Urban Stormwater Program

Los Angeles relies too heavily on imported water. To become more self-sufficient, we must improve local water quality and supply reliability through conservation, recycling, and better utilization of local sources. Stormwater currently flows unused into the ocean instead of recharging groundwater and surface supplies. The Council for Watershed Health’s urban stormwater program aims to change this through research, planning, and education. Key initiatives include:

  • Studying the feasibility of enhancing natural bottoms of flood control channels to promote infiltration
  • Retrofitting the Elmer Avenue neighborhood to capture and infiltrate more stormwater runoff
  • Examining daylighting opportunities to transform concrete storm drains into open, vegetated channels
  • Researching groundwater recharge through stormwater infiltration and other means
  • Modeling groundwater augmentation scenarios to quantify potential supply benefits

By implementing projects like these across Los Angeles, we can reduce wasteful runoff, harness stormwater as a resource, and steadily decrease reliance on imported supplies.