TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager to accept $235,000 funds from the Port of Long Beach for a portion of the costs of conducting an environmental assessment of the Colorado Lagoon Restoration Project and execute all documents necessary to accept funds; and increase appropriations in the Capital Projects Fund (CP) in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine (PR) in the amount of $235,000; and execute all documents necessary to enter into an agreement with LSA Associates, Inc., for environmental assessment at the Colorado Lagoon as required by California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), in an amount not to exceed $500,289, including any required amendments to the contract to extend the term, add services, increase the amount of the contract, and adjust the fee schedule of hourly rates for inflation for any term extensions. (District 3)
DISCUSSION
The Colorado Lagoon (Lagoon) is a 28.3-acre tidal lagoon located in the middle of a suburban neighborhood (Exhibit A). It serves three main functions: 1) hosting sensitive estuarine habitat; 2) providing public recreation (including swimming); and 3) retaining and conveying storm flows. The Lagoon is used by hundreds of visitors from communities within and surrounding the City of Long Beach (City).
The Lagoon is impacted by several factors that cause it to have contaminated water and sediment. First, the Lagoon is surrounded on three sides by residential neighborhoods, a golf course on the fourth side, and lies within a highly urbanized watershed. Second, natural flushing of the Lagoon occurs through the exchange of water via a culvert that stretches 1,000 feet between the Lagoon and Marine Stadium. However, due to marine growth within the culvert and man-made sills at either end of the culvert, this tidal flushing is restricted. Third, there are four major and seven local storm drains that carry urban runoff from commercial, mobile, and residential sources from the adjacent watershed into the Lagoon...
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