Seal Beach will apply for a Water Recycling Funding Program Planning grant. The City Council on Feb. 8 authorized staff to apply for the grant and authorized the city manager to execute the documents required to make it happen. Seal Beach is seeking $300,000 for a water recycling project. The vote was unanimous. This was a Consent Calendar item.
Consent items are voted on collectively, without discussion, unless a council member pulls one or more items for further discussion.
This item was not pulled.
Background
“The City of Seal Beach currently relies on potable water supplies to irrigate both public and private landscaped areas. Increasing climate variability, periodic water supply shortages, and evolving regulatory requirements continue to place pressure on traditional potable water resources throughout Southern California,” according to the staff report by Public Works Director Iris Lee.
“Long Beach Utilities operates an established recycled water system, including advanced treatment and distribution infrastructure, in close proximity to the City of Seal Beach,” Lee wrote.
“Preliminary coordination with Long Beach Utilities has identified the potential for importing recycled water to offset potable water currently used for non-potable irrigation purposes,” Lee wrote.
“However, a comprehensive feasibility study is required to evaluate conveyance options, system integration, regulatory and permitting requirements, end-user demand suitability, capital and operational costs, and long-term operational and maintenance considerations,” Lee wrote.
The State Water Resources Control Board provides grant funding for water projects, according to her report.
“The WRFP Grant provides a maximum grant amount of $300,000 per planning project, which the feasibility study falls under. Pursuant to the funding guidelines, the City is considered a Disadvantaged Community (DAC) which means the City may receive 100% of grant funds up to the maximum grant amount with no matching funds,” Lee wrote.
“If awarded, revenues and expenditures associated with the WRFP Grant will be recognized and included in the City’s annual budget,” Lee wrote.
