By Nick Diamantides
Staff Writer
Restoring a healthy ecosystem to Los Cerritos Channel may take many years to accomplish. Signal Hill and its neighboring cities are taking the first small step in that direction by agreeing to share the costs of the continued monitoring of some of the pollutants that flow into that channel. During its Tuesday (Aug. 3) meeting, the Signal Hill City Council approved an agreement with neighboring cities.
“A lot of citizens don’t realize we are in two watersheds,” said City Manager Ken Farfsing, noting that half of Signal Hill’s storm water and irrigation runoff drains into the Los Angeles River and half drains into the Los Cerritos Channel.
Barbara Munoz, director of public works, added that in March of this year the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) for metals flowing into the channel. “This regulation sets limits on the amount of copper, lead and zinc that reaches the Los Cerritos Channel from urban runoff from the cities of Bellflower, Cerritos, Downey, Lakewood, Long Beach, Paramount, Signal Hill and Caltrans, as they are all the source of runoff to the channel,” she said. “Compliance with the TMDL requires the cities and Caltrans to develop an implementation plan to reduce pollutant loads, monitor pollutant transport, and conduct special studies as needed to control the sources of these pollutants.”
Munoz explained that the cities and Caltrans are part of a regional Joint Powers Authority (JPA) for integrated water management and are working together to comply with the EPA TMDL regulation. According to Munoz, the EPA first published a draft TMDL for the channel in November 2008. Soon afterwards, the cities formed a committee and hired a consulting firm to make recommendations to the EPA. “As a result of this effort, EPA accepted some key recommendations and the established TMDL is more workable and reduced some long-term costs for the (cities and Caltrans),” she said.
The JPA, the seven cities and Caltrans are now developing an implementation plan to comply with the TMDL. On Tuesday the council approved a Memorandum of Agreement for the administration and cost sharing of the implementation plan. “The cost for the City of Signal Hill is $6,808 per $100,000 (spent on the plan),” Munoz said. “To date, the city has incurred $157,000 in TMDL technical assistance costs, which will be reimbursed to the city. Future costs for compliance with the TMDL are undetermined at this time but will be shared by the cities and Caltrans based on the cost-sharing formula.”
In a separate action, the council authorized Farfsing to execute a memorandum of understanding with the City of Los Angeles in order for the City of Signal Hill to receive US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funds through the Los Angeles/Long Beach Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI). Signal Hill Police Chief Tom Sonoff told the council that the $40,000 in DHS funds will come from additional monies available through the 2007 UASI grant, and Los Angeles has been designated as the fiscal agent responsible for disbursing the funds to qualifying cities.
“Funds received through this grant will be used to purchase personal protective suits in the event of a biological terrorist attack,” Sonoff said.
In a third action, the council authorized Sonoff to assign a Signal Hill police detective to the LA IMPACT Asset Forfeiture Team.
“The Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force (LA IMPACT) is comprised of numerous federal, state, and local law-enforcement agencies in Los Angeles County whose primary focus is to investigate major crimes, with an emphasis on dismantling mid to major level drug-trafficking organizations,” Sonoff said. “The Signal Hill Police Department has the opportunity to assign a detective to LA IMPACT’s Asset Forfeiture Team.”
Sonoff noted that LA IMPACT will compensate the SHPD $50,000 per year for the time the SHPD detective spends working with the task force. LA IMPACT will give the SHPD an additional $50,000 from assets seized from drug dealers.
Sonoff said the total of approximately $100,000 will more than compensate the department for overtime costs related to the detective’s work with the task force.
In other news, recently appointed Chamber of Commerce President Shari Blackwell presented a $1,000 check to the City of Signal Hill, which will help fund the Brown Bag Program, a state-run project that provides donated vegetables and other food to people 60 and older.
 “Tonight we have the pleasure to present a check for $1,000 to the council for the Brown Bag Program,” Blackwell said. “Part of the proceeds are from the golf tournament and other functions that we hold.”
Presenting the check alongside Blackwell was Laurie Sullivan, the chamber’s treasurer. Both Blackwell and Sullivan have operated their businesses, the Undershirt Inc. and AAA Calvert, respectively, in Signal Hill for many years.
Signal Hill Mayor Edward Wilson, who participated in the golf tournament, accepted the check. “I want to thank the chamber for their presentation and the check,” said Wilson. “This will go a long way for helping our Brown Bag Program.”
The next meeting of the city council is scheduled for 7pm on Tuesday, Aug. 17 in the council chambers of Signal Hill City Hall.
