Together with the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains (District), TAC applied for an EPA grant two successive years. The District is a public agency organized under the State Public Resources Code and authorized and directed to conduct research and to advise and assist other public agencies and private individuals in various resource management fields, e.g. pollution control. It is not a rule-making agency, but can advise such agencies and act as an intermediary between them and individuals. The following task description is drawn from the grant application and represents the first water quality actions needed to develop the basis for planning decisions in the watershed.
TASK DESCRIPTION
TASK 1. PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION
Subtask 1.1 Project Management
The Contractor shall be responsible for providing all technical and administrative services as needed for project completion including but not limited to: staff resources for monitoring/ supervising, and reviewing all work performed; coordination of budgeting, scheduling, and subcontract administration.
Subtask 1.2 Quarterly Progress Reports
The Contractor shall prepare and submit written quarterly progress reports to the State Board's Contract Manager (Contract Manager). The progress reports shall detail work accomplished, discuss any problems encountered, and potential solutions to those problems; detail costs incurred during the subject quarter, and document delivery of any intermediate work products. A brief outline of upcoming work scheduled for the subsequent quarter should also be provided. Progress reports must be submitted by the 10th day of the month following each calendar quarter (April, July, October, January) throughout the duration of the project.
Product(s): Quarterly reports
Subtask 1.3 Data Management
The Contractor shall prepare and submit all water quality related data generated by the project to the State Board for input into the SWQIS/STORET system. Data formats and reporting guidance for SWQIS/STORET shall be provided by the Contract Manager. Data shall be submitted to the State Board Information Services Office on computer diskette or on forms provided by the State Board. The Contractor shall be responsible for verification of data quality.
Product(s): SWQIS/STORET Data submission and Verification of Data Quality
Subtask 1.4 Subcontract
The Contractor shall award subcontract(s) as necessary to qualified consultant(s) or other agencies. The subcontractor shall be selected by a process which complies with all applicable state and federal regulations (CFR 40 Part 31 Procurement). Prepare a legally enforceable agreement between the Contractor and the selected subcontractor(s). The agreement shall describe the scope of work and the products expected from the subcontractor(s). The Contractor shall submit subcontract documentation to the Contract Manager for review.
Product(s): Subcontract Documentation
TASK 2. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Subtask 2.1 Form a Technical Advisory Committee
The RFP requires that the Contractor shall form a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to oversee the progress and technical aspects of the project. A watershed management committee, Topanga Canyon Floodplain Management Citizen's Advisory Committee (TCFMCAC), already exists, appointed by Los Angeles County Supervisor Ed Edelman, which is proposed herein to serve as the core basis for the TAC. Topanga Canyon Town Council (TCTC) and Topanga Association for Scenic Community (TASC) people form the key community membership but also included technical individuals selected through the L.A. County Department of Public Works. The TAC shall include the technical members of that committee together with additional members drawn from staff at the Topanga-Las Virgenes Resource Conservation District (TLVRCD), Soil Conservation Service (SCS), National Park Service and the Regional Water Quality Control Board and other representatives from public agencies as are agreed upon by the Contractor and the Contract Manager.
The overall management of the project shall be guided through periodic formal reviews with the TAC. The TAC will review interim project reports and the draft project final report. To the extent possible, TAC comments on the draft project final report shall be addressed and incorporated into the project final report. Additional project-specific activities of the TAC are described in the appropriate tasks below. These activities include:
ï Participation and evaluation in the development of the environmental sampling program.
ï Participation and evaluation of watershed inventory/evaluation plan
ï Assistance in the model evaluation process
ï Review of data generated during the project
The TAC shall be formed prior to initiation of Task 3.
Product(s): The products shall include membership lists, technical expertise and affiliations. Activities shall be incorporated in the various required reports.
Subtask 2.2 Plan/Conduct Public Meetings
The Contractor shall conduct publicly noticed meetings at various times throughout the duration of the project to describe the goals, objectives, and progress of the study and to receive comments and suggestions from public agencies, affected entities, and interested persons. The first meeting shall be held during the first three months of the study. Additional meetings shall be scheduled as necessary. At least one public meeting shall be scheduled subsequent to release of the project draft final report. An Administrative assistant form the TLVRCD (or other local entity) shall be assigned to work directly with TAC with respect to keeping the public fully informed.
The Contractor shall document public participation in the project by preparing responsiveness summaries as required under 40 CFR Part 25 (Public Participation). A responsiveness summary shall be prepared for each public meeting conducted for the project. The responsiveness summary shall identify the public participation activity conducted; describe the matters on which the public was consulted; summarize the public's views, significant comments, criticisms and suggestions, and set forth the agency's specific responses in terms of modifications of the proposed action or an explanation for rejection of proposals made by the public. The responsiveness summary shall also include an evaluation of the effectiveness of the public participation program. Responsiveness summaries shall be submitted to the Contract Manager with the quarterly progress report for the quarter in which the meeting is conducted and shall be made available to the public upon request.
Product(s): Responsiveness Summaries
TASK 3 DEVELOP QUALITY ASSURANCE PROJECT PLAN (QA Plan)
Subtask 3.1
A QA Plan which adequately addresses the requirements of Section 31.45 of 40 CFR Part 31 (53 Federal Register 8074, March 11, 1988) shall be prepared in accordance with EPA's "Interim Guidelines and Specifications for Preparing Quality Assurance Project Plans" (QAMS005/80 December 29, 1980). The QA Plan shall be reviewed and approved by the State or Regional Water Board's QA Officer prior to any sample collection or analysis activity.
Product(s): QA Plan
TASK 4 PRELIMINARY DATA EVALUATION
Subtask 4.1 Review
Evaluate the sufficiency of already compiled information related to watershed hydrology--prepare annotated bibliography of published and unpublished materials
All pertinent literature related to the contract area and the proposed methodologies shall be reviewed. Existing tabular data will be accumulated from the diverse sources, e.g. recent EIRs and re-evaluated. The range of work in al fields such as forestry and environmental health will be tapped.
Libraries or data bases need to be surveyed to determine whether the type of data available will allow translation or adaptation into parameters required to feed the study.
ï Identify sources of aerial photographs and evaluate.
ï Describe and evaluate biological and water quality studies undertaken by all agencies within the watershed
ï Coordinate incorporation of watershed information/data into a data management system
Product: Summary and annotated bibliography.
Subtask 4.2 Data Gaps/needs
Needed information and data gaps will be identified. Recommendations will be developed for studies to fill in gaps
Techniques are accessible for evaluation with reference to meshing with data to be collected. Determine the degree of sufficient overlap in locations and type to allow present data set to provide a longitudinal effect--timewise. This means comparing proposed data characteristics and existing information.
Product(s): Adequacy determination of data for extrapolation and integration with synoptic data set proposed to be collected.
Subtask 4.3 Inventory
Known landslides, gully systems, severely accelerated channel erosion and aggradation, road drainage problem areas and other natural and man-made features potentially adverse to water quality shall be identified and mapped. Existing geologic maps and reports, e.g. CALTRANS, shall be utilized.
Product(s): First draft map with candidate locations for synoptic water quality monitoring.
Subtask 4.4 Supplemental
Analysis of existing airphotos shall be performed to supplement the mapping of known problem areas. Sediment sources shall be drawn on base maps, at a minimum scale of 1:24,000. Where possible landslides will be identified as active or not.
Product(s): Second draft map with candidate locations for intensive water quality monitoring stations.
TASK 5 WATERSHED INVENTORY
Subtask 5.1 Watershed Inventory
Conduct a watershed inventory--based on available data from the foregoing task and on direct observations--which will:
ï Determine sources of potential and probable water quality degradation, e.g. animal confinements.
ï Identify established beneficial uses of water bodies within the watershed.
ï Identify watershed segments that would seem to contribute the largest fraction of pollutant and sediment loads.
ï Identify watershed segments which exhibit least modifications wherein estimates of past hydrologic events may be interpreted.
ï Identify and determine any effects of unseasonable flows from point and non-point sources on the water bodies of the watershed.
ï Identify portions of the watershed amenable to erosion, sedimentation and pollution reduction measures.
Field traverses shall be planned to match the requirements of water quality data collection to available measurement locations/specifications and related to sampling requirements.
Subtask 5.2 Evaluation
Provide the following evaluations:
ï Estimate pollutant loads from non-point contributions of septic systems and animals---in particular effects during typical dry- and wet-season flows.
ï Estimate sediment loading from natural features such as toes landslides within the creek and its tributaries versus roadway spill fill and in-creek construction.
ï Select areas to begin verifying and quantifying such foregoing estimates with environmental monitoring.
ï Project impacts on biological and recreational resources if observed problems are unabated.
Product(s): Inventory of areas in the watershed critical to water quality; identification of candidate sites to serve for environmental sampling.
TASK 6 ENVIRONMENTAL DATA COLLECTION
Subtask 6.1 Preplanning and Preparation
Specific sample sites will be selected from foregoing tasks, but an evaluation will be made with respect sampling strategy and specific analytes for each station.
It is intended that a core of constituents be obtained at each station to provide synoptic character, but certain constituents will be collected only at a subset of stations. For example:
ï Use of macroinvertebrate populations as indicators will be examined during typical dry- and wet-season flows relative to sampling at a selected few stations.
ï A few metals and pesticides results have been sporadically obtained. These will be duplicated at the limited station(s) where originally sampled. Other selected locations may be added based upon the watershed inventory.
ï Some stations, above/below a landslide toe in the creek or relative to a roadway slope will be obtained for suspended sediment analysis only.
A sample analysis plan (SAP) will be prepared to guide sample collection and specify analytical decisions. It will be the basis for sample collection and will specify the stations, analytes, procedures and intervals necessary to provide the intensive data.
Product(s): SAP.
Subtask 6.2 Collection
The process will depend upon volunteer sampling teams. Therefore the collection process must be organized and volunteers trained to perform protocols adequately.
Samples will be collected by teams consisting of volunteers and at least one person familiar in using sampling methods and techniques.
A training protocol will be developed and implemented for volunteers and samples collected during the specific intervals
Product(s): Training protocol; water quality samples; included in 6.5.
Subtask 6.3 Sample Analysis
Specific analytes will be determined prior to sample collection as part of the pre-planning and preparation process. However the following analytes match the previous limited water quality data which has been collected within the watershed earlier and will form the core. Some obvious gaps include total suspended solids, chemical and biological oxygen demands, etc. Other contaminants such as pesticides and petroleum hydrocarbons will also be considered:
Conventional
total dissolved solids (TDS), dissolved oxygen,
General
calcium, chloride, fluoride, magnesium, potassium, sodium, sulphate,
Metals
arsenic, boron, cadmium (total), chromium, copper, iron, lead (total), mercury (total), selenium (total), silica (dissolved),zinc (total)
Nutrients
nitrate, nitrogen (NO2 + NO3), phosphorous
Microbiological
fecal coliform, fecal streptococci
Physical
time, specific conductance (field and laboratory), water temperature, atmospheric temperature, barometric pressure, pH (field and laboratory), turbidity, streamflow (instantaneous).
A specific matrix, cross-referencing parameters, EPA Methods, maximum holding times and analytical parameters such as method detection limit, etc. will be prepared. Details of analytical methods to be employed are to be found in references such as SWA 846, Standard Methods for Examination of Water and Waste Water, etc. For example, it is anticipated that TDS would be analyzed by method 160.1.
Product(s): Analytical results; included in 6.5.
Subtask 6.4 Verification
Laboratory results must be evaluated to determine if QA/QC has been satisfactorily performed. This means at a minimum checking holding times but may extend to evaluating the relative percent differences for some analytical methods. Re-sampling and re-analysis will not be options for analytes with short holding times.
Subtask 6.5 Tabulation/Evaluation
Produce matrix of water quality data.
Evaluate with respect to potential source areas.
Product: Data set of 4 sampling events covering seasonal and non-seasonal flow.
TASK 7 WATERSHED MODEL EVALUATION/ SELECTION
Subtask 7.1 Model Evaluation
Evaluate hydrology models for the watershed to determine peak flow and volumes for various storm events.
Prepare a water budget to estimate surface and subsurface water flows.
Estimate evapo-transpiration rates and withdrawals.
Estimate erosion and sediment rates for the various points in the watershed. Route through the stream system.
Investigate and evaluate models for estimating and routing pollution.
Subtask 7.2 Model Selection
Sensitivities of output parameters of the various models to water quality/quantity input will be ascertained.
Product(s): Model rankings for small mountain watersheds in coastal mountains of southern California.
TASK 8 PLANNING APPLICATIONS ANALYSIS
Subtask 8.1 Applications Evaluation
Determine specific application mode of data and selected model to watershed planning and water quality outcomes. For example:
ï Segment tabulation - Simple tabular display of seasonal water quality data for watershed segments---based on tributary relationships, development level, or other characteristics such as aggregates of animal enclosures, etc. Note, such segment evaluation need not necessarily be restricted to multiple sub-watersheds as defined by topography.
ï Nutrient load calculations - Statistical comparison of nutrient levels in undeveloped watershed segments to those along the developed segments under various flow regimes---Summer low-flow conditions are especially sensitive in the Topanga Creek watershed. Relate to National Park Service and U.S. Geological Survey studies in the Santa Monica Mountains on impacts of urbanization on surface waters.
ï Watershed map display - Place water quality parameters on watershed, sub-watershed or segment maps to evaluate spatial relationships between watershed characteristic s and specific parameters.
ï Run-off and peak discharge - Through the selected model and using measurable watershed characteristics estimate peak discharge; utilize data from earlier water years to determine average annual yield and analyze the trend with respect to urbanization.
Subtask 8.2 Actions Analysis
Determine subsequent steps or actions to fully utilize data in guiding remedies for water quality problems quantified by the study. For example:
ï Pavement run-off - emphasize or intensify street sweeping by CALTRANS and County of Los Angeles with respect to those sections of the watershed determined to be most impacted; recommendations for pollutant traps (sediments and oils, etc.) at drain outlets or inlets in impacted watershed segments; recommendations on timing and systemizing of discarded wastes cleanup in and adjacent to the watershed roadways.
ï Confined animal waste - recommendations for exclusion of animals by fencing from impacted watershed segments; develop draft regulations concerning proximity of confinement to creek based on data from impacted watershed segments; use existing regulations for run-off control of existing near-creek confinements.
ï Roof run-off management - recommendations for collection and disposal facilities for run-off waters form roofs to reduce pollution and improve water quality along impacted watershed segments.
ï Construction run-off - assure enforcement of run-off regulations in identified problem segments; develop and implement plans to minimize growth of such run-off in presently un-impacted segments; determine feasibility of plan to retrofit storm drainage at existing sites along or tributary to impacted watershed segments to function as water quality facilities.
Product: Summary of steps needed to implement specified applications; included under implementation plan.
TASK 9 IMPLEMENTATION, INSTITUTIONAL AND FINANCIAL PLANNING
Subtask 9.1 Prepare Implementation Plan
The Contractor shall work with the TAC, California Department of Parks and Recreation, National Park Service, California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS), L.A. County Department of Public Works, TTC, TASC, the Regional Board and other interested or affected agencies and individuals to develop an institutional and financial plan for implementation of actions recommended by the project. The implementation plan shall identify affected agencies, estimated costs, and funding sources for development and management of actions recommended by the study. The plan should identify institutional constraints on carrying out the project's recommendations, suggest means of dealing with such constraints, and outline a proposed schedule for implementation of recommended actions. Specifically, the implementation plan should provide the following additional elements at a minimum:
ï Options analysis relative to reduction nonpoint source pollutant sources as identified in the study
ï Design of focused sections in the watershed plan to develop means to reduce water quality impairment.
ï Specification of agency responsibilities for development of those means, e.g. policies or ordinances, for the watershed plan.
Product(s): The Implementation Plan shall be included as part of the draft and final project reports.
Subtask 9.2 Prepare Implementation Evaluation Checklist
The Contractor shall prepare an Implementation Evaluation Checklist to allow annual postproject assessment by the State Board. The checklist shall consist of a onepage form which shall identify key documentable milestones in conformance with the recommendations of the project final report and the implementation schedule prepared for the implementation plan. The checklist form shall be submitted to the Contract Manager with the project final report.
Products): Implementation Evaluation Checklist
TASK 10 PREPARE PROJECT FINAL REPORT
Subtask 10.1 Prepare and Circulate Project Draft Final Report
A draft project report shall be prepared which presents the results of the task work completed by this project, preliminary data evaluation, watershed inventory, environmental data collection, watershed models evaluation, planning applications analysis, and the implementation, institutional and financial plan. The report shall also include the following sections:
ï a report abstract;
ï an introduction section including a discussion of the interrelationships between project tasks, a statement of the purpose and scope of the overall study, and background information on the overall study approach and techniques utilized for each task during the study;
ï for each section of the report as appropriate, a discussion of any data collection and/or sampling methods and rationale for applying those methods, discussion and evaluation of any field data which were collected, and interpretation of collected data
ï a statement that all water quality data generated by the project has been entered into STORET; and, as an Appendix, a STORET printout of such data:
ï a complete list of references to literature cited in the report; and
ï any additional information as deemed appropriate by the Contractor.
TAC shall review and comment on the draft report. To the extent possible, TAC comments on the draft report shall be addressed and/or incorporated prior to circulation of the draft report.
Circulate the draft report to affected public and private agencies, and interested parties for comment. The draft report will be reviewed by the Board of Directors of the District prior to circulation. Submit one (1) copy of the draft report to the Contract Manager for review and approval. As described in Subtask 2.1, a public meeting shall be scheduled after the release of the draft report.
Product(s): Project Draft Final Report
Subtask 10.2 Revise, Complete, and Distribute Final Report
Evaluate and prepare responses to all comments made by public and private agencies, and interested parties on the draft report. Incorporate all significant comments into the final report.
Submit the project final report to the Board of Directors of the District for final approval.
Distribute copies of the final report to members of the TAC. Submit 15 copies and one cameraready master of the project final project report, along with the implementation evaluation checklist to the Contract Manager for review and acceptance.
Product(s): Project Final Report
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