1) Welcome/Introductions

Catherine Tyrrell, LA Regional Board, welcomed the participants to the meeting and thanked them for attending (see attached sign-in list). Catherine introduced Jaime Kooser, Coastal Commission, who will be attending the next few meetings in place of Tami Grove.

2) Draft Workplan and Schedule

Catherine Tyrrell presented the workplan [handout at meeting] for the next six fiscal years (First Year = FY 97-98, ending this month). Although the funding provided by the Karnette bill only covers five years, a few activities associated with adoption of the final management strategy and transmittal to the Legislature would occur during the Sixth Year (FY 2002-3). Catherine also presented an outline of the goals and work products for each of the five strategy development subcommittees. The Task Force members discussed the need for creation of a Funding Subcommittee, but decided to defer a decision until other subcommittees identified a need for additional funds to complete required tasks.

Comments on the workplan and schedule should be submitted to Jim Raives, California Coastal Commission (415-904-5292) by Friday, June 19, 1998.

3) Subcommittee Status Reports

The June agenda package mailed to task force members contains a list of the individuals who signed up to participate on the subcommittees. The Watershed and Source Reduction Subcommittee has scheduled its first meeting for Tuesday, June 30th, 1:30 - 4:00 pm at the LA Regional Board office (101 Centre Plaza, Monterey Park). Meetings for the Upland Disposal and Beneficial Reuse, Aquatic Disposal and Dredge Operation, and Sediment Screening Threshold Subcommittees have not been scheduled; the Chairs agreed to schedule a first meeting within a June/early July timeframe. The Implementation Subcommittee does not plan to begin meeting until later in the year.

To join a subcommittee, or to recommend someone else, please contact Jim Raives (415-904-5292) or Michael Lyons (213-266-7616).

4) Marina Del Rey Feasibility Study

Tony Risko, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, discussed the status of the feasibility study. The Corps has completed a preliminary screening of several disposal alternatives and developed a list of options to be retained for more detailed analysis (aquatic disposal at the North Energy Island Borrow Pit or a site near the breakwater, designated as SPB5; confined disposal at Pier S; upland disposal in Utah; treatment, including physical separation, concrete stabilization, and sediment mixing to blend fines with coarser material), and also will consider structural reconfiguration of Ballona Creek.

The feasibility study should be completed by October 1998. 

5) Status of MOU, Action Plan and Interim Process

Michael Lyons, LA Regional Board, presented updates on these items. Jim Raives revised the Action Plan and Interim Process documents to reflect comments received from the Task Force members; final versions of these documents will be mailed soon.

At the May meeting, the Task Force agreed to move forward with signing of the amended MOU by the end of June (the Coastal Commission already signed it). However, legal staff from the Port of Los Angeles have requested a modification to paragraph 5d; the Port of LA will not agree to implement the management plan unless it has been adopted by Port management, so the Port has suggested the addition of the Port of Los Angeles to the agencies listed in paragraph 5d.

The Port’s suggestion generated some discussion and disagreement regarding the need for this change. It was not possible to reach a consensus on this issue, due to the limited time remaining at the end of the meeting. Several task members agreed to work together over the next two weeks to try to develop a solution to this problem. This issue will be discussed further at the next task force meeting.

Signatory agencies should wait until this issue is resolved before signing the amended MOU.

6) Public Outreach

Staff briefed the California Coastal Commission at the May meeting on the Task Force activities to date; the Commission was very supportive of this effort. Coastal Commission and LA Regional Board staff also briefed Senator Karnette in May; she was pleased with our progress.

The Coastal Commission has made space available on its web site for the Contaminated Sediment Task Force. The web pages contain background documents, meeting summaries and announcements of upcoming meetings. These pages will be updated frequently. Suggestions are welcome regarding ways to improve the content and appearance of the site (we plan to add some photos, and the address probably will be changed in the next few months).

Web Site = http://www.ceres.ca.gov/coastalcomm/web/sediment/sdindex.html

7) Miscellaneous Items

Russ Kaiser, Army Corps, presented information on potential funding for ecosystem restoration projects under Section 1135 [handout at meeting]. Proposals can be submitted every 3-6 months, and approval and funding occurs within @ 6 months. Guang-yu Wang, Santa Monica Bay Restoration Project, will work with Russ and City of Long Beach staff to explore our use of this process to fund projects of interest to the Task Force.

A dredging conference will be held in Las Vegas during the week of June 29 - July 3, 1998 (contact the Army Corps for more info).

Please bring items of general interest (workshops, conferences, publications, etc.) to the attention of Jim Raives or Michael Lyons so that we can post them on the web site.

8) Next Meeting

The next task force meeting currently is scheduled for Thursday, July 2, 1998, 10 am - 1 pm, Port of Los Angeles, Port Plaza Conference Room, 425 South Palos Verdes, San Pedro.