“We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.” – Jacques Cousteau


Water Resources

Looking to conserve water? Curious about what government is doing? Get started by exploring the resources below.

Information

Reports

Storm Water

  • In “A behind-the-scenes battle to divert LA’s stormwater from going to waste,” the LA Times explains how engineers work to capture as much rainwater as possible to recharge our area aquifers. Money quote: “While the L.A. River’s water was already roaring to the sea at more than 7,200 cubic feet every second, the San Gabriel’s was meandering down the riverbed and into spreading grounds far upstream, percolating as nature intended.”
  • The US EPA has released a new video, Green Streets: The Road to Clean Water. Green streets are natural and engineered methods for controlling stormwater that would otherwise gather pollutants and rush them from hard streets into storm drains and out into local waterways. This short video highlights green streets as a technique for managing stormwater and providing other economic and community benefits.
  • Congresswoman Grace Napolitano hosted a Stormwater Roundtable on February 2016 to discuss stormwater and EPA-mandated MS4 permits in Los Angeles County. Topics include Stormwater 101, MS4/NPDES permit specifics, Integrated Planning and Financial Capability Frameworks, Collaborations (between water districts, Leagues of Cities, COGs, LA County, sanitation districts, Caltrans, US Army Corps of Engineers), Affordability and Cost to Meet Permits, and Legislative update from Rep. Napolitano’s office. You can download the presentations from the event website.
  • With the current drought, communities and residents across California are looking for ways to conserve water. The Institute for Local Government has a collection of water and wastewater best practices that local governments can implement to conserve water, save energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help secure water resources for the future.
  • The EPA offers support to local governments looking to expand their vegetation-based stormwater management systems.