New Report Highlights Stormwater Capture Opportunities
With climate change, regulatory actions and other issues affecting long-term availability of imported water supplies, stormwater management can play a key role in Southern California’s water future, according to a new report by the Southern California Water Committee.
The report, “Opportunities to Increase Water Supplies in Southern California,”examines ways to maximize stormwater capture throughout the coastal plainthat includes Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego counties. Produced by a task force convened by the Southern California Water Committee, the report is aimed at starting a dialog among various stakeholders to discuss the merits and limitations of stormwater management strategies in the context of both water quality and water supply.
“In California, we cannot take water for granted, and it’s more important than ever to seek out new and improved ways to capture and utilize local sources while protecting the environment,” Mark Pestrella, chair of the task force and assistant director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, said in a statement. “Until this effort began, there was no regional coordination in place on stormwater issues, everyone was working independently. We are much more effective when we share ideas and work together toward common goals.”
The report examines how the region as a whole can work collaboratively within the current regulatory framework to achieve shared goals of attaining clean, safe water bodies and a sustainable water supply. Elements of the report include an analysis of existing statewide policies, goals and regional plan; a look at regional trends; and an evaluation of stormwater management strategies ranging from onsite low-impact development on individual properties to watershed and larger regional stormwater capture and infiltration facilities.
The reportalso provides a number of case studies that highlight specific successes.
SCWC’s Stormwater Task Force was established one year ago to develop regional consensus-based strategies and recommendations for utilizing stormwater effectively as a new local water supply, and reduce the urban runoff water pollution problems within the coastal plain of Southern California.
In the year ahead, the task force will be looking at further collaboration opportunities with local, statewide and federal partners, such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Priorities will be focused on supporting pilot projects, facilitating workshops and reaching out to other organizations to promote stormwater capture opportunities.
More on the task force is available here.
