Oxnard—The Public Works and Transportation Committee, Tuesday, October 13, approved the purchase of a Boom Mower for the Public Works section of the Wastewater Division.
LUIS Ortega, on behalf of the Wastewater Division, presented the item and said the Boom Mower is coming from Municipal Maintenance Equipment Incorporated, for an amount not to exceed $266,588.
“The Public Works Stormwater Section maintains approximately 50 miles of open channel storm drains,” he said. “These drains convey stormwater runoff to the Ocean, and must be properly maintained to mitigate flooding.”
He said maintenance activities include stabilizing earthen embankments, removing vegetation and debris, and excavating sediment.
“In the past, the Stormwater Team owned a 1996 Ford Tractor Mower capable of maintaining the ditches,” he said. “The mower was decommissioned and auctioned in 2022. Due to the budgetary constraints at the time, a replacement mower was not procured. Since that time, they’ve maintained these ditches by hand or hired a third party.”
Ortega said the earthen storm drain channels are costly to maintain and are prone to thick vegetation growth. Maintenance is difficult and time-consuming to perform manually.
“When crews cannot keep up with the maintenance, a third-party service provider is hired to assist…
