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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11_02_2017_WQCT MinutesCity of Newport Beach Water Quality /Coastal Tidelands Committee Meeting Minutes Date: November 2, 2017 Time: 3:00 p.m. Location: Crystal Cove Conference Room, 100 Civic Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660 Meeting Minutes prepared by: City Clerk Management Services (CCMS) 1. The meeting was called to order at 3:02 p.m. by Chair, Councilmember Brad Avery. 2. Welcome/Self Introductions Committee Members present: Councilmember Brad Avery, Chair Tom Houston Carl Cassidy Dennis Baker Fred Galluccio George Robertson Councilmember Jeff Herdman, Vice Chair -absent Erin Delman -absent Louis Denger -absent Guests present: Monica Mazur, County of Orange Jack Skinner, SPON Nancy Gardner, Orange Coast River Park Chace Warmington, UCI Oceans Ian Swift, IRWD Jim Mosher, Resident Staff present: Lucie Delorme, Administrative Analyst George Murdoch, Municipal Operations Director Hazel McIntosh, Technical Aide Dave Webb, Director of Public Works Mark Vukojevic, Public Works Deputy Director /City Engineer Bob Stein, Public Works Assistant City Engineer The agenda for the Water Quality /Coastal Tidelands Committee was posted at 1:45 p.m. on October 27, 2017, in the binder located in the entrance of the Council Chambers at 100 Civic Center Drive. 3. Public Comment on Agenda Items None. 4. Review and approval of minutes A motion to approve the October 5th, 2017 minutes was made by Dennis Baker. Carl Cassidy seconded the motion (Herdman, Delman, Denger -absent). The minutes were approved. 5. Current Business (a) 2017 Committee Goals (Bob Stein) (15 min) Review Trash Objectives 1 (Water Wheel) and 6 (Polaris Trash Collection grant application), and Urban Runoff Objective 3 (Newport Aquatics Center runoff capture project). Recommendation: Committee Discussion Bob Stein provided a status update referencing monthly goals and objectives. Dennis Baker provided an update on the Urban Runoff Objective 3 for the Aquatics Center runoff capture project. He noted there was puddling of water, however, it did not present a large problem. The true test will come with the next big rain event. Bob Stein provided an update on the Water Wheel project. A site meeting was conducted with the consultants along with Water Wheel representatives. It looks promising and discussion took place regarding the transport of trash from the Water Wheel up the hill. Various options will be considered, including a rail/pulley system that runs on battery power. A preliminary budget and design will be presented to the Committee before the end of the year. Tom Houston suggested sponsors for the dumpsters. Discussion ensued regarding the potential for car dealers or other businesses to offset costs through sponsorships or logos on the machinery. There would need to be further discussion regarding the political sensitivity of private sponsorships and how that would be administered. George Roberston suggested UCI student competition for preliminary design on the Water Wheel. Bob Stein provided an update on the Polaris Trash Collection grant, noting the City missed the cutoff for the $500,000 grant. There is now much competition for grant funding. Conversations will be coordinated with Measure M representatives and there is a benefit from gathering letters of recommendation from the City's current partners, including the City of Costa Mesa. Another option is to apply for smaller grants and split up the project. Mr. Stein is confident the grant application will be approved. A comment was made that even if other cities or agencies obtain grant funding, they are being utilized to fund projects that mean less trash coming down and impacting Newport Be~c~----" George Robertson requested clarification of committee member objective sponsorship and expectations. An item will appear on a future agenda for discussion on sponsorships, expectations, and reporting responsibilities. 2 (b) Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD) Recycled Water Management (Committee Members) (15 min) Review of IRWDs proposed recycled water management policy. Recommendation: Committee Discussion Bob Stein displayed a Power Point Presentation regarding the IRWD's request for support or feedback regarding their proposal on emergency discharge of reclaimed water. Mr. Stein reported many Committee members and staff attended a four and a half hour informational meeting with the IRWD on this matter. Several items were reviewed and presented, with the focus on the discharge of excess reclaimed water that accumulates during the winter months, particularly in a "wetter" year. During a heavy rain year, storage facilities can go up to 100% capacity, and IRWD is requesting the review of a permit which permanently prohibits them from discharging into the river, even when storage facilities are at capacity. IRWD is requesting support for this permit review and change. Further information was provided regarding the conditions under which the City and other related agencies would support the permit amendment request. There are certain important conditions the City would like added to the approval. Conditions 1 through 7, as presented in the PowerPoint Presentation are current conditions. Further conditions would be required for IRWD to discharge into Santa Ana River. George Murdoch provided additional information. He clarified that IRWD is asking for an amendment to the "Regional Water Quality Control Permit," not to the current "Intertie" agreement, although certain aspects of the Intertie agreement may be involved. IRWD has proposed various conditions by which they would be granted approval to discharge into the "creek." At this time, they are asking for a letter of support from the City or feedback as to why they would not support the request. Mr. Murdoch suggested the City determine the conditions by which they would offer their letter of support, including projects, timelines, and a commitment from IRWD to communicate regarding discharge capabilities and why other agencies cannot accept excess discharge. A longer term option to address additional discharges will be the build out of a larger reservoir. A short-term solution (two-years) may involve construction of an alternate line to discharge into Santa Ana river instead of San Diego Creek. Discussion ensued regarding the cause of excess winter discharge, including the inability to sell the excess reclaimed. Information was provided regarding alternative discharge solutions, including permit issues that may get in the way of discharging Title 22 water into the Santa Ana River via an existing system. IRWD would fund that project, however, the permit issues still exist. This may take 1 to 2 years to complete. Alternatively, there is an existing permitted line that can be used through OCWD, if a connection can be built. This project could be completed within a year. A separate outlet would take longer. Ian Swift, IRWD, stated they are maximizing all available options to prepare for the excess stormwater. It is staffs recommendation that the City support the request for short-term 3 emergency discharge until IRWD completes the conditions of approval. Although the new reservoir would have a larger volume capacity, it will not be completed for up to 10 years. There has to be an alternative for excess storage in an emergency situation. The permit request was proposed for up to five years, with a review period at the end, including a return to the stakeholders for their approval. Currently, IRWD is at 20 mgd, and trying the expand capacity. The long range plan is for 33 mgd. A request was made that the City include a condition that IRWD cannot expand until they could support excess. It was explained that water education is working, and the public is not wasting as much water. This compounds the winter emergency storage matter as there is more water to deal with. Also, as drought is ending, more water is incrementally being used, therefore sewage also increases. It was further stated that even without City support of the permit amendment, IRWD will still need to discharge excess reclaimed water. The penalty will likely include fines. Discussion ensued that the City could receive more benefits if it conditioned its support at the front end prior to the necessary emergency discharge. The City can leverage its position based upon support of existing permits. Information was provided regarding a pipeline from Green Acres, and dechlorinization that would be required prior to discharging into the river. Existing customers could also be affected based upon the volume that was discharged. In response to a Committee member inquiry, it was noted that there will not be much impact to the Bay even if there is excess discharge in a flood year. Typically, this is the cleanest water going into the Bay. It was stated, however, that an image problem may ensue, as the City did fund and support a variety of previous efforts to clean up the Bay. Information was provided regarding the inability to turn off reclaimed water "digesters," as they are designed to continue making recycled water. Comparison were made regarding the amount of cubic feet discharged in a normal winter versus a wetter winter. It was stated that it was not a substantive increase in volume during a wetter year. City staff will confirm any impact on the existing "Intertie" agreement with the City Attorney, prior to the Committee offering a recommendation of support for the IRWD permit amendment to the City Council. Discussion ensued regarding "emergency" versus "operational" types of discharge, with an acknowledgement that even annual emergency excess discharge could be described as "operational." Ian Swift described requirements for existing water reservoirs, noting that a minimum amount of water is required to keep the system pressurized. In addition, if the water volume is reduced, or water quality degrades, there will be a negative impact to the natural habitat that exists within the reservoirs. It was restated that water use education is working, 4 however, the result has been excess water and storage capacity. Currently, OCWD has put a moratorium on the expansion of the recycled water system. Discussion ensued regarding utilizing this emergency circumstance to evaluate and condition the completion of certain water projects. Mention was made of the expediency and thorough construction work completed in response to the Northridge earthquake. Comments were made to condition shorter timelines for construction of excess discharge projects. Discussion ensued regarding prioritizing the various conditions presented, in particular Numbers 9 and 10. In crafting a letter of support, the Committee suggested City staff and IRWD collaborate on preparing a "checklist" of items, with timelines and projected target completion dates, for the Committee's review, which could then be forwarded to the City Council for approval. Public education regarding the recycled water system was discussed, including how excess water is stored. Committee members suggested targeting "realistic" deadlines for the completion of the large and small projects, including the "Syphon" reservoir. In summary, the Committee requested the presentation at their December meeting of a draft letter of support of IRWD's permit request that would include the "checklist" of items, with timelines and projected target completion dates, an answer from OCWD and the Sanitation District regarding the construction of an alternate pipeline, and a response from the City Attorney regarding the impacts to the existing Intertie agreement. It was suggested to involve the Irvine Company to enlist their support and funding of building the dam. In addition, it was suggested staff report to the City Council and public on the impacts to the water system of every year the reservoir build out is delayed due to lack of capital funds. The Chair opened public comment on this item. Jim Mosher inquired whether the City of Newport Beach was also contributing to additional sewage going to Sanitation District during storms. Staff responded that there is minimal infiltration in Newport Beach through manhole lids and explained about the reduction of infiltration due to the stormwater "turnoffs," particularly as a result of high tides. Mr. Mosher also commented that Balboa Island would have been an appropriate location for a pump station, in response to the presentation held recently regarding the Bay Bridge Pump Station rebuild. In closing, and in response to a lack of public notice regarding the recent IRWD presentation where a number of Committee members were present, Mr. Mosher suggested the Committee be aware and vigilant against any real or perceived violations of the Brown Act. A motion to bring draft letter of conditional approval for emergency discharge of IRWD reclaimed flows to San Diego Creek, for presentation at the December 7th meeting was made by 5 Dennis Baker. Tom Houston seconded the motion (Herdman, Delman, Denger -absent). The motion was approved. (c) County of Orange Annual Water Quality Report (Monica Mazur) (30 min) Presentation on the County's Annual Water Quality Report. Recommendation: Receive and File Monica Mazur provided a PowerPoint Presentation on the County's Annual Water Quality Report. Slides and information presented included a review of the Ocean Water Protection Program Committee update for 2017, sewage spills and beach closures in response to the California Health and Safety Code, and requirements for reporting sewage spills to the Environmental Health Department. Slides were presented highlighting the calls, reports, and spikes from years 1987 to 2017, including the spike the year the new law went into effect for reporting. Over time, diversion activities substantially reduced flows into the storm drains. It was noted that private property owners may not report, although inspectors may find out, particularly at restaurants. Type of blockages, including those from debris and "flushable" wipes were presented. A slide was displayed highlighting the location of storm drains. The AB 411, Ocean and Bay Monitoring bill was discussed, including the standards for when signs in harbors and beaches must go up. As enacted in 1999, the standards are more protective of public health, including requirements for water quality monitoring, analysis for bacteria, setting bacteria standards by statute, and the requirements for closures if sewage reaches ocean or bay waters. Multi-agency collaboration for sample collection was discussed, including their reports and input to the Public Health Laboratory. Sample collection is taken from Seal Beach down to Crystal Cove. There are over 140 sampling stations down to San Clemente. Public notification was discussed, including the three different signs that are displayed, including information for bacteriological hazards. The various forms of media were presented, including OCBeachinfo.com, Twitter, websites, and other methods by which the public is informed of hazards and closures. Information was provided regarding the "beach mile days," metrics (miles of beach posted, multiplied by the number of days of posting) which offer comparisons for further analysis from year to year. The various agencies have been counting "beach mile days" since the enactment of AB 411. It was reported that the County of Orange Annual Water Quality Report is now distributed electronically and available on-line, with very detailed information regarding coastal postings, closures, and other environmental information. The Heal the Bay organization also 6 receives data from all reporting agencies and they issue a report card and trends at various beaches. In closing, the County of Orange is currently monitoring grant availability, including the "Clean Beaches" grant and the City of Newport Beach is involved in diversion programs. The I County is working with regional watershed programs as well as looking to streamline sampling to reduce redundancy among agencies. (d) Improving Water Quality Meeting (Chace Warmington) (15 min) Update and agenda review for UCl's November 9th water quality conference. Recommendation: Committee Discussion Chace Warmington provided an update on the November 9th water quality conference. They have partnered with Environmental Nature Center, and other agencies, including the City, to provide additional information to the public. A representative from the UC system will also be present to report as to why water education is particularly important to this area. The presentation will be held at the Oasis Senior Center on November 9, 2017. The presentation will include introduction of various agency participants and is focused on informing the public and getting them more actively caring about water quality issues. Additional topics of discussion will include the County of Orange Water Quality Report, the state of the City of Newport Beach's water system, and what is happening with Newport Harbor, runoff, trash, other pollutants, and the watershed. City staff will present regarding the City's solutions to water quality issues, the Water Wheel, and lessons learned from other cities. It will close out with a Question and Answer period for the public. Discussion ensued regarding marketing the event, which currently has 113 rsvp's for attendance. The media modes that are currently being utilized were presented. It was suggested that additional information be marketed about the event through the Newport Bay Conservancy and the CDMRA resident's association, which both have e-blast capabilities. Jack Skinner commented that discharging into the Santa Ana River makes sense for emergency purposes. 6. On-going Business (a) Bay and Ocean Bacteriological Test Results (Monica Mazur) (10 min) Review and discussion of recent water quality test results within Newport Bay and along the ocean shoreline. Recommendation: Receive and File 7 Monica Mazur reviewed the water quality test results and presented data on all three indicators. There was one report in upper Newport Bay, one violation at Newport Dunes North, and four violations in the Harbor ( 43 rd street, 10th street, Sapphire, and Bayside Drive). Newport Beach Boulevard Bridge returned all clean samples. She noted a rain advisory is disseminated when there is .2 or more inches of rain. 7. Committee Announcements or Matters Which Members would like Placed on a Future Agenda for Discussion, Action or Report (a) Big Canyon Monitoring Results (December Meeting) Removed by Bob Stein (a) IRWD Emergency Discharge Conditions of Support Letter (December) (b) Single Use Plastics (December Meeting) (c) Sediment Quality Objectives (January 2018 Meeting) (d) Algalita Marine Research Foundation (December Meeting) 8. Public Comments On Non-Agenda Items Jim Mosher inquired whether closures are reported on areas that are not defined as "public beaches" for swimming. Monica Mazur responded that reports are made, and closures are posted, if sewage hits any sanded beach area, regardless if whether the area is posted or used by bathers. There are other uses, including boat hull cleaning or other water users, who need to be protected from hazards, as well. Mr. Mosher further inquired as to whether Newport Bay would be closed. Ms. Mazur was not able to confirm. It was noted the Newport Beach Conservancy would be hosting a free screening of the "Saving Sea Turtles" movie on Tuesday, November 7, 2017, 7:15 p.m. 9. Set Next Meeting Date The next meeting date was set for Thursday, December 7, 2017, at 3:00 pm in the Crystal Cove Conference Room, located at 100 Civic Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660. 10. Adjournment a~ned at 4:52 p.m. / 8