July 31, 2023
TO: Long Beach City Mayor, Mr. Rex Richardson
Long Beach City Council Members
Long Beach City Manager, Mr. Thomas B. Modica
CC: Long Beach City Clerk, Monique De La Garza
FROM: Friends of Alamitos Bay
Re: Urgency and Actions to Save Alamitos Bay
On behalf of the Long Beach residents we represent, and the businesses, boaters, paddlers, swimmers and wildlife that would be severely impacted by the environmental and economic disaster that appears to be in the making in Alamitos Bay and the Colorado Lagoon, we submit this correspondence to express our concerns and requests for the City Council to take specific actions to Save Alamitos Bay and support the ongoing health of this important regional ecosystem.
As you are aware from several studies and presentations provided to (and by) the City of Long Beach, due to the State ordered phase out of Once Through Cooling (OTC) at the Alamitos Bay's AES generating station, the environmental quality and marine life in and around Alamitos Bay and Colorado Lagoon are in great jeopardy. For more than 55 years, Alamitos Bay AES OTC operations have supplemented water circulation through Alamitos Bay providing increased tidal flushing, low water residence times and enhanced water quality enjoyed by tens of thousands that reside, work, and recreate in the area, and the marine wildlife that are supported through this ecosystem.
Most recently our concerns regarding the potential for disaster in the Alamitos Bay have been heightened by several issues including: the December 31, 2023 deadline for OTC phase out; the lack of progress of the City's Alamitos Bay Water Quality Enhancement (ABWQE) Project which was created as a solution to maintain the water quality in Alamitos Bay, following termination of OTC pump operations; and extended time typically required for capital development projects, such as the replacement pump identified in the ABWQE Project.
For those of us that follow the OTC phase out, we appreciate the City's creation of the ABWQE Project. We are however keenly aware that: 1) The ABWQE Project has not been fully funded, and is not progressing in a timely manner to mitigate harm to the Alamitos Bay and adjacent environment; 2) Three of six AES pumps have been taken out of service, raising concern that the supplemental tidal flow provided by these pumps has been reduced and water quality conditions in and around Alamitos Bay have begun to deteriorate; 3) The State Water Resources Control Board is considering an extension for AES OTC operations, however the approval will not guarantee consistent or sufficient pumping operations to mitigate environmental deterioration in Alamitos Bay; and 4) Alamitos Bay supports a substantial economic base that could be severely damaged should environmental conditions be allowed to deteriorate as described in the reports provided to the City by Moffatt & Nichol, and summarized in the City Manager's October 26, 2020 ABWQE Project Update memo to the City Council.
To address our concerns and prevent environmental and economic deterioration in and around Alamitos Bay, we urge the City Council to immediately resolve to:
1) Support and advocate for the proposed amendment to the State Water Resources Control Board's Water Quality Control Policy on the Use of Coastal and Estuarine Waters for Power Plant Cooling, to extend the OTC Policy compliance date for the AES Alamitos Generating Stations through December 31, 2026. This amendment will be considered at the State Water Resources Control Board meeting on Tuesday, August 15, 2023.
Rev. 7/29/23 GGM
2) Prioritize necessary funding for OTC pump replacement and operation as proposed in the City's ABWQE Project to ensure the water residence times in Alamitos Bay and the Colorado Lagoon remain at or below the lowest levels documented in the City of Long Beach Alamitos Bay Water Quality Enhancement Report - Modeling and Alternative Analysis for Water Quality Improvements in Alamitos Bay, August 2019.
3) Ensure that the remaining AES pumps are continuously operated to support the water quality in Alamitos Bay and Colorado Lagoon at the standard our community, marine wildlife and visitors to our area have the right to expect and are accustomed to.
4) Provide for a water quality monitoring program to regularly assess and provide public information and transparency of the environmental conditions in Alamitos Bay and the Colorado Lagoon.
We urge you to Save Alamitos Bay! Long Beach families, businesses, visitors, and marine wildlife are depending on your leadership and timely attention to address this urgent matter.
We look forward to following the City Council's consideration and follow through of this request.
Respectfully,
Friends of Alamitos Bay
Greg Magnuson, Resident Way Pre fakmakjan, Resident Johy Foefinger, Resident Rainer Rahauser, President, Daye Auft, President/
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