“Provide a safe and reliable transportation network that serves all people and respects the environment” Division of Environmental Analysis
SACRAMENTO, CA 94273 –0001
www.dot.ca.gov
November 28, 2023 Sent via email; no hard copy to follow
Ms. Siew Chin Yeong
Assistant Director of Public Works
City of Oakland
Mr. Thomas Mumley
Assistant Executive Officer
San Francisco Regional Water Board
Subject: Caltrans Grant Funding Commitment - Oakland Trash Capture Projects
Caltrans is fully committed to funding the City of Oakland regional partnership projects that will provide multi- pollutant removal of Trash, Polyc hlorinated Biphenyls, and Mercury from stormwater before discharging to the San Francisco Bay.
The City of Oakland is subject to the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board’s (Water Board’s) Municipal Regional Stormwater National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit (MRP). Under the updated MRP, known as MRP 3.0, Bay Area cities within the MRP jurisdiction must reduce the amount of trash discharging from their storm drainage systems by 100 percent by June 30, 2025.
Caltrans is required to prevent the discharge of trash from 8,910 acres in accordance with the San Francisco Bay Water Board issued trash discharge Cease and Desist Order (CDO) (No. R2 -2019-0007 as amended by R2- 2021-0030) by 2026. Further, Caltrans is required to reduce PCB and Mercury loading from 2,970 acres of ROW tributary to the San Francisco Bay in accordance with Attachment D of the Caltrans NPDES Permit
(Order 2022-0033-DWQ).
Caltrans and Oakland entered into two agreements whereby the City of Oakland committed to design, advertise, award, and administer two regional partnership project contracts for Hydrodynamic Separators that treat both Caltrans and Oakland stormwater runoff. Given the significant water quality benefit of the Mandela trash capture project, and that it serves an economically challenged area of the city , San Francisco Bay Water Board agreed to grant Caltrans 127 acres of Alternative Compliance Credit (ACC) to substantiate the Caltrans investment relative to compliance generation.
Ms. Yeong, Mr. Mumley
November 28th, 2023
“Provide a safe and reliable transportation network that serves all people and respects the environment” Caltrans will claim the ACCs toward the 2024 CDO trash control compliance benchmark for Caltrans areas where there are no feasible on or off right -of-way trash controls , as allowed by the CDO.
The following table describes the minimum funding gap commitment that will be needed, and that Caltrans will authorize, to align with the engineer’s estimate.
Additional funds may be needed should bids exceed the engineer’s estimate. Caltrans is committed to work with the City of Oakland for any additional funding that may be needed to award the two contracts.
Project Caltrans Capital &
Support Funding
to Date
Oakland Capital
Cost Estimate to
Advertise
Caltrans Minimum
Funding Gap
Commitment
Mandela HDS1
D43CIAOAK0001
Project 1006066
$4,805,185 $3,994,650 $87,833
Cary HDS2
D43CIAOAK0002
Project 1006466
$3,200,000 $3,185,930 $786,145
Total $8,005,185 $7,180,580 $873,978
1. Mandela Ave Cooperative Implementation Agreement (CIA) executed on June 4, 2021 and amended for additional funding on July 1, 2023.
2. Cary Ave CIA executed on June 24, 2022.
The following table outlines the environmental benefits to San Francisco Bay.
Project Oakland Trash,
Compliance
Credits (Acres)
Caltrans Trash,
Compliance
Credits (Acres)
Mandela HDS
D43CIAOAK0001
Project 1006066
610 16
+127 ACC
143
Cary HDS
D43CIAOAK0002
Project 1006466
739 38
Total 1,349 181
The Caltrans NPDES Permit allows an acreage credit of three times the credit recognized for Caltrans funded regional partnership projects that reduce PCB and Mercury loading in old industrial areas. Caltrans and Oakland will work with the San Francisco Bay Water Board individually to determine appropriate PCB and mercury reduction crediting toward their respective stormwater NPDES permit requirements based on the land uses within the treatment shed and removal efficiencies of the installed devices.
Ms. Yeong, Mr. Mumley
November 28th, 2023
“Provide a safe and reliable transportation network that serves all people and respects the environment”
Caltrans is dedicated to working alongside our regulatory, environmental advocacy, and municipal partners to deliver structural control projects that protect and restore water quality.
Sincerely,
ELIZABETH A. DOOHER
Acting Chief Environmental Engineer
Acting Assistant Division Chief
Caltrans HQ Division of Environmental Analysis
Cc: Eileen White, San Francisco Bay Water Board, Executive Officer Keith Lichten, San Francisco Water Board Division Manager, Watershe d Mgmt Derek Beauduy, San Francisco Water Board Engineer, Watershed Management Qi Yan, San Francisco Water Board Engineer, Watershed Management Jeremy Ketchum, Caltrans HQ Division Chief, Environmental Analysis Terri Fashing, City of Oakland, Stormwater Division and DD Program Manager Dave Ambuehl , Caltrans District 4 , Chief Deputy District Director Leah Budu – Caltrans District 4 , Deputy District Director , Maintenance Chris Caputo , Deputy District Director, Caltrans District 4 , Environmental Hardeep Takhar, Caltrans District 4 , Supervising Engineer, Water Quality Tiffany Pham, City of Oakland, Bureau of Design and Construction Jennifer Stern, City of Oakland, Bureau of Design and Construction