The first meeting of this subcommittee was held on June 30, 1998. In attendance were: Catherine Tyrrell (Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board), Mark Gold (Heal the Bay), Michael Lyons (LARWQCB), Guang-yu Wang (Santa Monica Bay Restoration Project), Rick Cameron (Port of Long Beach), and Jason Mubarak (MEC Analytical, Inc).

Some members of the subcommittee may not have realized that we were holding the first meeting on June 30th. We will try to improve communications by using E-mail to send meeting minutes and meeting announcements to all interested parties. We want to invite Xavier Swamikannu (LARWQCB) and Brock Bernstein (independent consultant, formerly with EcoAnalysis) to attend our meetings because of their experience with stormwater and sources/loadings issues. We also want to make sure that Mike Mullin or John Dorsey (City of Los Angeles, Stormwater Division) and Menerva Daoud (LA County Department of Public Works) participate in our subcommittee’s efforts.

1) Review Goal and Work Products

We reviewed the goal of the subcommittee and proposed the following modification: GOAL: Promote strategies to reduce specific pollutants of concern from the Ballona, Dominguez Channel, Los Angeles River and San Gabriel River Watersheds so that they no longer pose a sediment disposal problem when dredged. The following pollutants of concern were identified: metals, PAHs, organochlorines (pesticides) and excess sediment.

The technical work products proposed at the June 4th Task Force meeting were reviewed. We modified one work product (B.) as follows: Identify strategies for implementation to most cost-effectively and equitably reduce pollutants of concern. We also recommended adding an additional work product: Explore sediment capture options (e.g., BMPs to remove sediment loads).

2) Develop Draft Subcommittee Workplan for Distribution to Members for Review

After some discussion, we developed a workplan for the next three years (FY 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-1 [SEE ATTACHMENT]. The workplan for the current fiscal year (FY 1998-99), which is Year 2 of the Task Force, is the most detailed, with several work assignments (which are discussed below).

We need to identify the pollutants of concern for each watershed. Review of the last 3-5 years of sediment data should allow us to develop a starter list of pollutants of concern by watershed. This task was assigned to Michael Lyons, with a due date of September 30, 1998.

Once we have identified the pollutants of concern for each watershed, we can make a first cut at estimating loadings and identifying sources for each pollutant. This task was assigned to Guang-yu Wang, with a due date of March 31, 1999. We should be able to use stormwater data to assist with this task. The subcommittee agreed to invite Michael Stenstrom, UCLA, to talk about his attempts to correlate land uses with loading estimates for the Ballona watershed, as well as Bill DePoto, LA County Department of Public Works, to talk about the countywide monitoring results.

MEETING NOTICE: At the next Watershed and Source Reduction Subcommittee meeting, which will be held on August 4, 1998, 1:00 to 3:30 pm, at the Los Angeles Regional Board office, we will hear presentations from Michael Stenstrom, UCLA, and Bill DePoto, LACDPW.

We need to develop a scope of work to fill data gaps re sources and loadings, including identifying the studies and their cost to complete our database. This task was assigned to Mark Gold, with a due date of September 1998.

We need to research and inventory the existing BMPs that are available to reduce sources of the identified pollutants of concern, so that we are aware of the methods that are already under consideration or development. This task was assigned to Rick Cameron, with a due date of March 31, 1999.

After we review existing BMPs, we will need to develop demonstration projects and identify further research needs to reduce sources of pollutants of concern. The subcommittee will handle this task, with a due date of June, 1999.

3) Set Subcommittee Meeting Dates Through December 1998

The next subcommittee is scheduled for August 4th at the Los Angeles Regional Board office (101 Centre Plaza, Monterey Park). Since several subcommittee members were unable to attend this first meeting, we decided to wait until the next meeting to try to schedule meetings for the rest of the year.

4) Plan Next Agenda and Make Assignments