SACRAMENTO September 1, 2009 - The State Water Board has signed a contract for $10 million in federal stimulus money with the Los Angeles area Gateway Cities to protect public health and the environment and create jobs for Californians.The money is allocated to California for clean water projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This brings the total contracted stimulus money by the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) to more than $200 million.
The grant money for the Los Angeles area Gateway Cities project is for storm water and trash cleanup in cities whose storm drains flow into the Los Angeles River. The cities directly benefiting are Bell, Bell Gardens, Commerce, Compton, Cudahy, Downey, Huntington Park, Long Beach, Lynwood, Maywood, Montebello, Paramount, Pico Rivera, Signal Hill, South Gate and Vernon. The project will be administered by the LA Gateway Authority, a joint powers authority of the cities of Cerritos, Downey, Lakewood, Long Beach, Norwalk, Paramount, Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs, Signal Hill, South Gate, Vernon and Whittier, the Southeast Water Coalition, and the Central Basin Municipal Water District.
The project includes retrofitting approximately 3,750 storm drain catch basins in high priority areas in the sixteen Gateway Cities with catch basin inserts, also called linear connector pipe screens. Without the inserts, trash enters the storm drain system and washes out to the ocean and area beaches. The project will help the 16 affected communities meet the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board’s (Los Angeles Water Board) Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for trash by 2016 and prevent pollution of California’s beaches. The project is expected to eliminate more than 800,000 pounds of trash a year from storm drains in the affected communities. This project will also generate at least 100 construction jobs in this economically disadvantaged region.
“The State Water Board identified shovel-ready projects so we can both get people back to work and protect water quality,” said Charlie Hoppin, Chair of the State Water Board. “Even in routine years, we handle more than $200 million dollars in loans for these important purposes. This year, the need is more urgent and our staff started early to identify potential recipients so that we can distribute the federal money quickly and responsibly. California has a verified need and we have applications for more dollars than are currently available. We will put these additional funds to good use quickly and efficiently.”
Under the stimulus program the State Water Board is handling $270.5 million for grants and ultra-low interest loans in addition to more than $200 million normally loaned by the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) each year. The stimulus money is available for projects in communities that might not normally qualify for an SRF loan. The stimulus money is being granted or loaned at rates even lower than normally available from the SRF.
The Recovery Act money was made available to the State Water Board by the U.S. EPA. At least 20% of the funds provided under the Recovery Act are for green infrastructure, water and energy efficiency improvements and other environmentally innovative projects.
The State Water Board received the stimulus money on May 21, 2009 and made its first award under the program on the same day. It has been working with local governments and others to make sure their clean water projects were ready to begin work and qualify for stimulus money as quickly as possible.
The State Water Board assists local communities in preventing and cleaning up water pollution. Its financial assistance, through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, concentrates on wastewater (sewer) projects and treatment plants. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) regulates drinking water quality and operates the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which provides low interest loans and grants to public water systems for infrastructure improvements.
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