Following recent rainstorms, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has now captured nearly 5.5 billion gallons of water since Oct. 1, enough to serve almost 68,000 homes, Mayor Karen Bass's office announced Tuesday.
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The DWP captured rain through stormwater infrastructure, residential rain barrels and cisterns, and large spreading grounds such as the Tujunga Spreading Grounds that help recharge underwater aquifers, also known as "groundwater banks." Any groundwater can be pumped and treated to water quality standards for residential use, city officials said.
"These investments are helping to improve our local water supply, reduce runoff into the ocean and enhance Los Angeles' overall resilience," Bass said in a statement.
The utility'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 DWP will continue working on expanding its stormwater capture projects to reduce runoff, and expects to implement more large-scale spreading grounds, as well as rain gardens and rain barrels.
"This achievement points to the success of our investments in stormwater capture infrastructure to build our local water supplies," said Janisse Quiñones, DWP 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."
The DWP encourages its customers to help capture more stormwater. The department 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.
More information is available at ladwp.com/who-we-are/water- system/sources-supply/stormwater-capture.
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