TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager to approve three separate Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with the Los Angeles Gateway Region Integrated Regional Water Management Joint Powers Authority (GWMA) to develop Watershed Management Programs for the Lower Los Angeles River, Los Cerritos Channel, and Lower San Gabriel River Watersheds. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
The City of Long Beach is situated in four watersheds: the Lower Los Angeles River Watershed; the Los Cerritos Channel Watershed; the Lower San Gabriel River Watershed; and the Dominguez Channel Watershed, resulting in the storm drain system that services the City (see attached map). The operation of this system is regulated through a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4), National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit that is issued by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board (LARWQCB). This permit is renewed approximately every five years by the LARWQCB. This recommendation involves the first three of the Watersheds named above; the Dominguez Channel Watershed MOU will be covered at a later date, once finalized.
The current permit for the Los Angeles Region and the newly adopted City of Long Beach permit, require that Long Beach, along with other participating cities located within the three Watersheds named above, develop Watershed Management Programs (WMP). The permits mandate stringent storm water quality regulatory requirements that could result in fines of $5,000 to $10,000 per day of violation should the City fail to comply with the permit. The primary goal of this recommendation to the Council is to allow the City to work with regionally affected cities within each of the watershed groups to reduce the overall cost of compliance through a multi-agency cooperative effort, as opposed to each city addressing these mandated regulatory requirements separately at a much greater cost.
For the development of the WMP, the Gateway Water Management Authority use...
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