City Council Agenda Report
November 7, 2023
TO: Honorable City Council
FROM: Jesus M. Gomez, City Manager
BY: Glen W.C. Kau, P.E., Director of Public Services/City Engineer Jacqueline Koontz, Senior Civil Engineer
SUBJECT: RESOLUTION NO. 23-65 -– APPOINTING A MEMBER AND ALTERNATE TO
THE GOVERNING BOARD AND AGREEMENT WITH THE LOS ANGELES
GATEWAY REGION INTEGRATED REGIONAL WATER MANAGEMENT JOINT
POWERS AUTHORITY FOR COST SHARING FOR THE INSTALLATION OF
MONITORING EQUIPMENT AND MONITORING PURSUANT TO THE HARBOR
TOXIC POLLUTANTS TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOADS
Background:
In 2011, a group of cities/agencies, also known as watershed “Permittees,” including the City of Norwalk created a Technical Committee to prepare an Implementation Plan, Monitoring Plan, and special studies for the Coyote Creek and San Gabriel River Reach 1 cities, as required by the Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board). The watershed group entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Gateway Water Management Authority (GWMA). The GWMA has been the acting administrator for the group, per the MOU, as of June 2012. Funds were collected and expended for the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) work.
In May 2013, the TMDL Committee plus additional representatives of cities/agencies in the San Jose Creek Reach 2 and Reach 3 of the San Gabriel River changed the name of the TMDL Committee. The new Lower San Gabriel River Watershed (LSGR) Committee name was to reflect the expanded duties and members. The newly formed LSGR Committee began to work together to meet the requirements under the Regional Board, Los Angeles Region, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Permit Order No. R4-2012-0175 (MS4 Permit).
GMWA Board Representation
Per the MOU, each city/agency is represented by one primary Board Member and up to three alternates on the GWMA Board. In accordance with to GWMA’s Bylaws adopted on October 12, 2015, all non-Legislative Body appointments to the GWMA Board must be done by
City Council November 7, 2023
Resolution No. 23-65 - Board Appointments
Gateway Cost Sharing Agreement Harbor Toxics
Page No. 2
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0 Resolution. GWMA Board Members and alternate Board Members serve two-year terms beginning October 1st of each odd-numbered year and concluding on September 30th two years later. Resolution No. 23-65 would designate a Board Member and alternate Board Member(s) to serve continuously across successive two-year terms such that the governing body need not re-appoint the same persons to the GWMA Board every two years, unless the governing body desires to change its designated Board Member and/or alternate Board Member or must otherwise fill a vacancy. The City has vacancies for Board Member and Alternate Members.
Agreement with GWMA for Harbor Toxic Pollutants TMDLs
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) via the Clean Water Act assists states, territories, and authorized tribes in listing impaired waters and developing TMDLs for these waterbodies. A TMDL establishes the maximum amount of a pollutant allowed in a waterbody and serves as the starting point or planning tool for restoring water quality.
The USEPA established the TMDL for Toxic Pollutants on March 23, 2012, with the intent of protecting and improving water quality in the Dominguez Channel and the Greater Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbor Waters (Harbor Toxic Pollutants TMDL). The Harbor Toxic Pollutants TMDL regulates certain discharges from NPDES MS4 permit holders (MS4 Permitees) requiring organization and cooperation among the group.
The MS4 Permitees are the cities of Artesia, Bell, Bell Gardens, Bellflower, Cerritos, Commerce, Compton, Cudahy, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, Huntington Park, La Mirada, Lakewood, Long Beach, Lynwood, Maywood, Montebello, Norwalk, Paramount, Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs, Signal Hill, South Gate, Vernon, Whittier, Water Replenishment District, Central Basin Municipal Water District, Port of Long Beach, and the Long Beach Water Department.
MS4 Permittees desired to achieve the objectives of the Harbor Toxic Pollutants TMDL. In 2018, they executed an additional agreement, separate from the MOU, with the GWMA to install a monitoring station in the Los Angeles River at Wardlow Road, monitoring station in the San Gabriel River near Spring Street, and monitoring station in the Coyote Creek, also near Spring Street. These monitoring stations will ensure consistency with other regional monitoring programs and usability with other TMDL related studies. The 2018 agreement also covered maintenance of the monitoring stations and administrative coordination for the various MS4 Permittees by GWMA. The 2018 original agreement with GWMA expired in June of 2023.
Fiscal Impact:
The City, an MS4 Permittee, will pay no more than the following amounts for each of the three fiscal years listed below:
Fiscal Year 2023-2024: $4,212.45
Fiscal Year 2024-2025: $4,230.68
Fiscal Year 2025-2026: $4,329.98
City Council November 7, 2023
Resolution No. 23-65 - Board Appointments
Gateway Cost Sharing Agreement Harbor Toxics
Page No. 3
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0 Citizens Advised:
N/A
Strategic Plan 2023 Implementation:
N/A
Recommended Action:
Staff recommends City Council:
a. adopt Resolution No. 23-65, A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF NORWALK APPOINTING A MEMBER AND ALTERNATE TO THE LOS ANGELES
GATEWAY REGION INTEGRATED REGIONAL WATER MANAGEMENT JOINT POWERS AUTHORITY GOVERNING BOARD; and
b. approve an amendment to the agreement with the Los Angeles Gateway Region Integrated Regional Water Management Joint Powers Authority, for three additional years up to June 30, 2026, for an amount not-to-exceed $12,773.11, and authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement, provided there is funding in the budget, on behalf of the City, in a form approved by the City Attorney.
Attachments:
Resolution No. 23-65