting WMG members including the City. Caltrans, like cities and counties, has its own storm water permit and must also meet waste load allocations within the LLAR watershed. Caltrans maintains an extensive transportation network but has limited right-of- way to implement projects at the scale required to meet compliance. In order to meet its waste load allocations, Caltrans enters into cooperative agreements to provide grant funds for implementation of stormwater mitigation projects in exchange for a proportionate share of TMDL credits to help meet Caltrans’ NPDES requirements.
Both the City and Caltrans have expressed interest in partnering together in the implementation of the Furman Park Stormwater Capture and Infiltration project. To that end,
ADOPTION OF A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DOWNEY AUTHORIZING TO
ENTER INTO AND APPROVING A COOPERATIVE IMPLEMENTATION AGREEMENT WITH CALTRANS
TO RECEIVE GRANT FUNDS FOR THE FURMAN PARK STORMWATER CAPTURE AND INFILTRATION
PROJECT
SEPTEMBER 23, 2025
PAGE 3
Caltrans would provide $7.5 million in grant funds to the City for completion of the project in exchange for sharing waste load reduction allocations.
In order to execute such cooperative agreements with cities, Caltrans requires the adoption of a resolution authorizing the City to enter into such agreement. The attached resolution (Attachment A) therefore authorizes the City to enter into Cooperative Implementation Agreement (CIA) No. D43CIAULA0004 with Caltrans for $7.5 million in grant funds and an approximate 30 percent share of the waste load allocations. This still allows the City to meet its overall stormwater compliance requirements when combined with future projects. Given the opportunity to share in the high cost of implanting this large-scale infiltration project, Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the attached resolution authorizing the City to enter into CIA No. D43CIAULA0004 with Caltrans to receive grant funds for the Furman Park Stormwater Capture and Infiltration Project.
CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES
Fiscal Responsibility
Efficiency and Adaptability
Quality of Life, Safety & Infrastructure
FISCAL IMPACT
Adoption of the resolution and subsequent execution of the CIA will provide $7.5 million in grant funds to the City in exchange for sharing waste load reduction allocations. Entering into the CIA with Caltrans will therefore reduce the City’s share of the construction costs to implement the project by $7.5 million.
The estimated project costs for the project are shown in the following table:
Description Amount
Engineering Design $1,100,000
Construction Management $1,500,000
Construction $21,550,000
Total Estimated Project Cost: $24,150,000
There is sufficient fund balance available for these improvements in the following account following appropriation of the Caltrans funding:
ADOPTION OF A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DOWNEY AUTHORIZING TO
ENTER INTO AND APPROVING A COOPERATIVE IMPLEMENTATION AGREEMENT WITH CALTRANS
TO RECEIVE GRANT FUNDS FOR THE FURMAN PARK STORMWATER CAPTURE AND INFILTRATION
PROJECT
SEPTEMBER 23, 2025
PAGE 4
Account No. Funding Source Amount
50-1-4016
CIP 22-14, Furman Park Stormwater Capture
and Infiltration Project $16,650,000
50-1-4016
Caltrans Cooperative Agreement (to be
appropriated) $ 7,500,000
Total Available Funding: $24,150,000
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Resolution No. 25-25-8320, authorizing the City to enter into a CIA with Caltrans to receive grant funds for the Furman Park Stormwater Capture and Infiltration Project