4:08pm
On October 20th, the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission (or SMBRC) recommended five projects to receive the remaining $9,000,000 allocated to them by Proposition 84 by the State Water Resources Control Board (State Board) for coastal water quality improvement projects accordance with the Clean Beaches Program, which ensures California’s beaches are monitored and safe.
When Proposition 84 was passed in 2006, $90 million was allocated to the State Board, $18 million of which was made available to the SMBRC for projects in Santa Monica. Now, with half of those original funds remaining, the SMBRC has recommended five projects—in Culver City, Westwood, Ladera Park, Gates Canyon Park and Santa Monica Bay—as recipients of these funds.
Previous to these recommendations, the SMBRC selected 10 projects, totaling $9,220,500, to the State Board to be funded. These include an initiative for the City of Torrence to improve three stormwater detention basins that drain into the Santa Monica Bay, and the installation of 35 rain gardens in and around University Park area, which is located near USC.
“The Commission has supported many excellent projects through the Prop. 84 program that make a tangible difference and it’s exciting to see them implemented. The new multi-benefit projects have the potential to have a significant impact on water quality in the Bay and help us further our goal to protect and restore Santa Monica Bay,” said Environmental Scientist and Project Manager Jack Topel, who manages the Prop. 84 grant program on behalf of SMBRC.
For more information on the five recommended projects, which are currently pending approval, visit the SMBRC’s website.
