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CC - CONSENT ITEM - (1) Approval of a Three-Year Professional Services Agreement with John L. Hunter & Associates for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Compliance Consultant Services in an Annual Amount Not-to-Exceed $125,000; and (2) Authorization to the City Manager to Approve Two Additional One-Year Terms in an Additional Annual Amount Not-to-Exceed $125,000.
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Meeting Date: May 27, 2025
Contact Person/Dept: Sean Singletary/Public Works - EPO
Phone Number: (310) 253-6457
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [ ] General Fund: Yes [ ] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [] No [ X ]
Public Notification: Email via GovDelivery: Meetings and Agendas (05/22/2025)
Department Approval: Yanni Demitri, Director of Public Works/City Engineer (04/16/2025)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council (1) approve a three-year professional services agreement with John L. Hunter & Associates for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Compliance Consultant Services, in an annual amount not-to-exceed $125,000; and (2) authorize the City Manager to approve two additional one-year terms for an annual amount not-to-exceed $125,000.
BACKGROUND
On December 28, 2012, the Los Angeles County Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Permit (MS4 Permit) became effective in accordance with the Clean Water Act. The Los Angeles MS4 Permit covers unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, the Los Angeles County Flood Control District, and 84 cities within Los Angeles County, including the City of Culver City. Various milestones were set for the treatment of pollutants in stormwater. The MS4 permit requires various activities and reporting mechanisms to ensure each City is in compliance with stormwater regulations, such as:
• Annual Daily Generation Rate (DGR) Study to collect trash from streets in representative areas of the City for measurement and analysis to ensure compliance with the Ballona Creek Trash Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL);
• Biennial inspection of approximately 500 industrial and commercial businesses within the City to ensure proper separation of pollutants from areas that drain to storm drains;
• Monthly inspection of construction projects active in the City that are covered under the Construction General Permit to guarantee that their SWPPP (Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans) filed with the State are being followed and no pollutants are being discharged off-site; and
• Annual and semi-annual reporting of the City’s stormwater compliance activities and progress toward the water quality goals outlined in the Watershed Management Plans that the City falls under.
The current MS4 permit, Order R4-2021-0105, was adopted in July 2021, and expands upon prior permits by requiring two reports each year rather than one, as well as increased frequency of commercial/industrial inspections.
Consultant support has been utilized in prior years to assist with technical aspects of Culver City’s compliance program, which is complicated by the fact that the City lies in two watersheds (Ballona Creek and Marina Del Rey), which doubles reporting requirements. Consultant support has provided additional expertise about technical and legal aspects of the permit and best practices for watershed health.
DISCUSSION
On March 6, 2025, the City posted Request for Proposals (RFP) #2609 for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Compliance Consultant Services. When the RFP closed on April 10, 2025, two submittals were received: John L. Hunter & Associates and SoCal Stormwater Runoff Solution Services, Inc.
Staff reviewed the proposals to gauge project understanding, approach, and experience and found that John L. Hunter & Associates’ proposal was clearly the most qualified and cost effective. John L. Hunter & Associates currently provide these services to the City. Staff recommends hiring John L. Hunter & Associates to provide NPDES Compliance Consultant Services for the cited MS4 permit requirements. John L. Hunter & Associates currently provides NPDES compliance consultant services to over 40 agencies in Southern California and has extensive experience navigating the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board and its permit.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
The Adopted Budget for Fiscal Year 2024-2025 includes sufficient funding in the for this project in CIP Project No. PZ497 (Stormwater MS4 Permit Compliance Program) which can be found in the Capital Improvement section of the budget book under Urban Runoff Mitigation Fund (Fund 434) on page 481. Unspent CIP funds in Fiscal Year 2024-2025 will be carried over to Fiscal Year 2025-2026. The Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year includes an additional $750,000 for PZ497 from Fund 434. Funding for the remainder of the agreement term will be included in future fiscal year budgets.
ATTACHMENTS
None.
MOTION
1. Approve a three-year professional services agreement with John L. Hunter & Associates for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Compliance Consultant Services, in an annual amount not-to-exceed $125,000;
2. Authorize the City Manager to approve two additional one-year terms, in an additional annual amount not-to-exceed $125,000;
3. Authorize the City Attorney to review/prepare the necessary documents; and
4. Authorize the City Manager to execute such documents on behalf of the City.