ENCINITAS — The City Council awarded a $240,850 contract on Wednesday night to Tetra Tech to prepare a stormwater study for the Cottonwood Creek watershed.
The study aims to reduce runoff and address bacteria in the watershed.
To do so, Tetra Tech will start by looking at various runoff sources that flow into the creek. Then, it will identify potential stormwater controls.
“This project will look at the watershed itself and what processes and ideas might work,” said Ed Deane, senior civil engineer with the city.
The watershed begins near the intersection of El Camino Real and Encinitas Boulevard and flows into Moonlight Beach.
Due to water quality issues in the watershed, Moonlight Beach has been forced to close in the past, according to a staff report on the item.
To pay for the plan, the city was previously given $242,460 in a grant from California’s Proposition 84, which provides funds to prevent pollutants and other problems in key bodies of water.
The project also includes an outreach plan to notify the public about how to cut down on upstream pollutants.
Tetra Tech’s goal is to present a plan with recommendations for the watershed to the City Council by April 2015.
