Safe, Clean Water Program(Measure W)

Presented to the City of Rancho Palos

Verdes

March 17, 2020

John Hunter

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Porter Cologne Water Quality Act (CA)

1969

Clean Water Act (Fed)

1972

First MS4 Permit

1991

4th MS4 Permit

2012

City joined 4 other agencies to develop a Watershed

Management Program

2014

WMP and CIMP approved 2015A Brief History

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Current MS4 Permit

• The cost to implement the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permit has been estimated to be as high as $20 billion throughout LA County

• Since the first MS4 Permit in 1991, there had been no source of funding

• In 2015, Los Angeles County spearheaded the “Clean Beach Initiative” to establish a parcel fee to fund stormwater regional projects; this measure failed to make the 2016 ballot

• Rancho Palos Verdes meets with the Palos Verdes Peninsula Watershed Management Group every month to collaborate on programs, projects, and reporting for the whole Peninsula

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Measure W Safe Clean Water (SCW) Program

• In 2018, California was suffering through its seventh consecutive drought year

• Measure W was placed on the LA County ballot to provide funding for the capture and treatment of stormwater runoff (which would improve stormwater quality)

• The measure was approved by voters with 69.45 % of the vote

• Safe Clean Water (SCW) Program

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SCW Fees• Starting in October 2019 , LA County property owners began seeing a new fee

on their property tax bill

• This fee is a complicated formula based on the amount of impervious area (roofs, driveways, etc.) on the parcel (2.5¢ per square foot of impermeable area)

• In general, this fee will be $65 to $90 per year for the average single-family home

• Property owners can estimate their fee at: https://safecleanwaterla.org/calculator/

Note: LA County used aerial photography and LIDAR to assess each parcel; property owners that feel the assessment was incorrect can appeal directly to the County

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SCW Exemptions

• Schools and municipal properties are exempt

• Low income seniors can file for an exemption (must be the owner and resident of the Single-Family Residential parcel)

• Parcels that already have stormwater treatment systems (permeable pavement, bioswale, rain garden) can file for partial credit, but that will have to be recertified bi-annually

• Exemption requests will need to be filed directly with the County

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SCW Revenue

• County-wide, this measure is anticipated to generate $265 million to $285 million annually

• 50% (approximately $18 million) of the revenue will go to the South Santa Monica Bay watershed for large-scale water quality/supply improvement regional projects

• 40% (approximately $690,000) will be returned to Rancho Palos Verdes for municipal water quality/supply projects and program implementation

• 10% is reserved for County administration of the SCW program

• Draft fund transfer agreement was released on March 9th, 2020

• Comments due by April 7th, 2020

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South Santa Monica Bay Watershed Area

Encompasses three distinct Watershed Management Groups: Beach Cities, Dominguez Channel, and Palos Verdes Peninsula

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SSMB WASC SCW Funding• Regional project funding opportunities for the Peninsula EWMP Group• (including the City of Rancho Palos Verdes) is under the jurisdiction • of the South Santa Monica Bay Watershed Area Steering committee (WASC)

• Competitive grant process for different types of water quality/supply• improvement projects

o~ $18 M/year available in annual Regional Project funding for the o SSMB WASC

• Three project types can be funded by the WASC fundo Infrastructure Program (design, construction, O&M) – 85% of WASC obudgeto Technical Resources Program (feasibility study) – ≤10% of WASC budgeto Scientific Studies Program – ≤5% of WASC budget

• Eligible projects must have a strong water supply and water quality • improvement element

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SCW Committees

• Steering Committee (17 members from municipalities, business, • and NGOs) recommends projects for funding

• Palos Verdes Peninsula Watershed Management Group (PVP WMG) • agency interests are represented by Ken Rukavina (main) and • Elias Sassoon (alternate)

• Scoring Committee (6 Board-appointed subject experts) • reviews and provides scores to projects based on the • expected benefits and performance

• Oversight (9 Board-appointed subject experts) assess • whether the SCW goals are being met

• All regional project funding will require approval • from the County Board of Supervisors 10

Takeaways – Safe Clean Water Program (Measure W)

• Regional: SSMB WASC will receive ~$18 million annually for • regional water quality/supply improvement projects, this • is a competitive process

• Municipal: City of Rancho Palos Verdes will receive ~ $690,000 • annually from the Safe Clean Water Program (Measure W) • to support local water quality/supply municipal programs • and projects

• The first draft of the transfer agreement allowing the • County to distribute local funding to the cities released • in March/April 2020

• There is no sunset clause

• For more information, go to https://safecleanwaterla.org11

Eastview Park Project• Eastview Park is one of the few locations in the Palos Verdes Peninsula that is likely

to be suitable for a regional stormwater capture and treatment project

• As part of the Watershed Plan, the Watershed Group committed to evaluating this site

• A Technical Resource application for ~$300,000 paid for by the County’s Technical Resource fund was submitted to the Safe Clean Water Program to develop a detailed feasibility study for the proposed project

• The project will have a wide array of water quality/supply and community benefits

• Construction and operations & maintenance are eligible expenses under the Safe Clean Water Program

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Geotechnical Constraints

• Watersheds achieve compliance with water quality goals through construction of regional stormwater projects

• However, PVP has many geologic and geotechnical challenges for large-scale stormwater projects:o Landslide areas

o Liquefaction zones

o Access to storm drains

o Landfill zones

o Underground pollutant plumes

Eastview Park

Liquefaction Zones

Earthquake Induced Landslides

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Potential PVP Collaborative Regional Projects:

Rancho Palos Verdes

Palos Verdes Estates

Rolling Hills Estates

Unincorporated

Rolling Hills

Torrance Airport

Harbor City Park

Eastview Park

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Portuguese Bend Landslide Mitigation

Potential PVP Collaborative Regional Projects:

Submitted for SCW funding:

• Torrance Airport Project:

o Pollutant plumes prevent infiltration

o Designed as a capture and treat system

o Torrance is the project lead

• Harbor City Park Project:

o Concept is for a capture and treat system

o County of LA is the project lead, project will receive flow from PVP, Torrance, and Dominguez Channel

o Land is owned by City of LA

• Eastview Park Project: explained in the following slides

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To be submitted for SCW funding July 2020:

• Portuguese Bend Landslide Mitigation Project

o Will need water reclamation element

o O&M cost may be covered by SCWF

Potential Regional Project: Eastview Park

• In the PVP EWMP, Eastview Park was identified as an ideal location for a regional stormwater capture and treatment projecto Flat drainage area of 350 acres

o Easy storm drain access

• The construction of a regional project at Eastview Park would ensure compliance with Greater Los Angeles Harbor sub-watershed water quality goals

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Technical ResourcesProgram Application

• A presentation to the WASC on

• Requesting $300,000 to develop a detailed feasibility study for the proposed project

• The project lead will be the County of los Angeles, but they will need approval of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes

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Overview

• Eastview Park is a large community park space located in the City of Rancho Palos Verdes; the park is in a flat area of the City, with less concern for geotechnical hazards than most of the Peninsula

• A large storm drain main runs adjacent to and through the northwest corner of the park, draining approximately 350 acres

• The site conditions have potential for:

• Capture and treatment facility

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Challenges

• Eastview Park is owned by LA County Sanitation District

o Land is leased to RPV

• Two LA County Sanitary District outfall tunnels run across Eastview Park• ~200 ft. below ground

• A new sanitary outfall tunnel is being developed east of Eastview Park.

• The existing outfall tunnels will be rehabilitated and serve as backup once the new tunnel is constructed

~200 ft below ground

Eastview Park

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Conceptual Plans

Treatment at this location could consist of a capture and treatment facility, providing an array of water quality/supply and community benefits

Capture and Treatment

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Potential Schedule

• This is a complex investigation. Will probably take 1+ year to complete, but that will be the established by the L.A. County Public Works

• If the study determines that the project is feasible, a regional project application will be submitted to the WASC at a later date.

• The City can take over the project, but it would require the use of the city’s municipal match to do.

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No commitment if the project site is found to be infeasible during the study

BenefitsUltimately, the feasibility study would lead to a project with

the following benefits:

• Improved water quality

• Increased water supply through groundwater

recharge or reclaim

• Improved flood risk mitigation/management

• Neighborhood greening through park surface

improvements

• Native vegetation

• Increased recreational opportunities

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Questions?

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