Attendees:

Jaime Kooser/Lauma Jurkevics – California Coastal Commission
Mitzy Taggart – Heal the Bay
Steven John/Fred Schauffler – US Environmental Protection Agency
Doland Cheung/Terri Ely/Mo Chang – US Army Corps of Engineers
Steve Bay – Southern California Coastal Research Project
Rick Cameron/Tom Johnson – Port of Long Beach
Scott Gordon – Congressman Steve Kuykendall’s Office
Ralph Appy – Port of Los Angeles
Alistaire Callender – Hart Crowser
David Moore – MEC Analytical
Lawrence Honma/Barry Snyder – Ogden Environmental
Dennis Eschen – City of Long Beach
James Allen/Keith Higginbotham – Random Lengths News
Seth Molinari - URGGWC

Jaime Kooser (CCC) opened the meeting. The Regional Board has not yet assigned a co-chair for the Task Force. Jaime will follow up again with Regional Board management.

Steven John (EPA) announced that the Sediment Screening Thresholds subcommittee developed a mission statement, goal, and objectives to achieve that goal. The subcommittee will meet after the Task Force meeting to incorporate the objectives into a workplan.

The Aquatic Disposal and Dredge Operations subcommittee met in August with staff from the Waterways Experiment Station. The subcommittee will meet again in October to discuss best management practices for dredge operations. An updated workplan through year 2001 was passed out to the Task Force members. Tony Risko (Corps) developed the workplan that will be evaluated by the subcommittee members at their next meeting.

The Implementation subcommittee developed two reports (Adoption Process and Streamlining) and is now in the process of figuring out how it could best address funding issues. The reports will be discussed later in the Task Force meeting. However, revising the workplan is contingent upon receiving the updated workplans and final data gaps reports from the other subcommittees. The subcommittee also needs to add members more familiar with the nuances of funding and is trying to get Dean Smith (LA Co Beaches and Harbors) involved.

Mitzy Taggart (Heal the Bay) summarized the Watershed Management and Source Reduction subcommittee meeting that was held in August. LA County Department of Public Works had presented the results of its stormwater sampling, which was submitted this summer to the Regional Board. In addition, the Corps has contracted a firm to do sediment sampling within Ballona Creek and its tributaries. Depending on the success and results of this sediment sampling, the subcommittee might be able to utilize the same approach to Dominguez Channel and the Los Angeles River. No workplan has been updated but the subcommittee will meet in October before the Task Force has its next meeting.

The Upland Disposal and Beneficial Re-Use subcommittee also needs to update its workplan. However, Rick Cameron (POLB) informed the Task Force members that the POLB is finalizing a Request for Proposals (RFP) early next week to get cost estimates from contractors on doing a literature search regarding current state-of-the-art in the re-use of dredge material (such as, concrete stabilization, physical separation). This would fill in one of the data gaps identified by the subcommittee, and could address some of the other gaps, as well. When the subcommittee meets in October, Rick will be able to discuss the progress of this RFP.

Michael Lyons (LA Regional Board) had developed a summary of the responses to the data gaps survey that was sent to the Task Force members. The members reviewed this summary at the Task Force meeting. Although only nine responses were received, it appeared that those components dealing with sediment quality were ranked the highest. Other choices top on the list included components being handled by the Aquatic subcommittee (environmental control measures, aquatic regional siting, turbidity plume), Upland subcommittee (re-use projects), and Watershed subcommittee (pollutant source identification).

Lauma Jurkevics (CCC) will develop one comprehensive plan by combining all the data gaps reports into one document. The subcommittee chairs will need to re-evaluate and finalize their reports before including them into the final report.

The Task Force needs to correlate funding with the subcommittee workplans. Funding for the top priority projects should be identified and pursued. Currently, the Task Force needs an update on the potential funding that might be available - $400,000 C-MANC supported Corps funding (previously discussed at other Task Force meetings). Some members believed this funding is for federal Fiscal Year 2001. However, Lauma provided members with a July 15^th press release from Congressman Stephen Horn’s Office, which announced securing $100,000 for the Corps in managing contaminated sediments. The Task Force was uncertain as to whether this funding was related to the C-MANC supported funding. Mo Chang (Corps) and Scott Gordon (Congressman Kuykendall’s Office) will get more specific information on the Corps’ funding.

The Task Force recommended that the Implementation Committee continue to evaluate funding options and assign a single person (or two people) as a point person on funding issues. Dean Smith and/or Tony Risko seemed likely candidates because of their funding experience. Perhaps a funding tracking form with deadlines and contacts needs to be developed to help us better understand the process. Perhaps we need to get the ports more involved with helping us with funding. For example, the Chief Harbor Engineer for the Port of Long Beach is most familiar with the port’s funding strategy. Also, the Corps’ Waterways Experiment Station is a resource we might be able to utilize in getting some of our data gaps answered.

The four-page report, together with a timeline chart, was handed to the Task Force members for review. Comments are due to Lauma by October 1^st. The only date that is firm is the submittal of the final Task Force strategy to the legislature (January 1, 2003). The agencies need to evaluate the timelines to see if they are feasible and accurate. It was recommended that the comment period for the strategy and for the EIS/EIR be concurrent. However, it was unclear as to what the intended uses for the EIS/EIR were going to be. The Corps’ needs to provide the Task Force a project description as to what is to be covered in the EIS. In addition, where do the Corps’ and EPA’s MOA, DMMO, and CAD site designation fit in the timeline?

Lauma summarized the main components of the draft report:

• introduction of what the challenges are in permitting and review processes;
• recommendations from the committee to have the Task Force concur with developing a single permit application, consistent requirements, and best management practices;
• request for guidance from the Task Force on unresolved issues (reducing number of permits, streamlining Regional Board permitting, improving the Interim Advisory Committee, integrating environmental review, and changing Local Coastal Programs/Port Master Plans);
• appendix on streamlining solutions;
• appendix on internal agency streamlining strategies;
• appendix on agency processes; and
• a flow chart of current review and permit processes.

Lauma will forward after the meeting a copy of the draft report to the members present. Comments are due to Lauma by October 8^th. [Note: Copies were sent on September 23^rd.]

The committee met in August to discuss its purpose and long-term plans. Ralph Appy (Port of LA) informed the Task Force that the committee is revising its description and hopes to have it available before the next Task Force meeting.

Mo updated the Task Force on the Marina del Rey project. The bid for Marina del Rey dredging went out August 3^rd. There was one bidder, Manson, who is also the one handling the Pier E project so there should be good coordination between the two projects with regards to dredging and disposal. The Corps and LA County signed their Memorandum of Agreement around September 14^th-15^th and the Corps awarded the contract September 15^th. The Corps is now waiting for the contractor to give the Corps a bond.

A clam shell dredge will be used for the Marina del Rey dredging project. The cost will be about $3 million to dredge 130,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment ($7 million to dredge all the contaminated sediment). Dredging is to start in November.

Lauma passed out US Fish and Wildlife Service’s September 7^th letter to the Corps about implementing a pelican monitoring plan not previously discussed when the project got approved. When the Environmental Assessment was finalized in June, the only requirement that was defined was to set up a barge two weeks prior to dredging, to which LA County agreed. Mo indicated that the Corps is developing a response letter not supporting this additional requirement of nighttime and daytime monitoring.

Tom Johnson (Port of Long Beach) discussed the Pier E and Pier T projects. The Slip 2 dike is now out of the water, so there currently is an extra layer of containment when the Marina del Rey material is placed at the site. There is potential to accept more material at Pier E but that would be contingent on whether the Corps can get more money to dredge more of Marina del Rey during the port’s construction timeframe. As for the Pier T project, Rick Cameron (Port of Long Beach) indicated that the port will be extending the wharf and dredging the site. This project will require a Port Master Plan amendment and a CCC federal consistency concurrence.

Fred Schauffler (EPA) presented EPA’s work on investigating remediation options for the Palos Verdes Shelf, an ocean Superfund site contaminated with DDTs and PCBs (presentation handouts available). EPA is looking at potential pilot projects that would provide material to cap the benthic environment. This capping action would provide immediate improvement in the benthic community by isolating certain sections of the site. EPA has evaluated human health risks, capping options, and ecological risks. These evaluations would be used to develop an EE/CA (Engineering Evaluation and Cost Analysis) report and proposed plan that, if implemented, would reduce human health and ecological risks on an interim level. The EE/CA report is expected to be available to the public for review this Fall.

The annual public workshop will be held at the CCC’s November meeting. Jaime is scheduling the workshop for either November 3^rd or 4^th. If anyone had a preference, please notify Jaime directly. The workshop would most likely take about an hour and would include an introduction, data gaps, priorities (perhaps a list of projects or a special report presented by each of the subcommittee chairs), and a status of funding (perhaps from Dean or Tony). Jaime and Lauma will develop an outline, which could also be used for the next legislative report.

The Executive Committee will be convening at the November 30^th Task Force meeting at the Port of Long Beach. We have confirmation from the Regional Board, CCC, and EPA. We still need confirmation from the Corps (Mo will follow up on this issue). Potential items on the agenda include more management involvement, funding, timelines involving the strategy adoption process, and an update of the past year’s activities (data gaps, workplans). If anyone has suggestions, please let Jaime or Lauma know.

October 19, 1999, from 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the Port of Los Angeles.