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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-02-03 - AGENDA REPORTS - SANTA CLARA RIVER PROJ (2)TO: FROM: 17WO CITY OF SANTA CLARITA INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM Mayor Kellar and Members of the City Council Chair Berger and Members of the Planning Commission Chair Hauser and Members of the Parks, Recreation, issi en u amp, City a r February 3, 2004 and Community Services SUBJECT: SANTA CLARA RIVER PROJECT WITH THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS RECOMMENDED ACTION City Council to receive report regarding the current project with the Army Corps of Engineers, and provide staff with direction on how to proceed. BACKGROUND In April of 2002, the City, using $100,000 in funds secured by Howard "Buck" McKeon and working in conjunction with the Army Corps of Engineers (The Corps), initiated a Reconnaissance Study in the Santa Clara River. The focus of the study was to examine a variety of topics including water resources, establishment of habitat, flood control opportunities, and, to a lesser degree, recreational opportunities along the 14 -mile stretch of the Santa Clara River within the City of Santa Clarita. Of particular interest to the City was the potential for introducing water to the Santa Clara River, either through the use of a system of inflatable rubber dam structures or by capturing and transporting effluent flow from the Saugus or Valencia treatment plant. The proposed purpose is to establish the Santa Clara River as more of a community amenity than it is presently, while at the same time helping to promote awareness of the River itself as a vital and vigorous habitat. The Reconnaissance Study, completed by the Corps in September 2002, recommends what it calls an "environmental restoration" instead of a project that would construct rubber dam structures. Rubber dams were deemed to be impractical for a number of reasons. The Corps recommends transporting water from the Valencia treatment plant upstream via pipeline, and reintroducing it further upstream, east of Bouquet Canyon Road. This reintroduction of water into the riverbed could potentially help establish a revitalized habitat in the eastern stretches of the Santa Clara River. Agenda Item : r There are, however, a number of obstacles that would need to be overcome for the project to be successful including water quality issues, stormwater, and total maximum daily load (TMDL) issues regarding the existing habitat, as well as regulatory and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) issues. Furthermore, in meetings with the Castaic Lake Water Agency, Newhall Land and Farming Company, and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works raised some serious concerns regarding either project (environmental restoration or dam structures) specifically regarding the hydrology of the river, and water quality. At this stage, the City is prepared to move forward with investigating the project further. The next phase of the project would be to request the Corps conduct a Feasibility Study to determine whether or not the proposed environmental restoration project and any alternative projects would actually be feasible in the current environment. This phase would require the partnership of local agencies along with the City of Santa Clarita, and is expected to take at least three years to complete. At completion of the feasibility phase, the Corps will make a recommendation to move to an implementation phase, at which time the project that is selected will actually be built with partial funding from the Corps. ALTERNATIVE ACTIONS Other actions as determined by the City Council. FISCAL IMPACT The City currently has access to approximately $140,000 of federal funds to begin the Feasibility Phase of the project. This level of funding is equivalent to approximately 10 percent of the overall federal contribution. The City and its partners would be required to match the entire amount. Should the City determine to not move forward with the Feasibility Phase, the funds would be absorbed by the Corps and no longer available to the City. The total cost for the Feasibility Phase of the project is estimated at $2.4 million over the lifetime of the phase. The City and its partners would be required to commit one-half of the total project cost, while the Army Corps would commit the balance. However, a majority of the project cost for the City and its partners could be "in-kind" services as opposed to a cash match. ATTACHMENTS River Reconnaissance Update Memo dated November 14, 2002. DGP:sas U:WDMIN\David PetersonWrmy Corps Feas Phase\,study session item 02 03 04.doc CITY OF SANTA CLARITA INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM TO: Kenneth R. Pulskamp, City Manager FROM: Jeffrey J. Lambert, AICP, Director of Planning and Building Services DATE: November 14, 2002 SUBJECT: RIVER RECONNAISSANCE PROJECT UPDATE. In September 2002, the Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) completed the Reconnaissance Study of the Santa Clara River. Staff is discussing a project of habitat revitalization through introduction of effluent from the Valencia or Saugus water treatment plant which will be pumped further upstream, east of the Bouquet Canyon Road bridge. The Reconnaissance Study itself commenced in April 2002, and the document is the result of several site visits along the length of the Santa Clara River within the City of Santa Clarita and extensive cooperation between City staff and the Army Corps. The study's focus was to examine water resource issues and opportunities along the river, with particular attention paid to potential habitat restoration, flood protection, and to a much lesser degree, ancillary recreational opportunities. The study identified the main opportunity area as restoration of riparian habitat within the river itself. Flood control was not identified as a major issue area because although there has been considerable development in Santa Clarita, most of the development has occurred outside of the 100 -year flood overflow zone. In addition, the Army Corps could find no record of major flood overflow events in the reaches of the Santa Clara River that were investigated.' Habitat is comparatively lush in the Santa Clara River west of the Bouquet Canyon Road Bridge. This is due to the release of effluent from the Saugus Treatment Plant just west of the bridge. East of the bridge (upstream) the habitat is barren and relatively dry. Staff discussed introducing effluent further upstream with the intent of establishing habitat along a greater reach of the Santa Clara River. The benefits of habitat restoration are numerous and include the potential to increase the number of endangered and/or threatened species in the river, and to provide for enhanced recreational opportunities along the river itself. The study suggests that water could be introduced to the river in three ways: 1) utilizing the treated effluent from the Valencia and/or Saugus treatment plant and pumping it via pipeline upstream, 2) pumping water from the groundwater table, or 3) use potable water from the domestic supply. The study suggests that option number one would be the ' It should be noted that the Army Corps did indicate that the significant fire activity in the local hillsides combined with the anticipated EI Nino events over the next several years could provide support for a flood control argument. However, habitat restoration remains the Army Corps' primary focus. most feasible. However, the study also warns that limitations exist on changing the location or adding to the number of points where effluent is introduced into the river. To be feasible, the quantity of water downstream could not be changed by introducing some of it further upstream. If this were the case, habitat downstream could be threatened. As a result, the study finds that a plan for habitat restoration would have the following objectives: 1. Improve overall riparian quality within the Santa Clara River; 2. Enhance the upstream riparian corridor to the condition of the current riparian corridor that exists west of the Bouquet Canyon Road Bridge as a result of effluent release from the Saugus Water Treatment Plant; 3. Improve river habitat and stabilization of stream banks; 4. Improve recreation opportunities; and 5. Reduce urban flow damages and property loss. Constraints to the project include: 1. Use of water generally carries some controversy along with it, particularly when use is proposed during drought years; 2. California Fish and Game has several stipulations regarding changes in riparian ecosystems; 3. The riverbed is porous and tends to infiltrate quickly in most areas. This could potentially limit the effectiveness of expanding new riparian habitat; 4. In any alternative, water would most likely need to be pumped upstream. This will increase project costs; 5. There may be considerable public sensitivity to altering the existing river configuration; 6. There may be short-term water quality issues associated with construction related to the project. An alternative to pumping effluent from an existing water treatment plant would be the construction of a new plant further upstream in the Canyon Country area and releasing effluent from there. City staff has met with staff from the Los Angeles County Sanitation District (LACSD) regarding both the use of effluent and the construction of a new plant. The LACSD indicated that the Saugus plant is near its current maximum capacity and most likely not available to provide additional flow upstream in its current configuration. However, the Valencia plant does have excess capacity that could be used. LACSD also indicated that although they favor plant expansion over construction of a new plant, having a plant built in Canyon Country could be an option. The study concludes that continuing on to the feasibility phase of the process for projects associated with riparian habitat restoration within the Santa Clara River is consistent with the goals and objectives of the Army Corps. The study also finds that the use of rubber inflatable dams, an idea preliminarily discussed by staff, for flood control and recreational purposes would be infeasible given the steep slope of the riverbed. The Reconnaissance Study is currently being reviewed by Army Corps Headquarters in Washington D.C. An official recommendation on whether to proceed to feasibility should come within a few weeks. Should the Army Corps proceed to the feasibility phase, the City will need to provide a 50% match of the total project cost. The initial costs of the feasibility phase are estimated at $400,000. However, the Army Corps credits in-kind services toward the total match, with the remaining balance required as cash. The total match by the City over the estimated two year time frame for completion is between $1.2 and $2.0 million. Unfortunately, the $300,000 in funding the City was scheduled to receive from the Army Corps for the feasibility phase has disappeared, most likely due to a budgeting error. City staff is currently working with Buck McKeon's office to identify and allocate the funds for the project. If the funds can not be found, the feasibility phase would not begin until fiscal year 2003/2004. Copies of previous update memos are attached for your reference. Should you have any questions please feel free to contact me at your convenience. KRP:JJL:DGP:lep S:\PBS\DaveP\renin\Jeff token update 110602.dm Attachments cc: Jeffrey Lambert, AICP, Director of Planning and Building Services David Peterson, Project Development Coordinator