Support for LAist comes from
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Stay Connected
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen

Share This

News

LA County Working To Capture Water From Latest Storm

Water rushes through a concrete channel into a wide spreading basin.
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
)

With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today . 

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.

Support for LAist comes from

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

At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.

But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.

We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.

Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist