The supply is enough to supply the annual water needs of about 68,000 households, according to estimates from the LADWP
After one of the wettest Novembers in recent years, Los Angeles officials said Tuesday the city has captured nearly 5.5 billion gallons of stormwater since Oct. 1 — enough to supply the annual water needs of about 68,000 households, according to estimates from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
Mayor Karen Bass said the rainfall has highlighted the value of the city’s investments in stormwater infrastructure, which is designed to reduce pollution, limit runoff into the ocean and boost local water reserves. “These investments are helping to improve our local water supply, reduce runoff into the ocean, and enhance Los Angeles’ overall resilience,” Bass said.
LADWP CEO and Chief Engineer Janisse Quiñones said the department aims to expand stormwater capture capacity to nearly 49 billion gallons per year by 2035. “This achievement points to the success of our investments in stormwater capture infrastructure,” she said.
The utility captures stormwater through a mix of neighborhood green infrastructure, residential rain barrels and cisterns, and large spreading grounds such as the Tujunga Spreading Grounds, which help recharge groundwater aquifers. That groundwater can later be pumped and treated for residential use.
LADWP facilities can currently capture more than 83,000 acre-feet — over 27 billion gallons — of stormwater in an average year, the department said. Runoff that cannot be stored or absorbed flows to the Pacific Ocean through the region’s storm drains, creeks and rivers.
Officials said the department will continue expanding both large-scale and neighborhood-level projects, including green streets, rain gardens and other measures intended to slow runoff and increase infiltration.
Residents can also help collect rainfall for landscape irrigation. LADWP offers rebates of $50 for 50-gallon rain barrels and $300 to $500 for cisterns ranging from 200 to more than 1,000 gallons.
