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LA County Working To Capture Water From Latest Storm
Water that's released from the Big Tujunga Dam flows into a basin that's part of the Hansen spreading grounds in the Sun Valley area. Hansen is one of the largest stormwater capture grounds in the county.
(
Erin Stone
/
LAist
)
Topline:
With an atmospheric river set to dump several inches of rain on Southern California over the next few days, L.A. County Public Works is striving to save as much of that water as possible.
Storm Boss: A dedicated team of engineers and operators, collectively called Storm Boss, will be monitoring levels in dams and reservoirs, making controlled releases to save as much water as they can, prioritizing public safety and property.
Capacity: “We do have quite a bit of capacity in our 14 major dams for what’s coming in this next storm. Even though it’s going to be considered quite significant,” Kerjon Lee, Chief, Strategic Communications for L.A. County Public Works told LAist.
How much water? Lee said storm water collection makes up about one-third of the county’s water supply every year. With all the wet weather last year, that was up to about half.
Go deeper: From Drought to Deluge: The Story of the Biggest, Wettest Winter in Western History
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