Following one of the rainiest Novembers in recent memory, Mayor Karen Bass announced Tuesday, Nov. 25, that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) estimates the cumulative amount of stormwater captured since Oct. 1 is nearly 5.5 billion gallons of water, enough to meet the annual water needs of almost 68,000 LA households.
“The city’s investments in stormwater capture infrastructure have allowed us to leverage the significant amount of recent rain to the LA region to add nearly 5.5 billion gallons of water to our local water supply, enough to serve almost 68,000 homes annually,” said Bass. “These investments are helping to improve our local water supply, reduce runoff into the ocean and enhance Los Angeles’ overall resilience.”
“This achievement points to the success of our investments in stormwater capture infrastructure to build our local water supplies,” said Janisse Quiñones, LADWP CEO and chief engineer. “As a key strategy to ensure a sustainable water future, our goal is to continue expanding and maximizing our stormwater capture efforts to eventually reach 48.9 billion gallons of annual capacity by 2035.”
Stormwater capture is an important element of LADWP’s overall plan to enhance LA’s water supply. LADWP uses various methods for capturing rainwater, including neighborhood green stormwater infrastructure, residential rain barrels and cisterns and large spreading grounds – like the Tujunga Spreading Grounds – that help recharge underwater aquifers that serve as “groundwater banks.” This groundwater can be pumped and treated to water quality standards for residential use.
Today, LADWP’s stormwater capture facilities have the capacity to capture more than 83,000 acre-feet per year (more than 27 billion gallons) under average conditions. Stormwater runoff that cannot be contained at these facilities is discharged to the Pacific Ocean via streams, rivers and storm drains.
The department will continue implementing stormwater capture projects that decrease the amount of runoff lost to the Pacific Ocean, including through large-scale spreading ground enhancements and smaller-scale strategies that leverage green streets, rain gardens and rain barrels.
LADWP customers can also capture stormwater and use it for watering landscapes instead of drinking water. LADWP provides rebates that range from $50 for rain barrels that hold at least 50 gallons of water, to $300 to $500 for cisterns ranging in size from 200 to over 1,000 gallons.
To learn more, go to https://www.ladwp.com/who-we-are/water-system/sources-supply/stormwater-capture.