LA County Sets Goal To Greatly Increase Stormwater Capture By 2045

On Dec. 5, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to adopt and implement a new long term water management plan, meant to expand local supplies, increase resilience and lessen reliability on imported water. Something that’s become increasingly critical, as the climate continues to change, and water resources are stressed.

The L.A County Water Plan is an extension of the county's sustainability plan, and yesterday was a big step toward laying out goals and a path forward for various stakeholders.

Some of the highlights include: cleaning up groundwater, improving drinking water quality, expanding the use of recycled water and utilizing better messaging around water conservation.

There’s also a strong emphasis on expanding stormwater capture and water storage, in an effort to increase the local supply by nearly 600,000 acre-feet per year within the county by 2045.

“In our dry region we need to conserve every drop of water possible for beneficial reuse,” said Supervisor Lindsey Horvath during the meeting. “As climate change makes our imported water resources less reliable and more expensive, I would like to see the majority of our stormwater be diverted for beneficial reuse.”

We should hear back in the next six months about how that might be accomplished, but it’s likely to come through the utilization of spreading grounds, the expansion of permeable parking lots and roads, as well as features in yards like swales and rain gardens.

“What we need to do is basically turn the entire county of L.A. into a sponge and capture stormwater where it falls. That includes everything from the big spreading grounds to parcel level projects that allow water to just infiltrate into the ground,” said Annelisa Moe, associate director of science and policy at Heal The Bay, which supports the plan.

Moe said that Heal The Bay would also like to see 12,000 acres of hardscape turned into reusable green spaces, and have wetlands reestablished, as they can help capture stormwater and sequester carbon.