Administrative
Report
N.2., File # 22-4424 Meeting Date: 7/19/2022
To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: TED SEMAAN, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
TITLE
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING THE BEACH CITIES WATERSHED MANAGEMENT GROUP’S ENHANCED WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PROGRAM (EWMP)
RECEIVE AND FILE A REPORT ON THE NEXT STEPS FOR EWMP IMPLEMENTATION
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
On November 8, 2012, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board) adopted the 2012 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit (Permit) for discharges from the many municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4) in its jurisdiction. By virtue of the City’s ownership of a public storm drain system, the City is subject to requirements of the MS4 Permit. The City of Redondo Beach, in collaboration with the Cities of Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and Torrance, along with the Los Angeles County Flood Control District, formed the Beach Cities Watershed Management Group (Beach Cities Group) to develop an Enhanced Watershed Management Program (EWMP) to comply with the MS4 Permit requirements. The City Council approved the first EWMP on June 16, 2015 and approved the updated EWMP on June 8, 2021. The City’s Strategic Plan contains an objective to review the status of the group’s EWMP and provide a report to City Council on the next steps for implementation.
The EWMP contains a review of some MS4 Permit requirements applicable to the various watersheds to which the City discharges storm water, and proposed programs and structural improvements to meet these requirements along with their associated timelines. Due to its length, the complete 2021 Updated EWMP is not attached but is available for download and review at the City’s Public Works Department Engineering Services Division Environmental Programs web page at Beach Cities Enhanced Watershed Management Plan
<https://www.redondo.org/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?t=40665.95&BlobID=39451>. The link will also connect to the Reasonable Assurance Analysis (RAA), which is the calculation “engine” that determines whether the compilation of programs and projects meet the MS4 Permit requirements on a watershed basis.
Regional Water Board staff have preliminarily approved the updated EWMP, though the Beach Cities Group is still waiting for an official approval from the Regional Board. Despite that, staff has been working diligently on the implementation of the updated EWMP and has been successful in completing numerous distributed green street projects and obtaining Safe Clean Water Regional competitive grant project funding for larger regional projects. The recent adoption of the City’s FY 2022-23 budget included $762,500 towards EWMP Implementation, Job No. 60150, including $500,000 toward the City’s contribution to the multi-agency Alondra Park Project being led by the
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County in the Dominguez Watershed. In addition, the City’s FY 2022-23 budget included $458,000 for engineering design work associated with the Fulton Playfield Infiltration Project in the Herondo Watershed.
BACKGROUND
On November 8, 2012, the Regional Board adopted the 2012 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit Order No. R4-2012-0175, NPDES No. CAS004001 for discharges from the municipal separate storm sewer system. The Beach Cities Group was formed to develop a joint EWMP to comply with requirements of the Board's 2012 MS4 Permit, the Santa Monica Bay Beaches Bacteria TMDL, the Santa Monica Bay Toxics TMDL, and the Dominguez Channel Watershed TMDL.
The Redondo Beach City Council approved the watershed-wide EWMP on June 16, 2015 and authorized the submittal to the Board. The Beach Cities Group obtained Board approval of the EWMP on April 18, 2016. A requirement of the Permit is that the Permittees submit an updated EWMP by June 30, 2021 in accordance with the adaptive management process, therefore, the Council approved the Updated EWMP on June 8, 2021. The Beach Cities Group’s updated EWMP hasn’t been officially approved by the Board yet, however they have issued a “deemed compliance” letter to cover the period until the formal approval is issued.
The updated EWMP identifies strategies and Best Management Practices that, when implemented individually by jurisdictions, or collectively at a watershed scale, will address water quality concerns.
Regional projects are centralized projects located near the downstream ends of large drainage areas and receive large volumes of runoff from the upstream tributary area that typically occupies multiple jurisdictions. Runoff is typically diverted to regional projects after it has entered the storm drain system and is routed to public parcels for infiltration. This is in contrast to local or distributed projects, which tend to treat surface runoff closer to its source.
The updated EWMP assesses the current status of the watershed’s implemented projects and programs, and evaluates the need to make adjustments based on meeting targeted water quality reductions. The most significant component of the EWMP is the development of watershed-wide regional projects with the goal of achieving the desired pollutant reduction levels primarily through the infiltration of large amounts of dry and wet weather urban runoff.
In addition, the update includes a review of water quality priorities with an analysis of all applicable water quality data, confirming the various water quality priorities, performing the required analyses for completion of the Reasonable Assurance Analysis, and determining existing and potential control measures to identify all stormwater controls that were analyzed as part of the updated EWMP. The RAA iteratively analyzes various BMP scenarios in targeted watersheds to seek to identify a project implementation strategy that demonstrates reasonable assurance of compliance while also meeting the Beach Cities needs with respect to siting, funding, and scheduling.
The updated EWMP incorporates newly available monitoring data. The Beach Cities Group has been implementing a Coordinated Integrated Monitoring Program since 2016 to cost-effectively coordinate the collection of watershed-specific stormwater quality and flow data. Additionally, Santa Monica Bay Beaches Bacteria Coordinated Shoreline Monitoring data has been collected consistently since 2005. The updated EWMP incorporates both sets of applicable data. The updated EWMP also utilized the recently updated, county-wide RAA modeling tool and was calibrated and validated by the new RAA model. The results identified new, multi-benefit regional EWMP projects that emphasize regional and distributed multi-benefit projects, including green streets, that seek to
N.2., File # 22-4424 Meeting Date: 7/19/2022
that emphasize regional and distributed multi-benefit projects, including green streets, that seek to maximize community benefits and amplify other environmental objectives. The structural projects located in Redondo Beach that are included in the updated EWMP with a project status are summarized below.
Fulton Playfield Infiltration Regional Project
Fulton Playfield is an open green space at the southeast intersection of Ripley Avenue and Rindge Lane. The playfield is adjacent to an 8.5-foot by 10-foot LACFCD storm drain that runs under Ripley Avenue and connects directly to the Herondo Storm Drain on 190th St. An underground flood control retention basin underlies the western half of the playfield and provides approximately 6.4 acre-feet of passive storage to help relieve flooding during storm events. Approximately 440 acres of the City of Redondo Beach and 25 acres of the City of Manhattan Beach are tributary to the basin.
The Project proposes to add infiltration elements to the existing flood control basin in order to transform it into a multi-benefit regional project while maintaining its flood control capacity and function. Infiltration will be accomplished via the addition of drywells to the eastern portion of the playfield. The project will include a control system for the inlet-outlet structure of the basin to manage and optimize the storage and infiltration capacity of the project. The total 24-hour management volume provided by these distributed BMPs will be 29 acre-feet. The Project will also incorporate a variety of other benefits. Parkway greening via the installation of rain gardens is proposed along the southeasterly side of Ripley Avenue to capture and treat street flows that aren’t currently tributary to the Project. Park enhancements at the playfield, such as playground equipment or outdoor exercise equipment, are also being considered.
Current status - The Fulton Playfield Project was recently selected by the South Santa Monica Bay Watershed Steering Committee to be awarded $4,292,138 from the competitive SCW (Measure W) Regional Funding Program. The Oversite Committee voted to approve the Committee’s recommendations and send them to the Board for approval. An agreement for the funds is expected to be received in the Fall of 2022.
Beach Cities Joint Green Streets Project
This project includes the installation of distributed green infrastructure in six distinct areas of the Herondo Watershed. In total, the Project will capture, treat, and/or infiltrate runoff from approximately 167 acres, including tributary areas from all four Beach Cities member cities. The project is intended to be a multi-benefit project that will address multiple pollutants of concern, including trash, bacteria, and more. It will also include neighborhood greening elements, where feasible. The green street locations in Redondo include Anita Street between Flagler Lane and N. Lucia Avenue and compose approximately 16 acres of drainage area. In addition, the project includes the Ford Avenue Corridor including residential and commercial areas along Belmont Lane, Pullman Lane, Ford Avenue, Goodman Avenue, and Steinhart Avenue, composing approximately 31 acres of total tributary area.
Current Status - In 2018, the Beach Cities Joint Green Street project was awarded $2,000,000 in Proposition 12 Santa Monica Bay Restoration Grant funding by the California Coastal Conservancy and the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission for design and construction of the project, with the remainder of project costs to be matched by the Beach Cities Group. The agencies executed a cost sharing MOU to jointly fund the matching design and construction costs, and thus far each has
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cost sharing MOU to jointly fund the matching design and construction costs, and thus far each has contributed an equal share of $137,500 in matching funds for design.
Redondo Beach Herondo Watershed Distributed Infiltration Project The City proposes to implement a series of distributed infiltration BMPs (e.g., drywells, porous gutters, porous crosswalks, porous parking lanes, bioswales, etc.) within the Herondo Storm Drain watershed. The total 24-hour management volume provided by these distributed BMPs will be at least 16.3 acre-feet. Formal design of the project is yet to begin.
Redondo Beach Dominguez Channel Distributed Infiltration Project This project will implement a series of distributed infiltration BMPs (e.g., drywells, porous gutters, porous crosswalks, porous parking lanes, bioswales, etc.) within the Dominguez Channel Watershed to meet the target load reduction. Based on RAA results, the total 24-hour management volume provided by these BMPs will be 8.3 acre-ft.
Current Status - Staff has constructed city-wide distributed green street projects by utilizing the City’s street rehabilitation program and adding green street features into the street projects (infiltration dry wells, porous gutters, porous asphalt parking lanes). To date, twenty-two distributed street rehabilitation/green street projects have been completed. Ten projects have been completed in the Santa Monica Bay watershed addressing a combined area of 47.76 acres with a combined storage capacity of 3.34-acre feet. Twelve have been completed in the Dominguez Channel watershed, addressing a combined area of 134.83 acres with a combined storage capacity of 5.51-acre feet.
Many other distributed green streets are currently in the planning phase.
Alondra Park Stormwater Capture Regional Project
This Project is a multi-benefit stormwater project proposed at Alondra Park, a large park located in the unincorporated County area of EI Camino Village. The park is under the jurisdiction of Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation. The project has been strategically located in the 13.5-acre park space in the northwest corner of the site. The Project provides the opportunity to capture dry weather flows and stormwater and improve water quality by diverting flows from LACFCD storm drains into underground storage galleries totaling 34-acre-feet in total capacity. The captured flows are proposed to be diverted from the galleries into an existing sewer system because infiltration is not feasible due to soil conditions. During storm events when flows are higher than sewer capacity, water will be treated before being diverted back to the storm drain. Bioswales with native plants will replace existing turf areas along Manhattan Beach Boulevard, providing new habitat and a natural way to slow and treat stormwater and dry weather runoff. The parking lots will be reconstructed with permeable pavement and bioswales. New trees will be planted throughout the park to provide shade and bolster the performance of other green infrastructure.
The cities of Manhattan and Redondo Beach collectively account for approximately 1,424 acres (29%) of the tributary area to the Alondra Park Stormwater Capture Project. As project partners, the two cities will receive a portion of water quality benefits from the overall project, proportional to their drainage area. The cities will receive additional credit if they provide additional funding to the project that may be available from competitive grants and other outside sources. Manhattan Beach is estimated to receive 1.56-acre-feet of storage credit and Redondo Beach is estimated to receive 5.08
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estimated to receive 1.56-acre-feet of storage credit and Redondo Beach is estimated to receive 5.08 -acre-feet of storage credit.
Current Status - The SCW Regional Funding program awarded $30 million dollars to the Regional Alondra Park Project. Redondo has committed to contributing $500,000 from the City’s Municipal SCW Funding to the Project for additional stormwater capture credits to be used for EWMP compliance. A partnership agreement between all agencies is currently being reviewed through the City Attorney’s Office.
Glen Anderson Park Regional Infiltration Project
This park is adjacent to a LACFCD 78-inch storm drain pipe that runs under Vail Avenue.
Approximately 480 acres of area within the Dominguez Channel watershed is tributary to this storm drain at the point it flows past Glen Anderson Park in Redondo Beach. The proposed Park Regional Infiltration Project will provide infiltration via underground infiltration zones with drywells and other green features. Pretreatment will be provided following diversion from the Vail Avenue storm drain.
Based on RAA results, the total 24-hour management volume provided by the project will be 9.4 acre -ft.
Current Status - Staff is planning to submit an application for 2022 SCW competitive regional funding program funds to cover design and planning for the Glen Anderson Regional Infiltration Park Project.
The application is due July 31, 2022.
EWMP Project Implementation & Funding
The availability of funds is critical for the successful implementation of the EWMP. The total estimated capital cost for the Beach Cities Group EWMP structural projects is a range of $64,350,000 - $72,970,000, with the projects physically located in Redondo Beach estimated at $18,180,000 - $21,980,000. Staff has been working on implementing the above listed projects by utilizing dedicated Safe Clean Water (SCW) Municipal funding, other in-house funding sources where appropriated, and pursuing SCW Regional funding whenever possible. The table below summarizes the total cost estimates for each proposed structural BMP in Redondo Beach, which are composed of the cost to construct or implement each structural BMP plus the associated annual O&M and monitoring costs.
Cost Estimates for Projects Funded by Redondo Beach
Project: Estimated Capital Cost: Annual
O&M
Monitoring
Cost:
Fulton Playfield Infiltration- FUNDED - SCW PROGRAM $1,995,000 - $2,625,000 $45,000 $35,000 Herondo Watershed Distributed Infiltration $3,230,000 - $4,250,000 $70,000 $55,000 Beach Cities Green Streets PARTIAL FUNDED - PROP 12
RESTORATION GRANT
$1,000,000 - $1,500,000 $5,000 $10,000
Alondra Park Regional Stormwater Capture FUNDED -
SCW PROGRAM
$6,730,000 $44,500 N/A
Dominguez Channel Distributed Infiltration $2,090,000 - $2,750,000 $45,000 $35,000 Glen Anderson Infiltration Park Regional Infiltration $3,135,000 - $4,125,000 $65,000 $50,000 TOTAL $18,180,000 - $21,980,000 $269,500 $175,000
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The Updated EWMP includes planning-level cost estimates for the implementation of the proposed structural BMPs based on results from the RAA. Estimated costs are presented as an aid for decision making, and contain considerable uncertainties. Given the many variables associated with the projects, the cost estimates include a wide range and are subject to change based on sitespecific BMP feasibility assessment findings, final design, and the results of outfall and receiving water monitoring data. Project implementation details and cost-sharing mechanisms are yet to be determined. It is anticipated that the Beach Cities’ individual contributions to the projects would be based on their relative proportional geographic tributary areas.
COORDINATION
This project was coordinated by the Public Works Engineering Division
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with the preparation of this report. EWMP project costs are identified above.
APPROVED BY:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager