A piece of advice: if you drop your personal belongings down a storm gutter, do not go in after them. They are lost; bid them adieu. Unfortunately, these words of wisdom come too late for one man, who found himself stuck between a Ceres sidewalk and street for 40 minutes this morning, according to KTLA. more ›

When you spend all day reading and writing about the news, it's nice to occasionally come across a feel-good story. SO SUE ME. Today, that story happens to be about an 8-week-old kitten that was rescued from a storm drain in Winchester. The little fur nugget had somehow made it's way into the drain but couldn't get out, reports KTLA, and was stuck inside and crying. more ›

This cool weather has brought Southern California its first significant rainfall after a long drought period and that means stay away from the beach water, says Heal the Bay. That's because the county's 2,800-mile storm drain system, which is meant to prevent local flooding on rainy days, also moves pollution into the Santa Monica and San Pedro bays. more ›

Whether you live in the Valley or near the coast, we are all connected. That piece of trash sitting in an Encino curb could easily be swept into the storm drain system or L.A. River, traveling to the beach and into the Pacific Ocean. This Saturday, Heal the Bay and other organizations hope for 15,000 volunteers at more than 70 inland and beach locations for the 25th annual international Coastal Cleanup Day (and the 19th for the event to happen locally). more ›

An earlier post this week on catch basin screen covers generated a lot of interest and some questions from readers in the comment section. The City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation was watching, too. Michelle Vargas is a public information officer with the Department of Public Works and wanted to follow up with some information. We've parsed out her response below: more ›

LA County still has worst water quality in state and includes several sites on the top 10 "beach bummer" (i.e., worst beaches in the state) list in this year's Heal the Bay Beach Report Card. This comes as neighboring Orange and Ventura counties earn high grades for good water quality. more ›

Thanks to 22,000 gallons of sewage spilling "out of a manhole cover in South Pasadena on Saturday," all of the city beaches in Long Beach are closed today until further notice, according to abc7.com. The waste may have seeped into the storm drainage system that leads to the Los Angeles River as a result of "a grease plug in the line." The line empties into the ocean at Long Beach. Officials initiated the shutdown to ensure the safety of beach users, and are awaiting clean water samples in order to re-open the beaches. more ›