At its April 19 meeting, the Long Beach City Council approved a request for a reimbursement agreement with the state that eventually allows for the design and construction of LB-MUST, also known as the Long Beach Urban Municipal Stormwater Treatment Recycle Facility project.
The initial agreement allows the California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans, to reimburse the City up to $28 million for the project.
It’s good news for the city and particularly for the downtown area.
First District Councilmember Lena Gonzalez noted that the LB-MUST facility is going to be another critical piece to improve the region.
She said she recently attended an informational meeting that talked about the plans to rebuild the Shoemaker Bridge and the overall big picture of the area.
City staff also noted that there has been a request for a $2-million grant application to the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy (RMC) to build the wetlands around LB-MUST.
That area covers approximately four acres.
Eventually there are plans to connect a greenway belt between both the Cesar E. Chavez and Drake Parks.
“And so looking at that whole region and reimagining it with LB MUST is really very exciting,” said Gonzalez, whose district covers much of the downtown area. “All the pieces are moving together.”
However, the city staff explained how the major victory will be mainly in the actual treatment of the water that makes it through the storm drains.
The facility aims to process the water before it continues on to the LA River and eventually empties into the ocean, according to city staff.
Long Beach Director of Public Works Craig Beck explained to the city council that while the City already has screens to catch large debris before it makes it into the river, this first phase of the facility project will address both the dry-weather urban runoff as well as that “first flush” of rain water.
He added that the dirtiest water is from that first rain.
Beck told the council that the facility is expected to be completed in three years.
While the City staff acknowledge that the Caltrans agreement covers the design and construction of the facility, the identification of the actual funding source to address the ongoing maintenance of the facility will be included in the annual budget process.
They cannot estimate the costs of maintenance at this time.
Assistant City Manager Tom Modica expressed his enthusiasm for the project.
“We are just beyond ecstatic that this is becoming a reality,” Modica said at last week’s meeting, “and it’s going to help us with our long-term liability for stormwater, help our beaches and also have a reclaimed water source.”
Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal voiced her delight in the project. Eventually, the project aims to use the treated stormwater to irrigate the city’s parks, especially the Cesar E. Chavez and Drake Parks, according to a 2014 report from the city manager.
“It’s not that we don’t have enough recycled water,” Lowenthal said, “as much as it is the cost of piping it throughout our city. So, having a treatment facility where the source of runoff is…it’s a huge gift. And I want to thank our partners for helping us with this and helping us make this happen because that is really a wasted resource that does become runoff, and it’s right there.”
The city council voted 7-0 to approve the agreement. Councilmembers Stacy Mungo and Rex Richardson were not present for the vote.
