One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Santa Monica Introduces its First Green Street
Photo of a regular LA street | Photo by Atwater Village Newbie via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr
Los Angeles has had one for a little while and now Santa Monica has joined the club. Typically, when it rains the runoff goes into the storm drains directing it to the ocean. What it takes along with it--chemicals, trash, etc--is extremely harmful and wasteful, too. If the little water brought to us in Southern California was spent on keeping it in the groundwater system instead of spending money to move it out, all the better. The Lookout News in Santa Monica was at a demonstration yesterday and explains how the new one on the 100 block of Bicknell Avenue works:
Before the water can reach the curb, much of it percolates into the ground through a permeable concrete layer six inches deep that allows the water to infiltrate into the soil below. Infiltration basins under the parking lanes store the water during a storm or in the event there is dry weather runoff. The runoff is collected by the basins with filters in the gutters.
The water is stored until it percolates into the surrounding soil, helping to replenish groundwater supplies.
The runoff that does not enter the basins flows into depressed bioswales that serve as parkways flanking the street. They feature native plants that are supported by drip irrigation under a layer of mulch. The plants require little water and maintenance.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
