Lake County approves LG Sonic buoy pilot at Clear Lake, contingent on environmental review

At a meeting of the Lake County Board of Supervisors sitting as the Board of Directors for the Lake County Watershed Protection District, supervisors voted 4-0 to waive a county procurement rule and award a $921,407.12 contract to LG Sonic for a 14‑buoy ultrasonic harmful‑algal‑bloom mitigation pilot at Clear Lake, with the award made contingent on completion of required environmental reviews and coordination on navigation and safety plans.

The project, described by Dr. Upadhyay, Lake County Water Resources Director, as a 24‑month effort, would purchase, install and operate 10 MPC Buoy Lite units and 4 MPC Buoy Pro units and include staff training and data collection. Dr. Upadhyay said the department will oversee implementation and long‑term maintenance in partnership with LG Sonic and that state grant funding covers the project. He said the Department budget unit 8109 will be used and reimbursements processed through account 1120. The department presented an anticipated construction cost around $1 million and a contracted equipment amount of $921,407.12 plus approximately $60,000 in staff time for a total project cost described in the staff report as $981,407.12.

Board members and members of the public asked for clarity on environmental review, public safety, vandalism risk, warranty and logistics before deployment. Mira Turner, Community Development Director, told the board that CEQA review is ongoing and that the department has sent requests for information; Turner recommended that approval be made contingent on completing applicable CEQA (and given federal funding involvement, NEPA) reviews. Turner added that a categorical exemption is possible but that tribal and other review windows apply.

Sheriff Bingham of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said he supports measures to improve water quality but warned of navigational danger from the buoys' size and weight. “That could be a catastrophic event if a boat strikes at any type of speed,” he said, asking that marine patrol be included in siting and navigation plans and that the county consider speed restrictions or other mitigations for narrow channels.

An LG Sonic representative on the call, identified as DJ Deepsea, responded to wildlife concerns: “There is no known concern to wildlife including bird habitat,” and said the company’s experience is that waterfowl sometimes use the buoys and that improved water quality can benefit fish and birds.

Speakers asked that the sheriff’s marine patrol, City of Clear Lake staff and water‑resources staff coordinate on a navigation plan, signage and a public‑education campaign so boaters are made aware of buoy locations and safety measures. Water Resources staff said deployment and assembly are expected to occur from Thompson Harbor, that buoys are anchored and movable if monitoring shows different siting is needed, and that shipping can occur in about a month after authorization, with an option to accelerate delivery.

Public commenters including Alan Flores, team manager at the City of Clear Lake, and Mayor Russ Kramer urged the board to approve the pilot and stressed the impact of algae on shoreline neighborhoods and drinking water. Resident Betsy Khan urged collaboration and quicker environmental clearance before summer heat increases bloom risk.

The board adopted two formal actions: (1) to waive County Code chapter 2, section 2‑38.2 for this procurement because of the technology’s unique nature, and (2) to award the contract to LG Sonic for $921,407.12 and authorize the chair to sign and the Water Resources Director to execute the contract, subject to obtaining any applicable environmental reviews and approvals in accordance with Exhibit A of the contract, and with direction that staff coordinate with the Sheriff’s Office marine patrol and the City of Clear Lake on navigation, logistics and public outreach. The board recorded the vote on both motions as 4‑0.

Next steps noted by staff and counsel include completing CEQA and NEPA reviews, tribal consultation as required, finalizing a navigation plan in collaboration with marine patrol, identifying an approach for warranty/repair funding for vandalism or damage, and scheduling deployment and training once approvals are complete. The board and staff said they expect to begin interagency coordination immediately if the contract signature is authorized.