City of Manhattan Beach : FAQ

Public Works

City Sewage Facilities

The City of Manhattan Beach’s effluent is pumped from a facility (owned and operated by the Los Angeles County Sanitation District) at 26^th Street and the Strand to be treated at the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant in Carson, also maintained by the Los Angeles County Sanitation District. Manhattan Beach’s sewer collection system includes 110 miles of sewer main, six intermediate pump stations, and 12,000 service connections which all feed the Los Angeles County's pump station.

General Information

The City of Manhattan Beach Public Works Department serves the citizens of Manhattan Beach by constructing, repairing and maintaining the public roads, throughways, and right-of-ways in the community. They work year round to make roads and sidewalks safe and accessible by cleaning them of debris, diverting rainwater into storm drains, repairing potholes and cracks, and repaving roads when the surface wears away. In addition, the department maintains all traffic signs and signals to insure that motorists can safely travel around the area. They work closely with other City of Manhattan Beach Departments on construction projects and planning ventures to insure that public needs and access are met during the construction periodand beyond. Please contact the City of Manhattan Beach Public Works Department between 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM Monday through Friday at (310) 802-5300.

Geographic Information System - GIS

A Geographic Information System (GIS), is a network of computer software, hardware, spatial data, procedures, and personnel. This network is primarily used to capture, store, organize, integrate, analyze, and display data that is linked to a location on the earth's surface. The power of a G I S lies in its ability to uncover spatial relationships and patterns within the data that are not easily apparent in spreadsheets or statistics. Additional GIS content may be found under the Public Records and Information FAQs. You can also contact the city's GIS Analyst, Bonnie Shrewsbury, at (310) 802-5360 or by email to gis@citymb.info

Benefits

One of the main benefits of GIS is improved integration and management of an organization and its resources. Since over 80% of government data is considered locational, a GIScan link data sets together by common locational data, such as addresses or parcels, which helps departments and agencies share their information. By creating a shared database, one department can benefit from the work of another; data can be collected once and used many times.

Organization and History

The City of Manhattan Beach is an enterprise GIS organization, meaning that geographic information is maintained in a central location and is shared across all departments. The GIS is maintained by the GIS Analyst, who is a member of the Public Works Department. While GIS began in Public Works on a contract basis in 1989, it became a City-wide operation in 1998 with the addition of a full-time GIS staff position. The program has since grown to include over 200 data layers, provides maps and data for major city projects, and participates in significant regional GIS efforts. Additional GIS content may be found on the city's website under the Public Records and Information FAQs. The GIS Analyst can be contacted by calling (310) 802-5360 or email to gis@citymb.info.

Inspections for Right of Way Permits

Inspections related to Right of Way Permits are handled by two Public Works Inspectors. Right of Way Permits are used for work performed on the the City Right of Way only. To schedule an inspection, please call 24 hours minimum in advance at (310) 802-5305 or (310) 802-5306. If you need to talk to a Public Works Inspector face to face, one is usually at the Community Development counter at City Hall between the hours of 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM Monday through Friday.

Liability Claims

Internal topic for liability claims related to Public Works.

Manhole

Internal topic for service requests regarding manhole or ground vaults, including but not limited to city utilities, county utilities, Cheveron monitoring, Honeywell monitoring, Time Warner, Southern California Edison and Verizon.

Pervious Concrete Pavement

Pervious Concrete Pavement is a permeable, porous concrete material with an appearance that resembles the texture of Rice-Krispie treats.

Composition

Controlled amounts of water and cement like material are combined together to create a paste that forms a thick coating around aggregate particles such as gravel and crushed stone.

Environmental Benefits

It captures stormwater and allows it to seep into the ground. This reduces stormwater runoff which helps control the amount of contaminants in our waterways. This technology created more efficient land use by eliminating the need for retention ponds, swales, and other stormwater management devices.

Durability

Pervious Concrete Pavement is strong and highly durable. If properly designed and constructed, it will last 20-40 years with little or no maintenance.

Maintenance

It can be swept or vacuumed, if needed. The majority of Pervious Concrete Pavements function well with little or no maintenance. Maintenance consists primarily of prevention of clogging of the void structure.

Clogging problems are mainly an issue of design. If a natural area with grass or exposed soil is allowed to drain stormwater across Pervious Concrete Pavement, fine material can be introduced into the system causing localized clogging. Routine sweeping or vacuuming will restore porousity.

Cost Effectiveness

Although the initial cost of Pervious Concrete Pavement may be slightly higher, it saves money in the long run due to its superior durability and strength. It requires fewer repairs than asphalt, and has a longer overall lifespan as well.

Locations

Currently, there are five parking lots within the city where Pervious Concrete Pavement has been used. They are:

El Porto Lot
Upper Pier Lots
Lots 1,2,7, and 8

Pothole Repair

The Street Maintenance Division is responsible for all activities related to street maintenance including street repair, sidewalk repair, traffic painting, sign maintenance, street sweeping and public works inspection. Street repair includes the patching of potholes, water and sewer street cuts and other damaged areas of City streets and alleys. Potholes are a common paving defect and it is important to repair them as soon as possible to maintain a safe and conforming roadway. Quick action can avoid more serious repairs and additional inconvenience to residents. Is there a pothole near you? Let us know about it and we will get it repaired as soon as possible using the City’s state of the art asphalt patch truck.

Sidewalk Maintenance

The Manhattan Beach Public Works Department constructs, inspects, and maintains sidewalks, curbs, gutters, and related concrete improvements within the city. Repairs may include removal and replacement, ramping or grinding of displaced sections with asphalt or cementitious mortars, or patching. In an effort to maintain safe and conforming sidewalks, the City makes periodic inspections to identify potential hazards.

The City’s Municipal Code assigns the responsibility for repairing sidewalks and driveways to adjacent property owners (Chapter 7.12.010 -7.12.030 ). Part of the City's maintenance program includes an annual City administered sidewalk repair contract, in which larger areas are selected for repair through a competitively bid contract. This program ensures residents who must effect repairs to the sidewalks adjoining their properties receive the best possible value. City crews will repair sidewalks and driveways outside of a targeted maintenance area at a residents request, but there is a charge for such services. These repairs are billed at the rates set forth in the current Resolution of Fees. Property owners may elect to have their sidewalks repaired at any time by themselves or by retaining the services of a private contractor, provided a Public Works Excavation Permit is obtained first.

The cost of the permit is $75.00. To discuss the maintenance responsibilities between property owners and the City, contact the Manhattan Beach Public Works Department's Street Division, between 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM Monday through Friday, at (310) 802-5303.

Slurry Sealing

The City’s annual slurry seal (a protective asphalt coating) program divides the City into seven sections and tackles a different section each year. There may be slight variances from this schedule from year to year, depending on whether underground utility, water or sewer main work is being performed in the nearby vicinity. If you have questions about when your street is going to be slurry sealed, pleasecontact the Engineering Division at (310) 802-5353 or 802-5357.

Storm Drains

The Public Works Department's Wastewater Division is responsible for maintaining the storm drain system. The storm drain system is designed to channel water generated as a result of storm flows from streets and properties to its ultimate drainage destination - the Pacific Ocean. The storm drain system includes streets, curbs and gutters, drainage swales, settling basins, pump stations, pipelines, Continuous Deflection Separators CDS and catch basins. Nuisance run-off water from over watering and certain allowed cleaning operations also flow through the storm drain system. The City maintains all of the drainage facilities to prevent flooding. City-owned catch basins, sumps and CDS units are cleaned by City crews up to four times per year and on a request basis. Even with this cleaning, debris can build-up in the catch basins. Main line storm drains and catch basins not City owned are the responsibility of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works. If you see a clogged catch basin, please call the City of Manhattan Beach Public Works Department at (310) 802-5304 to notify us. If this is an after hours emergency please call (310) 802-5000.

Lost Items in Storm

If you lose something in the storm drain, call the Public Works Department's Utilities Division Office at (310) 802-5304. Business hours are Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. If you require immediate after hours assistance call (310) 802-5000.

Street Improvement Plans or Project Status Inquiry

Annual Street Improvement Program

The City has a consultant who analyzes all the streets through a computerized Pavement Management System which assesses the structural surface and aesthetic condition of the overlaying pavement as well as the structural integrity of the underlying substructure and foundation. The streets are then given a numerical rating and prioritized relative to this analysis. This rating plays a large part in determining which streets are included in the City’s annual street improvement program. For more information on your street’s position within the Pavement Management System, contact the City’s Senior Civil Engineer, Mr. Michael A. Guerrero, at (310) 802-5355.

Capital Improvement Projects

A Capital Improvement Plan provides a detailed look at a City's infrastructure (buildings, roads, parks, sewer, water, storm drain, etc.) needs. The City of Manhattan Beach typically works around a five-year Capital Improvement Plan that is updated and presented each fiscal year. To submit an idea for a new Capital Improvement Project, please call the Manhattan Beach Public Works Department at (310) 802-5303.

Street Light

Outage

To report a street light outage, please call the Manhattan Beach Public Works Department at (310) 802-5300.

Installation

Requests submitted to the City by a resident to provide better illumination for the neighborhood must be evaluated by staff in the event there are concerns from other residents about glare due to the addition of a street light. Any action requires a public hearing before the PPIC (Parking and Public Improvements Commission) and a subsequent City Council meeting to allow for residents to comment on the potential installation of the new street light. Prior to both meetings, notices must be sent to residents within a five hundred foot radius of the subject address. For more information on this matter, and how to get on the PPIC agenda, please contact Rosie Lackow in the Planning Division of Community Development Department, at (310) 802-5515.

Glare Shields

If you wish to have a glare shield installed on an existing street light, please contact Senior Civil Engineer Edward Kao in the Engineering Division of Public Works Department at (310) 802-5358 for more information. Mr. Kao will make an evaluation of the situation and coordinate the installation with Southern California Edison. Southern California Edison’s current charge for installation of a glare shield is $135.00.

Gas Lamps

Internal service request for Southern California Gas Co. Gas Lamp issues.

Street Maintenance and Repair

Manhattan Beach Public Works Department is responsible for the maintenance, repair, and construction of all below ground infrastructure on City owned streets. Through a combination of contracted services and in-house staff, the Manhattan Beach Public Works Department delivers, traffic signal and control, signage, street sweeping, landscape maintenance, sewer and water services, and asphalt and concrete repairs. The Department also facilitates communications and reports maintenance needs related to utilities and/or facilities owned by Time-Warner, Edison, Verizon, and the Gas Company.

Routine maintenance needs are provided by the Street Division; while larger maintenance and construction projects are administered by the Engineering Division. To report maintenance required for streets, street lights or street poles, etc. submit an online Street Maintenance Form. You may also contact the Manhattan Beach Public Works Department's Street Division, between 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM Monday through Friday, at (310) 802-5300.

Ocean Street Sweeping Program

In response to growing awareness surrounding the local environment and the City's commitment to maintain cleaner streets, the City has implemented the Ocean Safe Street Sweeping Program. This program reduces the amount of debris and litter being carried to our beaches through the storm drain system. The program calls for the installation of street sweeping signs for all blocks that were not previously posted prior to January 1996. Because there are many factors affecting the need for street sweeping signs, the City has developed a petition process for residents to request street sweeping signs be installed or removed from the street immediately adjacent to their residence.

For more information on the City's street sweeping program or to request a street sweeping sign petition please call (310) 802-5311. For maps on specific street sweeping days, visit the Street Sweeping page.

Streetscape Maintenance

Located within the traditional center of the City, Streetscape offers a pedestrian friendly locale to enjoy casual and fine dining, shopping, and general enjoyment of our City. The Streetscape area is a special assessment district, and property owners within the district fund all maintenance activities within the district. The district is most easily identified by the tiled walkways and crosswalks. The district contains unique landscaping, lighting and signage. To report maintenance needs within this District, submit a work order request or contact the Department of Public Works at (310) 802-5300.

Pier Maintenance

The historic 928 foot long Pier at the western terminus of Manhattan Beach Boulevard provides a scenic backdrop and unique vistas of the "Pearl of the South Bay." The Pier is open every day and fishing is permitted year 'round. The Pier sports a traditional roundhouse and hosts a teaching aquarium and the Saltwater Café, in addition to restroom facilities. Full service restrooms are serviced 365 days a year between the hours of 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM. The comfort station the base of the Pier include outdoor showers, a changing room, lavatory faculties, and a pay phone. Thousands of visitors and residents use these facilities annually to clean up after a round of surfing, a beach work out, or a long day at the beach. Due to the harsh marine environment, maintenance is an ongoing challenge. Please submit a service request or contact the Department of Public Works at (310) 802-5300 for immediate service.

Plan Holders List

This information is available on the City’s website in the Public Works Department's Engineering Division. Or you may contact the Engineering Division at (310) 802-5353.