OWENS VALLEY DUST-CONTROL WORK OK'D.Byline: Dan Laidman Staff Writer Fearing that delays of dust-control work in the Owens Valley This article has multiple issues: * It needs to be expanded. * It may need copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. could lead to stiff penalties, the City Council on Wednesday approved a $103 million contract while also vowing to step up oversight of the project. Councilmen Tony Cardenas Tony Cardenas served in the California State Assembly. In the Assembly, he had the powerful position of chair of the Budget Committee. He is now a Los Angeles City Councilman, representing the 6th district, which includes parts of the San Fernando Valley. and Bernard Parks plan to bring a motion calling for an external review of the Department of Water and Power's work at Owens Valley Lake, which has risen to about $415 million from original estimates around $120 million. ``If we can do it cheaper we'd better figure out how to do it,'' said Cardenas, who represents the Van Nuys area. The dust-control work dates back to Los Angeles' diversion A turning aside or altering of the natural course or route of a thing. The term is chiefly applied to the unauthorized change or alteration of a water course to the prejudice of a lower riparian, or to the unauthorized use of funds. of Owens Valley water in the early 20th century to provide for the city's growth. In recent decades, regulatory agencies regulatory agency Independent government commission charged by the legislature with setting and enforcing standards for specific industries in the private sector. The concept was invented by the U.S. and courts have ordered the city to address the serious environmental problems that ensued. The contract approved Wednesday is a $103 million deal with Barnard Construction Co. to build several miles of dust control areas, as well as operations and maintenance facilities. It is the last of six major dust mitigation-related contracts. ``We've done a lot of work out there and it is working,'' said Richard Harasick, director of the project for the DWP DWP Department of Work and Pensions (UK) DWP Drinking Water Program DWP Dynamic Weapon Pricing (gamin, Counter-Strike: Source) DWP Department of Water & Power DWP Drinking Water Protection . Officials knew from the beginning that the project might go beyond $120 million, Harasick said, but the price ballooned as the scope of the work increased. Harasick acknowledged that the project might not end at the current boundary of about 30 square miles A square mil is a unit of area, equal to the area of a square with sides of length one mil. A mil is one thousandth of an international inch. This unit of area is usually used in specifying the area of the cross section of a wire or cable. , but he said the DWP does not intend to spend more than $415 million. If the DWP does not meet its project deadlines, local and federal regulators could fine the city $50,000 to $60,000 per day and could possibly pursue criminal penalties, Harasick said. Meanwhile, the contract with Barnard includes possible penalties of $5,000 per day. ``Those things ought to be equal,'' said Councilwoman Janice Hahn Janice Hahn is a member of the Los Angeles City Council representing the 15th district. Hahn was elected in 2001 and reelected in 2005, running unopposed. The 15th District encompasses the Los Angeles communities of Watts, Wilmington, Harbor Gateway, Harbor City, Athens on the . ``It doesn't make sense for us to be left holding the bag more than our vendor or contractor.'' The Board of Water and Power Commissioners has also delved into the Owens Valley issue, calling for audits of all related contracts. The DWP commissioners have focused on reviewing the utility's contracts with CH2M Hill CH2M HILL is a global provider of engineering, construction, and operations services for corporations, nonprofits, and federal, state, and local governments with regional offices worldwide. , which provided consulting, design and construction management services on the Owens project. Dan Laidman, (213) 978-0390 dan.laidman(at)dailynews.com |
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