In a significant boost to the city's water resilience efforts, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) have revealed successful results stemming from recent heavy rains. According to a statement made by Mayor Bass, the city has managed to capture nearly 5.5 billion gallons of stormwater, a volume sufficient enough to meet the yearly water demands of roughly 68,000 local households.
Mayor Bass highlighted that these results were made possible due to strategic investments in stormwater infrastructure, which allowed for the significant water intake following one of the rainiest Novembers on record. “The City’s investments in stormwater capture infrastructure have allowed us to leverage the significant amount of recent rain to the L.A. region to add nearly 5.5 billion gallons of water to our local water supply, enough to serve almost 68,000 homes annually,” Bass said. The success of these measures points to an active pursuit of sustainability and resilience in the face of water scarcity challenges.
LADWP is at the forefront of this successful stormwater capture initiative. Janisse Quiñones, LADWP CEO and Chief Engineer, emphasized the effectiveness of the city's approach in a press release, stating, “This achievement points to the success of our investments in stormwater capture infrastructure to build our local water supplies.” She outlined LADWP's goal to continue expanding stormwater capture to reach 48.9 billion gallons of annual capacity by 2035.
With a mix of techniques ranging from green stormwater infrastructure to larger spreading grounds like the Tujunga Spreading Grounds that help recharge aquifers, LADWP is actively working to increase its water capture capacity, currently standing at more than 83,000 acre-feet per year. Efforts to decrease the amount of runoff lost to the ocean are ongoing and range from sizable ground enhancements to smaller-scale initiatives involving green streets and rain gardens. Moreover, LADWP encourages Angelenos to contribute to this effort by capturing their own stormwater, offering rebates for rain barrels and cisterns, which the customers can utilize in lieu of drinking water for landscaping purposes, as detailed in the announcement.
