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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1986-01-21; City Council; N/A; Erosion ControlCH - OF CARLSBAD — AGENC BILL £. ARM MTG 01/21/86 DEPT. ENG TITLE: EROSION CONTROL DEPT. HD.^^P CITY ATTvV^f CITY MGR. 3<*- O o _J o OO RECOMMENDED ACTION: This is an informational item only. No action is needed. ITEM EXPLANATION In a continuing effort to protect the public and the environment from the effects of soil erosion caused by run-off during the rainy season and to reduce the intrusion of silt into the lagoons, the Engineering Department has embarked upon an extensive anti-erosion campaign. The Department has been actively pursuing violators of the City ordinances dealing with erosion control. This program has been very successful and the need for actual enforcement measures has been minimal. To date only two developments within the city have not cooperated fully, all others have complied with the requirements of the City ordinances and have worked with Engineering to protect the City from erosion problems. Beginning in October, a series of three informational letters were sent to the owner/developer and Surety Company of each project holding a permit for work in the City including individual single lot type construction holding grading permits. (Note: Many single lot developments do not require grading permits and are covered by a different set of requirements. This will be discussed later). As the rainy season approached, the letters informed the developers of their responsibilities under "Carlsbad Code". In addition, they directed the developer to contact one of the staff engineers for further information. One individual from the Current Development Division was assigned the task of organizing and directing erosion control measures within the City. This series of informational letters also indicated the course of action to be taken by the City in the event the appropriate measures were not taken by the developer in a timely manner. In accordance with Code, the City has the right to seize any securities posted by the developer and cause whatever protective measures required to be installed at the developer's expense to be constructed. As a condition of grading permit issuance, the developer must post a grading bond of up to 10% of the cost of grading in the form of a cash deposit. Six grading contractors have been screened and three are standing by on a 24 hour notice in the event erosion control devices are needed and the developer is not willing to install them. In addition to the forfeiture of securities, a "Notice of Violation" is also recorded against the project. This Notice of Violation is recorded with the Page 2 of Agenda Bill No. County Recorder's office and becomes a title liability on the property. The violation must be removed prior to transfer of title of the property. Due to the extensive preparatory work done by staff and the developers, most of the projects had erosion control measures in place when the first storm of the season hit one day before the devices were required by code. This effort proved to be very successful as witnessed by the results of that first storm which had an unusually high intensity. In a new approach to storm damage control and management, a crew from the Current Development Division personnel "fell out" during the storm (which occurred on a holiday). This approach put more personnel on the street to observe problems and coordinate remedial measures required. The various City crews maintained continuous communication with each other and with base stations operating out of the Utilities and Maintenance Office and the Police Dispatch Desk. This cooperative effort between the Engineering and Utilities Departments allowed for faster response time and enabled City crews to cover more of the city. Whenever a "development oriented" problem was observed, the Development Division was contacted who in turn contacted the developer or his construction superintendent to take care of the problem. The procedure allowed City crews to place whatever warning signs etc. required at that site and move on to other problem areas. The developers proved to be very cooperative and problems were taken care of within two hours. This method of "educating" the developer as to their responsibilities before the problem exists and handling the storm damage as it occurs, was a success. There was a greater percentage of erosion control devices in place this year than ever before resulting in fewer problems. To date it has been necessary to file only one "Notice of Violation" and the developer is now working with staff to make up the deficiencies in this erosion control. If these corrective measures are not completed to satisfaction before the next "5 day" forecast of rain, a City-hired contractor will be utilized to cause the devices to be installed at the developer's expense. A continual effort is required throughout the rainy season to ensure that as conditions change in the field due to the progression of a project, adequate devices are in place at all times. As the nature of a development project changes through the phases of construction, likewise the nature of the erosion Page 3 of Agenda Bill No. control measures required to meet the needs also changes. Constant observation and updating is a necessity. It is particularly critical to observe the facilities placed by the developer during the actual storms. Erosion control is itself at best, an educated guess and experience is the best teacher. As evidenced by the first heavy storm of the season, the City as a whole was better prepared than it has been in recent years. The cooperative effort between the various departments paid-off in faster responses to problems and a savings of time and money. Several lessons were learned from the experience including the need for a list of 24 hour emergency contact persons for each development to be made available to the Police, Fire and Utilities Departments. This list is presently being formulated and will be completed within the next week. The need for continued communications between the various City departments and the benefit therefrom was clearly evidenced. Another lesson learned was that a good deal of the potential for erosion and siltation problems occuring in the City is caused by the "private development" projects. Private developments are the type of construction that is generally associated with isolated single family type projects as opposed to a major subdivision. These are usually, (but not always), built by a person who buys a vacant single lot and builds a custom home either for his own use or speculation. Most often these developments do not require grading permits as the lots are usually pre-graded. As such, they do not fall under the same restrictions as a large development, there are usually no grading bonds or cash deposits available in the event erosion control devices are needed but not installed. Because they are not covered by the same sections of the Municipal Code, it is more difficult to enforce erosion control. Many have silt problems but there are no bonds to call or permits to pull. As a result, the only method available to handle the situation is outlined under Section 11.06.120 of the Code entitled "Depositing earth, sand, gravel, etc., upon public or private property", whereby a determination of public nuisance is made and the owner is given 36 hours to eliminate the hazard. If the debris is not removed within the time limit specified, the City Engineer has the authority to have it cleaned up at the owner's expense. As of this time, it has not been necessary to do this; however, a list of approximately 70 potential problem sites has been assembled and close observation of these locations will be performed to prevent problems from occurring. Page 4 of Agenda Bill No. In summation, as it pertains to erosion and silt control, the City as a whole is in better shape today than it ever has been in the past. There are many functioning desiltation basins in operation at this time to reduce siltation of the lagoons and storm drain structures in potential problem areas are protected by gravel bags to prevent intrusion of silt into the system. However, maintenance of these control devices and observation of changing conditions in the field are a continual necessity. Through the cooperative effort of the various City departments,our control and knowledge of the erosion needs of the City continues to grow, and with this increased awareness comes better protection for the public and the environment.