Agenda Item   

AGENDA STAFF REPORT

 

                                                                                                                        ASR Control  24-000120

 

MEETING DATE:

04/09/24

legal entity taking action:

Board of Supervisors

board of supervisors district(s):

All Districts

SUBMITTING Agency/Department:

OC Public Works   (Approved)

Department contact person(s):

Amanda Carr (714) 955-0601 

 

 

James Fortuna (714) 955-0680

 

 

Subject:  Approve Cooperative Agreement for Stormwater Monitoring Coalition

 

      ceo CONCUR

County Counsel Review

Clerk of the Board

          Concur

Approved Agreement to Form

Consent Calendar

 

 

3 Votes Board Majority

 

 

 

    Budgeted: N/A

Current Year Cost:   N/A

Annual Cost: FY 2024-25 $100,000
FY 2025-26 $100,000
FY 2026-27 $100,000
FY 2027-28 $100,000
FY 2028-29 $100,000

 

 

 

    Staffing Impact:

No

# of Positions:            

Sole Source:   N/A

    Current Fiscal Year Revenue: N/A

   Funding Source:     See Financial Impact Section

County Audit in last 3 years: No

   Levine Act Review Completed: N/A

 

    Prior Board Action:         5/21/2019 #56, 2/10/2015 #12, 1/23/2001 #36

 

RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):

 

 

1.

Find that the subject project is categorically exempt from CEQA, Class 6 (Information Collection), pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15306.

 

2.

Approve Cooperative Agreement for Participation in the Southern California Stormwater Monitoring Coalition between various Southern California counties and cities, regulatory agencies and special authorities, effective July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2029, in an amount not to exceed $500,000.

 

3.

Appoint the Director of OC Public Works or designee to the Steering Committee established by the Cooperative Agreement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUMMARY:

 

Approval of the Cooperative Agreement for Participation in the Southern California Stormwater Monitoring Coalition will allow the County of Orange to participate with various Southern California counties and cities, regulatory agencies and special authorities to support the implementation of cooperative stormwater monitoring and research projects for improved water quality.

 

 

 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

 

On January 23, 2001, the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved Cooperative Agreement D99-072 to establish a Cooperative Stormwater Research and Monitoring Program (Program) in Southern California and allow the County of Orange (County) to participate in research and monitoring activities regarding stormwater with the following entities: the counties of Los Angeles and San Diego; Ventura County Flood Control District; Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District; the San Bernardino Flood Control District; cities of Long Beach and Santa Ana; San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board; and the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project. The Program was subsequently named the Southern California Stormwater Monitoring Coalition (SMC). The SMC successfully completed a significant number of collaborative projects, including creating a Stormwater Research Agenda (Agenda); developing standardized sampling and analysis protocols; conducting a comparison of microbial source tracking methods; initiating work on peak flow impacts to streams; building a regional stream bioassessment program; and conducting a laboratory intercalibration study. Collaboration on these projects was a cost-effective way for the parties to improve the underlying science of stormwater management, which was not well understood at the time. Each of these projects was funded by separately approved agreements.

 

Cooperative Agreement D06-049 was administratively approved by the Resources & Development Management Department (now OC Public Works), effective June 2008 through June 2013. Agreement D06-049 continued the collaborative approach to projects initiated under Agreement D99-072 and added three additional parties: the City of Los Angeles, the State Water Resources Control Board and the California Department of Transportation. Further progress during this period included initiating a bacterial reference watershed study; conducting a hydromodification study; developing a guidance manual for low impact development; assessing barriers to low impact development; developing an approach for post-fire monitoring; compiling stormwater data on a regional basis; developing regional protocols for trash monitoring and management; and conducting an update to the original 2002 Agenda.

 

On February 10, 2015, the Board approved a five-year Cooperative Agreement D13-014, effective January 15, 2016, through June 30, 2019. Cooperative Agreement D13-014 continued to leverage the collaborative approach through an updated 2014 Agenda. The 2014 Agenda identified potential projects to be carried out by the SMC in four areas: 1) ecosystem characterization and assessment; 2) method development and tool evaluation; 3) optimizing management effectiveness; and 4) foundational scientific understanding. Projects in all four areas have been successfully completed, including toxicity laboratory intercalibration studies, development of a regional stream condition index, establishing a standardized approach to stormwater monitoring and the deployment of a regional data portal that interfaces directly with state databases.

 

On May 21, 2019, the Board approved Cooperative Agreement MA-080-19010685 effective June 28, 2019, through June 30, 2024, in an amount not to exceed $500,000. Many of the scientific and technical tools for stormwater program implementation, assessment and monitoring are still not fully developed, as described in the updated 2019-2024 Agenda, and the collaborative experience of participation in the SMC has proven beneficial in acquiring knowledge about urban stormwater and non-stormwater (anthropogenic) impacts on receiving waters.

 

The Agenda for the SMC was prepared with the support of national experts who recognized that, while significant progress has been made, additional work is needed to investigate and address new and emerging scientific issues and regulatory challenges affecting stormwater management programs. The Agenda identified potential projects to be carried out by the SMC in six research areas: 1) microbiology and human health risk; 2) best management practice (BMP) monitoring, implementation and effectiveness; 3) innovative technology and science communications; 4) expanding the utility of biomonitoring; 5) improving stormwater monitoring effectiveness; and 6) emerging challenges. To date, the SMC has implemented key projects related to these priority topics including human fecal indicators and health risk, BMP regional monitoring and mechanistic processes, chemistry laboratory intercalibration, streamlined annual reporting, effectiveness of non-structural BMPs, stream ecology and other ongoing initiatives. A new panel of water quality, resource management and regulatory experts is planned to be convened starting in 2024-25 to update the Agenda and prioritize research activities for the SMC.

 

OC Public Works is recommending the Board approve Cooperative Agreement MA-080-24011103 (Agreement) for participation in SMC, effective July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2029, in an amount not to exceed $500,000.

 

By sharing project expenses, the cost can be mitigated while the advances in stormwater science continue to drive more effective stormwater management efforts. The Southern California Coastal Water Research Project stakeholders will continue to manage the budget for the SMC. The annual budget will be limited to a maximum contribution of $100,000 per fiscal year individually for each funding party. The Agreement allows for projects that are not funded under the Agreement budget, or for which the costs exceed the annual budget, to be funded through separate funding agreements entered into amongst the project stakeholders.

 

Compliance with CEQA: The proposed project is Categorically Exempt (Class 6) from the provisions of CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15306, because it consists of basic data collection, research and resource evaluation activates which do not result in a serious or major disturbance to an environmental resource.

 

 

 

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

 

Appropriations for the Agreement will be included in the FY 2024-25 Budget and in the budgeting process for future years for the following budget control/funds:

 

Cities:

75.9%

Fund 400, OC Flood

10%

Budget Control 034, OC Watersheds

4.7%

Fund 405, OC Parks

4.7%

Fund 115, OC Road

4.7%

 

Any party wishing to terminate its participation in the Agreement shall provide 90 days written notice to all the other parties of its intent to withdraw. Such termination shall be effective 90 days after the notice is received or deemed received.

 

 

 

STAFFING IMPACT:

 

N/A

 

REVIEWING AGENCIES:

 

OC Community Resources/OC Parks

 

ATTACHMENT(S):

 

Attachment A - Cooperative Agreement MA-080-24011103