1) Welcome/Introductions

Jim Raives, California Coastal Commission and Catherine Tyrrell, Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, welcomed the participants to the meeting and thanked them for attending (see attached sign-in list).

2) Proposed Task Force Meeting Schedule

The task force members agreed to schedule monthly meetings for May 8, June 4, July 2, August 6, September 3, October 8, and November 12.

3) Amendment to the Memorandum of Understanding

Michael Lyons, Los Angeles Regional Board, presented the revised version of the amendment to the MOU (per comments received at the March 26th meeting) [handout at meeting]. The task force recommended adding language pertaining to upland disposal to section 2. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers agreed to complete review of the amendment by April 30th. Catherine Tyrrell volunteered to track progress and facilitate signing of the original MOU and the amendment by all parties at the earliest possible date (hopefully during May).

Final comments on the amendment to the MOU should be submitted to Michael Lyons, Los Angeles Regional Board (213-266-7616) by Thursday, April 30, 1998.

4) Action Plan - Update

Jim Raives, Coastal Commission, presented a revised version of the action plan (per comments received at the March 26th meeting and thereafter) [handout at meeting]. The task force recommended adding language to Section VI (Elements of the Strategy) indicating a need to establish best management practices to identify environmentally preferable dredging methods. The task force discussed the role of the Executive Committee and whether it should have the power to resolve disputes within the Management Committee; the consensus was that the management committee should be the primary decision making body, but that participants should be able to bring major unresolved problems to the Executive Committee when necessary. The task force agreed upon the need to rewrite Section IV (Membership) to ensure that it is clear that participation on the task force is open to all interested parties. The task force briefly discussed some possible mechanisms for implementation of the long-term management plan (e.g., changes in regulations, adoption of new policies, basin plan amendment, formation of Dredging Managment Organization). The task force agreed that the regulatory agencies should start thinking about how they would want to implement the plan, and that the Implementation Committee should tackle this issue as one of its primary tasks.

Many task force members pointed out that the action plan should identify the key work products to be produced by the task force and contain a more detailed schedule for completion of these elements. Coastal Commission and Los Angeles Regional Board staff (Tami Grove, Jim Raives, Catherine Tyrrell, Michael Lyons) plan to meet on April 29th to develop a draft workplan and schedule for discussion at the May or June task force meeting.

Final comments on the draft plan should be submitted to Jim Raives, California Coastal Commission (415-904-5292) by Friday, April 24, 1998.

5) Strawman Interim Strategy

Ralph Appy, Port of Los Angeles, presented the strawman proposal for an Interim Management Process, developed by the group of six volunteers [attachment included with task force agenda]. The task force recommended indicating that the interim process would focus on three main disposal strategies: confined aquatic disposal (CAD), upland disposal, and beneficial reuse. Task force members expressed concern over whether the interim process described could be used to plan for an interim CAD site; it was recommended that language be added to indicate that one goal of the interim process would be to eliminate the proliferation of multiple CAD sites.

As proposed, the interim advisory group was not planning to meet until after sediment data was available from the project proponent. However, several task force members felt that the advisory group should be utilized to develop the sediment sampling program. After much discussion, the task force agreed that EPA would continue to review all proposed sediment sampling plans; EPA would approve routine sampling plans, but would refer complicated projects (e.g. emergency projects, CAD site disposal) to the advisory group for consideration at this early stage.

The task force recommended that the Interim Management Process should contain a decision tree, which would provide a method for determining which types of dredging/disposal projects would require a meeting of the Interim Advisory Group. It was suggested that many routine dredging projects could be handled during the planned semi-annual meetings of the Advisory Group. The volunteer group agree to meet to revise the Interim Management Process and develop a proposed decision tree.

Any comments on the draft plan would be welcomed and should be submitted to Jim Raives, California Coastal Commission (415-904-5292).

6) Status of Marina Del Rey Emergency Dredging

Mo Chang, Army Corps of Engineers (COE), presented an update on the Marina Del Rey situation. Shoaling has recurred around the North and South Jetties of the Entrance Channel (the navigation channel near the South Jetty has been reduced to an uncomfortably narrow width). Since dredging and disposal activities normally are prohibited during the least tern nesting season (April 15-September 15), little time remains to deal with these problems.

Due to time constraints, it was not feasible to complete the required testing (Tier 3) of South Jetty material to secure approval for ocean disposal of dredged material. These sediments would be suitable for construction fill at the Pier 400 site, but it does not appear likely that indemnification issues could be resolved with the Port of Los Angeles in time to proceed with emergency dredging. Another alternative would be disposal in the City of Long Beach’s borrow pit, but issues related to liability, disposal fees and joint use of the site have not been resolved.

The coarse-grained sediments around the North Jetty appear to be relatively clean (pending final determination from EPA/COE) and could be used for beach replenishment, but dredging and disposal would require an exception from the resource agencies (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Game) to conduct activities during the least tern nesting season.

7) Los Angeles River Estuary Shoaling

Doland Cheung, Army Corps of Engineers (COE), presented information on shoaling conditions near the mouth of the Los Angeles River. Sediment build-up is causing access problems into neighboring marinas. As of March 1998, approximately 105,000 cubic yards of sediment have shoaled in the channel and should be dredged in the near future. The City of Long Beach requested that the COE declare an Emergency Dredging Situation, but funding for the dredging was denied by Corps’ Headquarters. The sediments have not been tested, but probably are contaminated based upon previous experience. The most likely disposal site would be the City of Long Beach’s borrow pit, although the sediments might pass the criteria for ocean disposal.

The task force agreed that this is the type of project which should be brought to the Interim Advisory Group. The Advisory Group is scheduled to meet on April 21st to discuss the disposal alternatives and recommend a sediment sampling strategy.

8) Ballona Creek Wet Weather Sampling Program

Tony Risko, Army Corps of Engineers, presented a status report on the Ballona Creek sampling program. The focus of the program (conducted by UCLA) is to investigate the relationship between storm intensity (as measured by velocity in the channel) and pollutant loading (concentrations in the water of the channel). Additional sampling will be conducted during 1998 to attempt to link pollutant loadings to specific land use types. The task force recommended linking this study to similar efforts underway in the LA River system and EPA’s plans to fund UCLA for a study within the LA Basin. The goal of the study would be to identify the areas that should be targeted for best management practices to control the worst sources of pollutants.

9) Summary of Contaminant Flux Workshop

Tony Risko presented a brief summary of the workshop held on February 19, 1998, which focused on the factors required to design a cap for the borrow pit currently being used as an interim confined aquatic disposal site. Corps staff from the Waterways Experimental Station, Vicksburg, Mississippi, have agreed to perform studies to physically and chemically characterize Marina del Rey and Queensway Bay sediments, estimate volume changes through consolidation of such sediments under a cap, conduct adsorption tests on metals, investigate migration of pore water, predict metal flux through a cap, and prepare contaminant flux matrices for various cap thicknesses. The results of these studies should be available around mid-summer. The task force will try to use this information to develop contaminant breakthrough thresholds for design of confined aquatic disposal sites.

10) Next Meeting

The next task force meeting will be held on Friday, May 8, 1998, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Port of Long Beach Administrative Offices, 925 Harbor Plaza, Long Beach. An agenda will be mailed prior to the meeting.