Water Crisis

A yellow back hoe moves mud away from a concrete vertical drain.

Burn Scar Debris Basins In LA County Fill With Sediment After Storms

If mud and trees plug up the basin, it could spill out onto the streets and neighborhoods below.

Two men one wearing a blue jacket and the other a black jacket hold their phones as they look out towards the stormy and debris filled ocean water. A pier can be seen out of focus in the background.

Don't Catch The Wave! LA Public Health Says: Stay Out Of Storm Water

Pathogens in the water can cause gastrointestinal illness, respiratory problems, skin rashes and other infections.

A drain releases treated stormwater into a manmade lake in Willowbrooks Earvin "Magic" Johnson Park. Ducks float on the water's surface and there are green plants.

Willowbrook Park, Fed By Rainwater, Is An Example of LA’s Stormwater Treatment Future

Most of our rainwater washes out to the ocean— often carrying trash and other pollutants. This South L.A. park catches and treats it.

Boats sit in the waters as a large swath of a nearby cliff shows the previous water level significantly higher.

All Of SoCal Is Now In A (Worse) Drought Emergency

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California says more mandatory restrictions are in the forecast.

Dominguez Gap Wetlands body of water surrounded by green plant life

Why So Much Stormwater Is Still Winding Up In The Ocean In LA

L.A. still loses about 50% of stormwater runoff to the ocean.

View of the downtown Los Angeles skyline from behind a rain-soaked car windshield.

Storm Provides Some Drought Relief, But Water Shortage Prevails

The storm was significant, but the wet trend will need to continue to curb the three-year drought.

An artistic rendering of a proposed ocean desalination plant in Dana Point, Calif.

A New Desalination Plant Will Help Fight The Drought In Orange County

The Coastal Commission unanimously approved a desalination plant for south Orange County.

A man wearing a green shirt crushes a green plant blade with a rock.

Amid The Climate Crisis, A Southern California Tribe Works To Preserve Nature and Tradition

For millennia, the Serrano people relied on whipplei yucca. Now, the climate crisis is making it harder to find in the wild.

An older woman with dark hair stands with her young grandchildren outside under a shade structure.

How The Climate Crisis Is Threatening An Indigenous Basketry Tradition In SoCal

Culturally important plants are becoming harder to find in the wild.

Sprinklers deliver vital Colorado River water to a field of celery in California's Imperial Valley. The Imperial Irrigation District draws enough water from the river each year to cover 470,000 acres with 5 inches of water.

Meet The California Farmers Awash In Colorado River Water, Even In A Drought

A single irrigation district in California, along the Mexican border, takes more water from the Colorado River than all of Arizona and Nevada. It's under pressure to use less.

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Water Crisis

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