For City Council Meeting [November 15, 2022]
TO: Honorable City Council
APPROVAL: Marcus Fuller, City Manager
FROM: Thomas J. Crowley, P.E., Utilities Manager
Title
Request the City Council/Rialto Utility Authority Board 1) Adopt Resolution No. 7991 Approving the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority’s One Water One Watershed Plan Update 2018; and 2) Adopt RUA Resolution No. 08-22 Approving the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority’s One Water One Watershed Plan Update 2018.
Body
BACKGROUND
On February 19, 2019, the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA) Board of Commissioners adopted the One Water One Watershed (OWOW) Plan Update 2018. The update was developed from the OWOW 2.0 Plan that was adopted on February 4, 2014. Like the OWOW 2.0 Plan, the OWOW Plan Update 2018 serves as the Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Program for the Santa Ana River Watershed, which allows the listed projects eligible for state grant funding.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION
SAWPA is the approved Regional Water Management Group (RWMG) for the Santa Ana River Watershed, with the Board of Commissioners governing the OWOW Program’s aspects that engage with the State’s IRWM Program. Tasked with this administrative oversight for the Santa Ana Funding Area, SAWPA conducted a call for Projects from January 11, 2022, to June 1, 2022, related to OWOW Plan Update 2018. SAWPA received 24 applications requesting Proposition 1 Round 2 Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) grant funding and authorized funding for 10 projects.
The City of Rialto’s Lake Rialto Habitat Management and Community Open Space (Lake Rialto) Project is one of the ten projects selected for funding. On September 22, 2022, the OWOW Steering Committee authorized SAWPA staff to move forward with the top-ranked projects and grant funding allocation.
At their October 4, 2022, meeting, SAWPA Board of Commissioners authorized $2,149,748 in grant funding, or 27% of the total project cost of $8 million to the City of Rialto’s Lake Rialto Project. As a condition of the grant funding, the State Department of Water Resources (DWR) and SAWPA require that all local project sponsors adopt by Resolution the OWOW Plan Update 2018. The Executive Summary of the OWOW Plan Update 2018 is included as Attachment 1 and the Resolutions as Attachments 2 and 3.
Lake Rialto is proposed to be located adjacent to and south of the city’s Water Treatment Plant. Lake Rialto’s scope includes:
- Constructing approximately 10 acres of wetlands/vegetation, with an estimated 41 acre-feet of total seasonal recycled water storage.
- The lake will be filled with recycled water from the city’s adjacent water treatment plant. Currently, this tertiary treated effluent is discharged into a concrete-lined flood control channel that flows into the unlined Rialto Channel.
- Reengineering an existing dry pit to create a shallow marsh wetland (3 to 4 acres) that receives tertiary treated effluent, and a deeper lake (6 acres) that receives cleaned effluent once it has passed through the bio-filtration system thereby providing water temperature and nutrient management benefits.
Besides being aesthetically pleasing, Lake Rialto has the additional benefit of water quality improvements to water temperature and nutrient management. Before releasing effluent from the city’s Water Treatment Plant into the flood control channel, the effluent will be stored in Lake Rialto for several days allowing the water temperature to lower to a suitable temperature for native fish and other aquatic species. Two native fish that thrive in cooler temperatures reside immediately downstream of the point of discharge - the federally threatened Santa Ana sucker and the Arroyo chub. Nutrient management occurs through nitrogen and phosphorus bioremediation, which removes microplastics and creates a habitat that benefits native wildlife. Lake Rialto will benefit the Upper Santa Ana River Habitat Conservation Plan (regional watershed) and promote multiple species’ recovery.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The Resolution is a planning activity and not considered a project under California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it has no potential for causing a significant effect on an environmental resource (California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 14 §15306). The City of Rialto’s Lake Rialto Project will be subject to an independent review under CEQA. As these Resolutions are exempt, no notice is required, nor is a hearing or opportunity to be heard, and no findings are required under CCR 14, §15061.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY
This action is consistent with
- Guiding Principle 1: Rialto is a Family First Community; and
- Guiding Principal 4: Rialto is an Active Community.
Specifically, items 1B, 1D, and 4A:
1B. Essential community services and amenities must meet the needs and desires of our families.
1D. We will create a sense of community that bonds residents and families together, resulting in a stronger, better Rialto.
4A. Our community will support the creation and maintenance of attractive parks, recreational facilities, and gathering places that meet the needs of our residents.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney reviewed and recommends approval of this staff report and resolution.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Operating Budget Impact
None.
Capital Improvement Budget Impact
As of the writing of this staff report, a significant portion of the Lake Rialto project costs has been secured through grants. This includes the following amounts:
|
AMOUNT |
SOURCE |
% OF PROJECT COSTS |
|
$2.15 million |
SAWPA |
27% |
|
$2.00 million |
Rep. Pete Aguilar |
25% |
|
$1.05 million |
Senator Connie M. Leyva |
13% |
|
$5.20 million |
Amount Funded |
65% |
Staff will continue to seek grants to secure project funding for the remaining $2.8 million or 35% of outstanding project costs. Any costs unable to be paid for by grants may be budgeted with City Council approval from the Capital Improvement Budget.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council/Rialto Utility Authority Board 1) Adopt Resolution No. 7991 Approving the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority’s One Water One Watershed Plan Update 2018; and 2) Adopt RUA Resolution No. 08-22 Approving the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority’s One Water One Watershed Plan Update 2018.