PREPARED BY: AMANDA BOOTH DATE OF MEETING: 06/02/2025
SUBJECT:
TITLE
CONSIDER ADOPTING RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN PABLO AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH LARRY WALKER ASSOCIATES, INC.TO OVERSEE THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) GRANT FUNDED POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCB) TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOAD (TMDL) SPECIAL STUDIES AND IMPLEMENTATION PROJECT IN THE AMOUNT OF $7,830,000 FOR THE BAY AREA MUNICIPAL STORMWATER COLLABORATIVE (BAMSC)
CEQA: An environmental review analysis consistent with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) will be prepared as part of this project prior to implementation.
Label
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Adopt Resolution
Body
Compliance statements
FY 2025-2027 Council Priority Workplan Compliance Statements:
Enhance Community Resilience - 202. Identify and Implement Long-Term Environmental Stewardship Goals is a major policy goal in the FY 2025-27 City Council Priority Workplan, approved April 7, 2025.
BACKGROUND
In 2008, the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board adopted a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan to reduce Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in the San Francisco Bay. PCBs are toxic, persistent environmental pollutants that accumulate in the tissues of fish, wildlife, and humans. The TMDL identifies urban stormwater runoff as a major source of PCBs and outlines the need for coordinated efforts to reduce contamination.
The City of San Pablo, as a member of the Bay Area Municipal Stormwater Collaborative (BAMSC) - an association of 103 public agencies - is participating in regional PCB reduction efforts mandated by its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater permit. In support of these efforts, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through its San Francisco Bay Water Quality Improvement Fund (SFBWQIF), has awarded $8 million in non-competitive grant funds over five years to support implementation and special studies for the PCBs TMDL.
The City of San Pablo has agreed to serve as the fiscal agent for this grant and will administer funding for eligible activities (Resolution 2025-011). The grant supports PCB monitoring, watershed mapping, and implementation of control measures, with a specific emphasis on benefiting underserved communities and engaging those disproportionately impacted by environmental pollution.
A Request for Proposals (RFP) was released for this work on March 25, 2025. One proposal was received from Larry Walker Associates, Inc. (LWA) and its team of subconsultants (Geosyntec Consultants, EOA, Inc., Stone Creek Environmental Consulting, LLC, Applied Marine Sciences, Inc., Integral Consultants, Inc., and Northgate Environmental Management, Inc.). The proposal was evaluated and deemed responsive and technically strong by City and BAMSC partner staff.
Staff recommend that the City Council authorize the City Manager to enter into an agreement for consulting services with Larry Walker Associates, Inc. to implement the PCBs TMDL Special Studies and Implementation Project for a total not-to-exceed amount of $7,830,000, with project completion expected by December 2029.
FISCAL IMPACT
This grant includes a required 25% match, totaling $2,666,667. All matching funds will be provided by the BAMSC partners; no City of San Pablo funds are required for the match. City staff have received letters of commitment from project partners confirming the availability of match funds (Resolution 2025-011).
The City will be reimbursed approximately $150,000 over the 5-year grant period for staff time spent administering the grant. Additionally, the City anticipates a $24,000 increase in Stormwater Utility Assessment (SUA) return-to-source funding over the same period, due to reduced compliance costs.
Agreement for Consulting Services Funding Source
|
Consultant |
Service |
Fund/Account Code |
Amount |
|
Larry Walker Associates, Inc. (LWA) |
PCBs TMDL Special Studies and Implementation Project |
222-0000-43600-PCB-125 |
$7,830,000 |
ATTACHMENTS:
Att. 1- Resolution
Att. 2- LWA Contract