City officials tout benefits of screen storm drain covers
City officials tout benefits of mesh-screen storm drain covers
By Kevin Herrera
Daily Press Staff Writer
LOS ANGELES — Looking to promote their efforts to keep the region’s waterways free of debris, city officials here on Thursday touted the installation of more than 20,000 mesh-screen storm drain covers that have already kept 1,537 tons of trash from reaching the Santa Monica Bay.
The 14,300 catch basin screen covers and 7,400 catch basin inserts that have been placed in high trash generating areas represent the first major project to be completed under Proposition O, a $500 million bond measure approved by 76 percent of Los Angeles votes in November 2004, city officials said.
Prop. 0 money is used to fund projects that protect public health, capture stormwater for reuse and meet Federal Clean Water Act guidelines through the removal and prevention of pollutants entering regional waterways.
6E0,“The message that we are trying to get out to residents of Santa Monica is that the city of Los Angeles is doing our part to keep the ocean and beaches clean,” said Cynthia Ruiz, president of the board of public works for Los Angeles.
“In addition to the catch basin inserts, we have also launched an anti-litter campaign because we want L.A. residents to realize that when they throw trash in the street it does go into the ocean,” Ruiz added. “It takes all of us working together to clean up our waterways.”
The city of Los Angeles has been collaborating with the city of Santa Monica on projects to reduce the amount of trash and bacteria found in the Santa Monica Bay, Ballona Creek and other waterways. Both cities are required to significantly reduce the amount of stormwater reaching the bay during both dry and wet weather months or face penalties enforced by the California State Water Resources Control Board, which has set benchmarks that must be reached over the next 10 years.
As of last July, stormwater should not flow directly from storm drains into the sea during dry weather months. Santa Monica is close to realizing that goal but more work needs to be done to handle flows at the Pico-Kenter storm drain and the drain near the Santa Monica Pier, said Craig Perkins, director of environmental and public works management for City Hall and a member of Los Angeles’ Prop. O citizens committee.
Other requirements include reducing bacteria levels by 10 percent by 2009 during wet weather and removing all litter from the Ballona Creek by 2015.
“When you look at those requirements and what still needs to be done and you can understand why city staff and other people get nervous,” Perkins said. “But we are working hard to meet those goals.”
Los Angeles and Santa Monica worked together on Santa Monica’s Urban Runoff Recycling Facility, also known as SMURFF, which treats an average of 500,000 gallons of water per day. The treatment processes include coarse and fine screening to remove trash and debris, and dissolved air flotation to remove oil and grease. The goal of SMURFF is to keep pollutants out of the Santa Monica Bay altogether.
Perkins said the two cities will collaborate on a stormwater collection system to be built near the Penmar Golf Course in Venice and Marine Park in Santa Monica that will catch runoff from that area and the Santa Monica Airport.
That project will be funded by Measure V, Santa Monica’s version of Prop. O that was narrowly approved by voters in November 2006. The measure is expected to generate $2.4 million a year for 10 years, Perkins said. The measure will also help the city in finding other revenue sources such as state and federal grants that could push the total to $50 million over the next decade.
The City Council in September approved a concept plan for the first phase of stormwater projects totaling $25 million.
The projects include the watershed retention system at Penmar and Marine Park that would capture runoff from approximately 600 acres within Santa Monica; constructing curb drains, parkway swales and retention areas and permeable concrete for one block on Bicknell Street; creating more open space along Ocean Park Boulevard with permeable paved areas; and greening parking lots along the beach that can be used for recreation during times when there is not much demand for parking.
The council also instructed city staff to send out applications for a citizens oversight committee. Members who apply will be selected by the council.
City staff has been working on putting together a follow-up report to the council that will establish the committee and formerly ask elected officials to appropriate funds for the first phase of projects so that staff can begin design work and feasibility studies.
Perkins said plans are to go before the council by the end of January.
“Thank goodness the voters of Santa Monica, in their wisdom, voted in favor of Measure V,” Perkins said. “That is money that is desperately needed to make progress on the stormwater contamination front.”
“The message that we are trying to get out to residents of Santa Monica is that the city of Los Angeles is doing our part to keep the ocean and beaches clean,” said Cynthia Ruiz, president of the board of public works for Los Angeles. jump head - L.A. and SM working together to protect bay
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 14, 2007. Read the original PDF.