Santa Monica will work to improve water quality in bay
By Daily Press staff
(Editor’s note: This is part of an ongoing series that tracks the city’s expenditures which appear on the upcoming Santa Monica City Council consent agenda. Consent agenda items are routinely passed by the city council with little or no discussion from elected officials or the public. However, many of the items have been part of public discussion in the past.) New contracts for services within City Hall and water programs for the community are expected to cost $615,000 tonight.
The Santa Monica City Council is expected to approve a $500,000 five-year contract with Conrad & Associates to perform audit services for City Hall. A committee made up of officials from various city departments determined Conrad & Associates was the best candidate over six other firms. The proposals were evaluated on each firm’s local government experience, staff qualifications and service costs.
The city will spend another $115,000 on a two-year contract extension with KEMA-XENER- GY, which provides Santa Monica’s Bay Saver Water Conservation Program with monthly inspection services.
The Bay Saver Program gives incentives to residents and businesses to install ultra low-flow water efficiency devices that have been largely responsible for the city’s progress toward its 20 percent wastewater reduction goal, officials said.
The devices have helped Santa Monica achieve an 18 percent reduction in average daily wastewater flow. The devices also have led to a reduction of 1.6 million gallons per day — a 13 percent decrease in the city’s daily water demand.
The City Council hopes to take another step tonight in reaching its 20-percent water reduction goal by approving a one-year contract for a water grant from the United States Bureau of Reclamation. The grant will provide the city with $30,000 of the needed $35,000 to carry out a project aimed at helping the city reach its conservation goal.
The remaining $5,000 would come from the city’s environmental works department in the form of labor and services.
The City Council also is expected to approve a plan to help Santa Monica Bay comply with the Los Angeles Regional Water Control Board’s bacteria requirement.
The board, based on the Federal Clean Water Act, is responsible for water quality standards in each body within its region. Because Santa Monica Bay was part of a state list that did not meet the board’s water quality standards in 1998, the city has since been working with LA County and Caltrans to improve its standards, which mostly fall below the state requirements.
In the most recent effort, the group hired a consultant who designed a plan that requires testing to ensure the bay achieves the quality standards.
Santa Monica will need to contribute money toward the effort, which is estimated between $150,000 and $200,000. The city already has obtained a number of grants to help pay for the costs.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 8, 2003. Read the original PDF.