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Report regarding a Resolution approving Budget Amendment Number 25.053 to proceed with the Stormwater Trash Capture Devices Phase 2 Project (sd2502) and development of a Stormwater Asset Management Plan. (Lawrence Henriquez, Senior Civil Engineer)
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RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a Resolution approving Budget Amendment Number 25.053 appropriating $250,000 from the Storm Water Fund (Fund 740) to proceed with the Storm Water Trash Capture Devices Phase 2 Project and to develop a Stormwater Asset Management Plan.
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BACKGROUND
Municipal Regional Permit
The Municipal Stormwater Program regulates stormwater discharges from municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s). An MS4 is a conveyance system designed to collect and convey stormwater that is owned by a city, town, or other public entity.
Urbanized areas increase stormwater runoff because impervious surfaces like roads, parking lots, and rooftops prevent stormwater from infiltrating, or soaking, into the ground. Urbanization also increases the variety and amount of pollutants in stormwater runoff. MS4s collect and convey this urban runoff and, in most cases, discharge directly to surface waters without treatment. Urban runoff contributes significant quantities of suspended solids, heavy metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, and other pollutants to surface waters of the region. However, if runoff is properly managed, those stormwater pollutants can be attenuated, and stormwater can be a valuable resource for uses such as groundwater recharge.
The Water Boards are actively involved in initiatives to improve the management of stormwater as a resource. Through permit requirements that promote low impact development (LID) techniques, green infrastructure (GI) planning, and other effective controls to prevent or minimize the discharge of pollutants contained in stormwater runoff to waters of the State.
The Water Board issued county-wide municipal stormwater permits in the 1990s to all municipalities and flood management agencies in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties, and within Solano County, the cities of Fairfield, Suisun City, and Vallejo, and the Vallejo Flood and Wastewater District. In 2009, the Water Board reissued these county-wide municipal stormwater permits as one Municipal Regional Stormwater NPDES Permit (MRP). The MRP (MRP 1) was reissued in 2015 (MRP 2), and again in 2022 (MRP 3). MRP 3 was amended in October 2023.
DISCUSSION
Storm Water Trash Capture Devices Phase 1
During the summer of 2024, the City embarked on an aggressive program to reduce trash loads entering the municipal storm system. One-hundred and eight (108) trash capture devices (TCDs) were installed at storm inlets throughout the City. The locations were carefully analyzed and selected to maximize the most amount of trash capture. As a result, the City managed to attain a 96% MRP 3.0 compliance leaving a mere 4% remaining to achieve the 100% goal by summer 2025.
Storm Water Trash Capture Devices Phase 2
An installation plan for the TCDs has been developed identifying various locations throughout the City that will maximize debris or trash capture. In order to achieve the goal of reaching 100% MRP 3.0 compliance by Summer 2025, staff is currently managing the installation of TCDs during the month of April 2025. Staff is requesting additional funding to install the remaining TCDs in the coming months.
Asset Management Plan
The City will be developing an Asset Management Plan for stormwater assets to guide implementation of operation and maintenance (O&M) of such assets installed to comply with the Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP). Through implementation of an asset management plan, the City can more effectively plan for system replacements and upgrades to meet continuing MRP goals.
The MRP requires permittees to develop asset management plans to ensure the satisfactory condition of all hard assets. In the context of stormwater, hard assets are publicly-owned structural controls that serve a water quality function. Examples of hard assets provided in the MRP include bioretention areas, pervious pavement systems, and full trash capture devices. The MRP also specifically requires that this asset management plan includes a description of asset categories, an asset inventory, an Operation, Maintenance, Rehabilitation, and Replacement Plan (O&M Plan), and a reporting strategy.
The purpose of the Asset Management Plan is to serve as a long-range O&M planning document that provides a rational framework for:
• Identifying and categorizing assets;
• Characterizing the conditions of assets;
• Prioritizing O&M activities;
• Managing and analyzing asset data; and
• Determining current and future costs.
FISCAL IMPACT
The $250,000 appropriation will be drawn from available fund balance from the Storm Water Fund (Fund 740) which contains sufficient funding resources to cover project costs. However, the General Fund subsidizes the Storm Water Fund, as the City’s stormwater fee has not been modified in decades. The limited revenue that is generated from the stormwater fee is insufficient to support the City’s stormwater O&M and capital needs. Excluding transfers in, the Fiscal Year 2024-25 Adopted Budget for Storm Water Fund total revenues is $0.5 million in comparison to $2.4 million in O&M and capital costs. Beyond the $250,000 appropriation, the Storm Water Fund does not have much in the way of remaining available fund balance if additional needs arose before the end of the fiscal year. If a material need were to come to fruition, the General Fund would need to serve as the funding source via transfer out to the Storm Water Fund.
RELATIONSHIP TO STRATEGIC PLAN
Approval of this action will contribute to the City’s Strategic Plan goal of improved Quality of Life through the means of intercepting debris and litter before entering the City’s stormwater system and thereby averting pollutant discharges into the creeks and eventually into the bay.
CONCLUSION
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a Resolution approving Budget Amendment Number 25.053 appropriating $250,000 from the Storm Water Fund (Fund 740) to install the remaining TCDs to fulfill the MRP 3.0’s 100% compliance by the Summer 2025; and to develop an Asset Management Plan.
Attachments:
1. Phase 2 TCD Installations Location Map