HomeMy WebLinkAbout8/4/2026 Item 5h, Floyd and Ramos - Staff Agenda CorrespondenceCity of San Luis Obispo, Council Memorandum
City of San Luis Obispo
Council Agenda Correspondence
DATE: August 4, 2026
TO: Mayor and Council
FROM: Aaron Floyd, Public Works and Utilities Director
Prepared By: Anthony Ramos, Senior Civil Engineering
VIA: Whitney McDonald, City Manager
SUBJECT: ITEM #5i – AUTHORIZATION TO AWARD SILT REMOVAL PROJECT
2026, SPECIFICATION 2000198-04
Staff received the following questions, regarding Silt Removal funding and Laguna Lake
work. The questions are below with staff’s response shown in italics:
1) Clarify the project funding, including why we have $150,000 and $170,000 in
Zone 9 funding, which financial plan the funding came from, and why there
were remaining funds available, if from a previous financial plan.
The 2025–27 Financial Plan includes $170,000 in FY 2025–26 and $150,000 in
FY 2026–27 to support the City's annual silt removal maintenance program. These
funds were approved by the Zone 9 Flood Control Committee to support projects
that reduce flood risk within the San Luis Obispo Creek Watershed , as set forth in
Amendment No. 1 to the City-County Zone 9 Reimbursement Agreement, Section
A.1, “Types of Activities Eligible for Reimbursement”.
County Zone 9 funding supports permitting, design, and construction of annual
sediment removal work at locations prioritized based on their silt accumulation, as
well as available funds. Each project’s construction costs typically range from
$125,000 to $175,000, depending on the number of sites chosen for silt removal
and the volume of sediment requiring removal.
Funding from previous financial plans remains available because a silt removal
project has not been completed since 2023.
No project was performed in Summer 2024 due to standing water within the creeks
that could not be removed under the existing permit conditions. Staff began an
effort to update the permits to allow for removal of standing water in future projects.
In 2025, staff prepared a project for construction but received unresponsive bids,
and there was insufficient time to re-advertise the project, award a contract, and
complete construction within the environmental permit window.
Item 5i – Authorization to Award Silt Removal Page 2
For the current project, the permits have been revised to allow dewatering,
providing greater flexibility to complete the work even if standing water is present
during construction. The current project consolidates deferred silt removal
locations from prior years into a single contract, maximizing the use of available
funding and completing more needed work in advance of winter weather.
Remaining funding will be utilized to advance environmental permitting and design
work for silt removal locations prioritized for Fall 2027.
2) Since there is funding left over, why are staff not proposing additional work
within Laguna Lake.
Sediment removal within Laguna Lake is not included in the City's Waterway
Management Plan Stream Management and Maintenance Program or the
associated programmatic permits used for the City's routine Silt Removal projects.
The programmatic permits authorize sediment removal activities at 14 designated
locations throughout the City's creek system but do not include Laguna Lake.
Additionally, dredging of Laguna Lake is not an eligible reimbursable expense
under the City/County Zone 9 Reimbursement Agreement. As a result, Laguna
Lake dredging is funded through the City's General Fund, with the next dredging
project currently planned for FY 2028–29. The City currently has an environmental
consultant, SWCA, under contract to assist with reinitiating the permitting process
for the expired permits. City staff and SWCA are coordinating on the permit
strategy and preparing the necessary documentation for permit submittal.