DATE: December 10, 2015
TO: Council Sustainability Committee
FROM: Director of Utilities & Environmental Services
SUBJECT
Update on EPA Trash Reduction Grant
RECOMMENDATION
That the Committee reviews and comments on this report.
SUMMARY
This report will update the Committee on the project’s first quarter accomplishments and outline activities planned through next spring.
BACKGROUND
EPA Region 9 awarded the City $800,000 from the San Francisco Bay Water Quality Improvement Fund for the Youth-Based Trash Capture, Reduction, and Watershed Education Project (Project) proposal. The grant is to fund a four year, $1.6 million project, including matching contributions of $800,000 from the City and its partners as in-kind resources. The Project began in June this year and will end in spring of 2019. It is designed to reduce trash from entering the San Francisco Bay by partnering with local school groups to install large trash capture devices (large underground stormwater filters) in the City’s storm sewer system, characterize and quantify trash collected from each device, assess trash sources, and implement trash reduction initiatives based on trash collected.
The City is partnering with the Hayward Unified School District, local private schools, and the City’s Youth Commission, from which seventh through twelfth grade students will have an opportunity to assist the City’s stormwater pollution prevention program with trash capture design, trash collection and assessment. Additional partners include California State University East Bay, East Bay Regional Park District, Hayward Promise Neighborhood, Chabot College, Keep Hayward Clean & Green Task Force, Alameda County-Wide Clean Water Program, and the Eden Area YMCA. Subsequent trash reduction activities will include researching the sources of trash and designing anti-littering campaigns amongst their student peers and beyond, and helping to develop anti-littering activities such as posters and worksheets. A watershed stewardship curriculum with a trash emphasis will be implemented for first through sixth grade elementary students in partnership with the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District (HARD). In addition, an annual contest where students take photographs of trash, post them on social media, and responsibly dispose of the trash will also be organized during the spring, concurrent with Earth Day and individual students and schools will be selected as winners and will receive cash prizes. Staff will coordinate with the Keep Hayward Clean & Green Task Force to promote the contest during clean up events.
Implementation of this project will contribute toward the City’s compliance with Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) requirements, support the City Council’s adopted priorities of “Safe, Clean and Green”, increase Hayward’s sustainability as a community, protect the Bay Area waters including local creeks, beaches and San Francisco Bay, and educate students about trash-related pollution prevention. Staff provided a report to the Committee on this project on March 23, 2015 (<http://www.ci.hayward.ca.us/CITY-GOVERNMENT/COUNCIL-STANDING-COMMITTEES/COUNCIL-SUSTAINABILITY-COMMITTEE/2015/CSC-CCSC032315full.pdf> ).
DISCUSSION
Water Pollution Source Control staff has completed the first quarter of the Project. Accomplishments during the first quarter (July-September, 2015) include:
• Researched and selected the locations of the first two trash capture devices;
• Completed a Request for Bid (RFQ) for the trash devices and submitted the document to the public;
• Procured a contractor for the manufacturing and installation of the trash capture devices;
• Submitted a stream alteration application to California Fish & Wildlife for approval (required because the project involves installing trash capture devices in a natural creek area);
• Submitted the trash capture location information to the RWQCB for approval;
• Completed the final curriculum units and lesson plans for the middle school and high school students;
• Completed the draft curriculum units and lesson plans for the elementary school students with HARD;
• Completed the first implementation of the middle school curriculum with Golden Oak Montessori School (including three classes with over 50 children; see Attachment I for pictures);
• Began the high school curriculum with Silver Oak Montessori School; and,
• Completed the first quarter report and submitted to the EPA for review
The Project schedule has been on time except for a delay with the trash capture device installation due to the need to discuss the locations of the devices with the RWQCB and the State Fish & Wildlife Department. The original schedule called for installation of the first round of trash capture devices in October 2015. The selected locations were identified as open creek channels, which require review by the above-mentioned agencies. Once the appropriate agencies approve the installation, the trash capture devices will be installed (scheduled in 2015). The two locations identified for trash capture devices are two creek sites near Skywest Drive near the Home Depot parking lot and Target parking lot (see Attachment II). At each location a trash screen will be installed over the storm drain pipe to block trash from flowing through the airport property and into the San Francisco Bay. These two sites will treat a total of approximately 1000 acres, essentially the entire Sulphur Creek watershed that drains through Hayward.
NEXT STEPS
Staff will be managing the installation of the trash capture devices at the Skywest Drive locations, by December 31, 2015. Staff will continue to coordinate with the Project partners (HUSD, private schools, the park districts, the Keep Hayward Clean and Green Task Force, YMCA, Youth Commission, and local colleges) to organize and implement the school curriculum. The elementary curriculum is scheduled to begin during December 2015. The middle school and high school curriculum will continue through December 2015 and then break until the spring of 2016.
Prepared by: Elisa Wilfong, Water Pollution Control Administrator
Recommended by: Alex Ameri, Director of Utilities and Environmental Services
Approved by:
Fran David, City Manager
Attachments:
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Attachment I |
Photographs of School Lessons |
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Attachment II |
Trash Capture Device Location Map |