June 9, 2026
Agenda Item No. 11
TO:
HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:
Mark Vukojevic, Utilities Director - 949-644-3011, [email protected] PREPARED BY:
Joshua Rosenbaum, Senior Management Analyst - 949-644-3057, [email protected] TITLE:
Amendment No. One to Service Agreement with Ocean Blue Environmental Services for Citywide Storm Drain Cleaning Services ABSTRACT:
The Utilities Department oversees the maintenance and operation of the City of Newport Beach’s storm drain infrastructure, including pipelines, catch basins, trash capture devices, v-ditches and tide gate valves. These assets are serviced through a strategic mix of City staff and contractors. Separately, the Municipal Operations Department manages the City’s new floating trash wheel in the San Diego Creek. To support continued post-storm cleanup at the trash wheel site and increased storm drain cleaning, the department is requesting City Council approval for a $600,000 contract increase for a new not-to-exceed amount of $3,185,000 with Ocean Blue Environmental Services, Inc.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
a) Determine this action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) and 15060(c)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines because this action will not result in a physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly; and b) Approve Contract Amendment No. One to Maintenance/ Repair Services Agreement with Ocean Blue Environmental Services, Inc. for Citywide Storm Drain System Cleaning Services (Contract No. 9578-1) to increase the contract amount by $600,000 for a new contract not-to-exceed amount of $3,185,000, and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute the Amendment.
DISCUSSION:
The Utilities Department maintains the City’s storm drain system through a strategic combination of in-house personnel and external contractors. Routine inspections, cleanings and repairs are vital to ensuring reliable flood protection and advancing the City’s commitment to improving water quality in the harbor and ocean.
The infrastructure encompasses 100 miles of pipeline, 3,000 catch basins, and an array of specialized equipment—including 26 trash capture devices, 30,000 linear feet of v-ditches, and 400 modern connector pipe screens. The majority of maintenance efforts and costs are concentrated on the cleaning and upkeep of the catch basins, trash capture devices, storm drain structures, and v-ditches. Ocean Blue was the selected contractor through a competitive process and approved by City Council on April 23, 2024.
Additionally, the Public Works and Municipal Operations Departments successfully deployed the new floating trash wheel interceptor in the San Diego Creek. This innovative system captures and removes floating debris before it can enter the environmentally sensitive Upper Newport Bay. While the interceptor performed well overall, significant accumulations of vegetative matter gathered upstream, requiring staff in small boats to manually break down the debris before it could enter the conveyor system.
To address this challenge during the recent rainy season, Municipal Operations utilized the Utilities Department’s contractor, Ocean Blue Environmental Services, Inc., to assist with post-storm cleaning of the upstream vegetation and booms. The contractor’s services proved highly effective and will remain essential for future storm events. Consequently, staff requests City Council approval of a contract amendment adding $600,000 to the current agreement with Ocean Blue to cover the current fiscal year and the subsequent three-year contract term. This includes $125,000 annually ($500,000 total) dedicated to post-storm debris management for the interceptor system, and an additional $25,000 annually ($100,000 total) for Utilities' storm drain system services.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The adopted budget and the proposed FY 2026-27 Utilities Department budget include sufficient funding for citywide storm drain cleaning services. Funded by the General Fund, a total of $493,000 is budgeted for the upcoming fiscal year within the Storm Drain Contract Services account (0109062-811024) and the Maintenance Storm Drains account (0109062-851039).
Cleaning services for the floating trash wheel interceptor were previously expensed to the Public Works General Fund Trash Wheel account (0108541-851016). For the upcoming fiscal year, the newly created Municipal Operations Department has budgeted $100,000 from the Environmental Liability Fund Maintenance and Repair Services Building account (16003-851016) to support these operations. Because these services are performed on an on-call basis, actual expenditures will depend on the severity of future rain events and resulting debris loads. If the upcoming rainy season requires services beyond this allocation, staff will seek a separate budget amendment. The higher contract ceiling requested in this amendment is intended to provide administrative contingency over the life of the agreement.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
Staff recommends the City Council find this action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly.
NOTICING:
The agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at which the City Council considers the item).
ATTACHMENT:
Attachment A – Amendment No. One to Maintenance/ Repair Services Agreement with Ocean Blue Environmental Services, inc. for Citywide Storm Drain System Cleaning Services Amendment No. One to Service Agreement with Ocean Blue Environmental Services for Citywide Storm Drain Cleaning Services June 9, 2026
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