TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute all documents necessary to approve amendments to the Memoranda of Understanding with the Los Angeles Gateway Region Integrated Regional Water Management Joint Powers Authority, for the Watershed Management Programs for the Lower Los Angeles River, Los Cerritos Channel, and Lower San Gabriel River Watersheds, and execute any other necessary documents in support of the amendments. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
The City of Long Beach (City) storm drain system discharges into three watersheds, the Lower Los Angeles River Watershed, the Los Cerritos Channel Watershed, and the Lower San Gabriel River Watershed (watersheds). The operation of this storm drain system is regulated through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit that is issued by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board (CRWQCB). This permit is typically renewed every five years, with each subsequent renewal increasing in stringency and cost.
The current NDPES permits for the City and the Los Angeles County Region require Long Beach, along with 16 other participating cities located within the watersheds, to implement and maintain Watershed Management Programs (WMPs) for each of the watersheds. The permits mandate stringent stormwater quality regulatory requirements. The primary goal of the watershed groups is to reduce the overall cost of compliance through a multi-agency cooperative effort, rather than each city addressing these mandated regulatory requirements separately at a much greater cost. These WMPs provide a comprehensive analysis of pollutant sources within the watershed areas, strategies for reducing or treating pollutants from those sources, and computer modeling to substantiate the strategies.
On March 11, 2014, the City Council authorized three separate Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with the Los Angeles Gateway Region Integrated Regional Water Management Joint Powers Authority (GWMA) ...
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