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D. 8

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	Brian M. Balbas, Interim Public Works Director/Chief Engineer
Date:	September 26, 2017

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

Receive report on Direct Discharge Plan to reduce illegal dumping into County-owned creeks. Project No. 7517-6W7261

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 09/26/2017

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Diane Burgis, District III Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor

ABSENT:

Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:	Cece Sellgren, (925) 313-2296
cc:	Lavonna Martin, Health Services Dept. Mike Carlson, Deputy Public Works Director Tim Jensen, Flood Control Cece Sellgren, Flood Control Catherine Windham, Flood Control

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: September 26, 2017
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

RECEIVE the report from the Public Works Department on the development of the Direct Discharge Plan to reduce the amount of illegal dumping entering into County and Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (FC District) creeks, North Richmond, El Sobrante, Rodeo, Concord, and Bay Point areas.

FISCAL IMPACT:

No Fiscal Impact

BACKGROUND:

On February 1, 2017, the Contra Costa County Watershed Program submitted a plan to the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board to reduce the amount of illegal dumping directly into County and FC District creeks. The purpose of Contra Costa County’s Direct Discharge Plan is to prevent illegal dumping from homeless people and from those who discharge trash and other unwanted items directly into the creeks within County parcels and road and flood control rights of way within unincorporated areas. In addition, this program removes material thrown into these streams. Fully implemented, the Direct Discharge Plan can provide up to 15% trash reduction credit.

BACKGROUND: (CONT'D)

There are several sources of trash which enters into the County’s creeks. The vast majority of this trash enters through the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer (AKA Storm drains). Contra Costa County’s Direct Discharge Plan focuses on two additional primary sources: (1) Homeless encampments on or near streams on County or FC District properties and (2) Illegal dumping of unwanted items into streams on County properties with streams and County road rights of way that intersect with a stream and Flood Control District properties or rights of way. Again, the focus is in unincorporated communities within the Urban Limit Line.

The challenges from homeless encampments and illegal dumping are very different and will require distinctly different approaches. The key to homeless encampments is to work with the homeless to identify their immediate needs and work to provide them as soon as possible to quickly remove the homeless from the creeks. However, removal alone will simply lead to reestablishment of the encampment. Instead, the goal of the Direct Discharge Program is to use social workers who specialize in homeless issues to find a better place for them to live than their streamside encampment.

To address homeless encampments on County or FC District parcels or rights of way, the County is funding a Comprehensive Outreach, Response, and Engagement (CORE) Team to focus on the areas identified in the GIS analysis. This Program is primarily targeted to engage homeless encampments on County and FC District rights of way. The County’s Creek CORE Teams work to engage and stabilize homeless individuals living outside through consistent outreach to facilitate basic services and to help them secure permanent housing. All Creek CORE Teams are a portal to Contra Costa’s coordinated Continuum of Care for unsheltered people, and they work to locate, engage, stabilize, and house chronically homeless individuals and families. The Creek CORE Team is focused on supporting the housing and service needs of those living in homeless encampments along streams and flood control channels. Counselors facilitate the connection of the homeless to shelter and to their use of services.

Illegal dumping of trash directly entering creeks requires a different approach. County staff has identified key locations where illegal dumping into streams within the road rights of way or into streams on County property can occur. The County is implementing a program to create barriers at the edge of the road rights of way to prohibit items from being dumped into a stream adjacent to or crossing under the roadway. The County has also identified County-owned properties with streams and is implementing a similar barrier approach to reduce or eliminate large trash items from entering into streams on County land.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

Failure to fully implement the Direct Discharge Plan will cause the County to lose the opportunity to obtain as much as 15% additional trash reduction credit.