Santa Monica Groundwater Basin Monitoring Program

The Santa Monica Groundwater Monitoring Program (Program) aims to unite all State-mandated groundwater monitoring requirements under one contract to manage the basin sustainably and in full regulatory compliance. Specific State orders for the Charnock and the Olympic Well Fields will be implemented in full compliance with orders/permits. In addition to remediation activities to restore the groundwater basin water quality, the City is also currently operating under the Division of Drinking Water's 97-005 Policy Memo requirements to produce drinking water from the Charnock and Olympic Well Fields. The selected consultant will also work with current City engineering consultants to meet regulatory reporting requirements for the Santa Monica Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) and the City's groundwater recharge permit for its Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project (SWIP). The City of Santa Monica is the only municipal agency that currently produces groundwater from the SMGB. The City has been producing groundwater from the basin since the 1920's and has been actively managing groundwater since the 1950's. The City owns and operates three groundwater production well fields in the SMGB: Arcadia, Charnock, and Olympic well fields. The Santa Monica Groundwater Monitoring Program (Program) includes the following regulatory efforts: Coordination with the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), the Division of Drinking Water (DDW), the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board (LARWQCB), and other stakeholders to remove industrial pollutants that have contaminated the groundwater of the basin. Coordination with the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the Santa Monica Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (SMBGSA) to support implementation of the Santa Monica Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP). The SMBGSA members include the City of Santa Monica, City of Los Angeles (via Los Angeles Department of Water and Power), Los Angeles County (via Planning Department), Culver City, and Beverly Hills. Support regulatory compliance efforts for monitoring and reporting related to groundwater recharge operations for the City's Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project (SWIP), an advanced water treatment facility that treats a blend of wastewater and stormwater/urban runoff for non-potable reuse and indirect potable (i.e., groundwater recharge via direct injection). Multiple State regulatory agencies require groundwater monitoring in accordance with approved compliance schedules, including field sampling, laboratory analysis, and interpretation of groundwater quality and hydrogeologic data, as well as preparation and submittal of regulatory reports. These requirements exhibit substantial overlap in monitoring locations, analytical parameters, frequency, and reporting deliverables. To increase efficiency, ensure data consistency, and maintain regulatory compliance, the City proposes to implement an integrated groundwater monitoring program encompassing standardized sampling protocols, data validation and quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC), hydrogeologic and geochemical evaluation, numerical modeling, and consolidated reporting.