title
CC - CONSENT ITEM: (1) Approval of an Amendment to the Existing Professional Services Agreement with CWE for Engineering Design Services in an Amount Not-to-Exceed $195,000 for the Citywide Bioretention Basin Project, PW006; and (2) FOUR-FIFTHS VOTE REQUIREMENT: Approval of a Related Budget Amendment Appropriating $195,000 from Clean Water/Clean Beach (Fund 434) Fund Balance to PW006.
body
Meeting Date: October 26, 2026
Contact/Dept: Sean Singletary/Public Works - Environmental Programs and Operations
Phone Number: (310) 253-6457
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [ ] General Fund: Yes [ ] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [ ] No [X]
Public Notification: Email: Meetings and Agendas - City Council (10/22/2026)
Dept Approval: Nick Zornes, Acting Director of Public Works (10/02/2026)
______________________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council (1) approve an amendment to the existing professional services agreement with CWE for engineering design services in an amount not-to-exceed $195,000 for the Citywide Bioretention Basin Project, PW006; and (2) approve a related budget amendment appropriating $195,000 from the Clean Water/Clean Beach (Fund 434) Fund Balance to PW006 (four-fifths vote requirement).
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
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. In order to comply with the MS4 Permit, the City Council approved the development and implementation of an Enhanced Watershed Management Program (EWMP). The EWMP reviews the watershed as a whole and proposes Best Management Practices (BMPs) for responsible jurisdictions to complete.
On August 23, 2021, the City Council adopted the City’s Stormwater Quality Plan (SWQP). The objective of the SWQP is to provide a planning tool to identify potential regional, green streets, and Low Impact Development (LID) projects to collectively meet the City’s water quality compliance goals. The primary measure of MS4 compliance implementation is volume of stormwater managed by the BMPs. The Ballona Creek EWMP determined that a combined BMP capacity of 99 acre-feet (ac-ft) for the prescribed set of BMPs would provide reasonable assurance that water quality goals are met in the City. The SWQP identified 441 BMPs or projects Citywide, with the bulk of compliance to be achieved through green street projects.
Green street projects are distributed, smaller scale BMPs such as bioretention and biofiltration areas located along roadways. They can be designed to receive surface runoff from the public right-of-way via curb cut outs and infiltrate through planted media, or through ‘grey infrastructure’ such as permeable pavements and sidewalks in locations where landscaped solutions are not practical. These BMPs can provide water quality benefits, as well as pedestrian safety, traffic calming, street tree canopy, and other “complete streets” benefits. The SWQP identified ideal locations for green street BMPs on a neighborhood and street scale throughout the City.
Seven of the green street segments recommended by the SWQP were selected and packaged as the Citywide Bioretention Basin Project and approved into the City’s FY 2022-2023 Capital Improvement Budget for design and construction. Additionally, the City was awarded a Prop 50 grant to develop the Project. City Council awarded a contract with CWE to design the Project on July 11, 2022, and the Project is set to begin construction in winter 2026.
Staff received a proposal from CWE to include additional construction engineering support, as well as identification of an additional green street location that falls within the original scope of CWE’s contract. This work can be included in the Project to expand the City’s stormwater cleaning efforts while creating efficiencies by adding it to the existing construction contract and expanding the City’s stormwater treatment efforts.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
The Adopted Budget for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 includes $3,822,122 for the project in CIP Account No. PW006 (Citywide Stormwater Quality Implementation Phase I) and $1,300,000 was included in a budget amendment by City Council on August 10, 2026. To close the gap between Project budgeted funding and required funding for this amendment, an additional $195,000 from the City’s Clean Water/Clean Beach (Fund 434) fund shall be placed into PW006 (requires a four-fifths vote).
ATTACHMENTS
None.
recommended action
MOTIONS
That the City Council:
1. Approve an amendment to an existing professional services agreement with CWE in the amount not-to-exceed $195,000;
2. Approve a Related Budget Amendment Appropriating $195,000 from Clean Water/Clean Beach (Fund 434) Fund Balance to PW006 (requires four-fifths vote);
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.