Agenda

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TRANSPORTATION, WATER & INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE

Meeting Date:	10/13/2016
Subject: ACCEPT Report from Public Works Department to achieve 70% trash load reduction by July 2017, and AUTHORIZE staff to explore a polystyrene ban.
Submitted For:	Julia R. Bueren
Department:	Public Works
Referral No.:	7
Referral Name:	Monitor creek and watershed issues and seek funding for improvement projects related to these issues.
Presenter:	Cece Sellgren, Department of Public Works	Contact:	Cece Sellgren (925)313-2296

Information

Referral History:

County Watershed Staff last addressed trash reduction issues at the October 9, 2014, TWIC meeting. During that meeting, the County Watershed Program laid out an ambitious program to address trash in multiple communities using staff from several County departments. This plan proved too expansive to implement with existing County Watershed staff resources.

Referral Update:

In the last two years, trash reduction efforts have stalled due to budget limitations and increased staff focus on negotiations for the new Municipal Regional National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit (MRP 2) and additional National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System requirements to address other stormwater pollutants such as PCBs and Mercury. With the imposition of MRP 2 in November 2015, some activities that had provided trash reduction credit were no longer available. Other trash reduction activities were discounted by 1/3. The net result was the County achieved only 43.6% trash reduction and failed to meet the 60% trash reduction requirement.

As a result, the County must submit a plan to achieve 70% trash reduction by June 30, 2017. If the County fails to achieve the required 70% reduction by the stated deadline, then the County will be required to install trash capture devices in all storm drain inlets or storm drain lines within the unincorporated County. There are approximately 1,750–2,100 storm drain inlets in the County’s right of way, or that drain County rights of way, within areas that have medium, high, or very high trash loads. With an estimated cost of $1,500 per inlet to determine safety, proper size, and installation, the costs for installing trash capture devices in every inlet will amount to $2,650,000–$3,150,000. Maintenance of these trash capture devices will cost between $1,003,000/year and $2,240,000/year to maintain.

The costs to install and maintain trash capture devices will likely be borne by road funds, which are already experiencing historic funding challenges. It is paramount to achieve the 70% reduction.

Expanded programs include preparing and implementing a plan to curtail direct discharges of trash into local waterways, increasing on-land cleanups on connector roads, and passing and implementing a polystyrene foam food-ware ordinance.

Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):

DIRECT staff to expand and add the additional identified trash reduction programs in order to fulfill new requirements imposed by the State Water Resources Control Board.

Fiscal Impact (if any):

The sources of that funding are laid out in detail in Table 1 and include road funds, Stormwater Utility Area 17, general fund, flood control zones, and general fund – environmental health.

Attachments
Table 1