Join us for our next LABS dinner and presentation on Thursday, July 22 at 6pm!
Our featured guest is Oliver Galang with the LA County Flood Control District!
Photo: LA Team Effort
The keyword is “We”… the collaboration between the Mar Vista community and LA Stormwater set the bar for what is possible when the community gives up the ‘why don’t they…’ attitude and works with the city towards a greener LA! Read more
LOS ANGELES (CN) – The Natural Resources Defense Council will seek a court order requiring Los Angeles County to drastically reduce runoff pollution in the wake of a federal court ruling that found the county allowed runoff to pollute the waters around Malibu’s Surfrider Beach and other sensitive coastal areas, the group’s attorney said. Read more
After 20 years, the City of Los Angeles’ stormwater program is at a crossroads.
A message from Mark Gold, Executive Director of Heal the Bay
A message from Shahram Kharaghani, City of Los Angeles Stormwater Program Manager
Navigating Through the Storm – Setting a Course to Clean Water!
CWEA P3S Conference – Pretreatment, Pollution Prevention and Stormwater Treatment
March 1-3, 2010
Long Beach Hilton
Sign-up forms:
Sponsored by:
MWD (administrative sponsor); TetraTech (food and breaks); and our session sponsors: Malcolm Pirnie; MWH; Larry Walker Associates; Stormwater Solutions Magazine; and JWC Environmental
For exhibitor or sponsorship information please contact co-chairs Greg Kent (stormwater) or Alec Mackie (Ww).
Conference Contacts:
Chair – Michael Simpson
City of Los Angeles
michael.simpson@lacity.org
Programs Chair – Preeti Ghuman
Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts
pghuman@lacsd.org
Conference Brochure – Joe Petchuk
City of Santa Monica
Joe.Petchuk@SMGOV.NET
Exhibitors and Sponsors Co-Chairs
Greg Kent
BioClean Environmental Services
Alec Mackie
JWC Environmental
alecm@jwce.com
Tel: 714-428-4614
CWEA Contacts
Marci Chase
Senior Meeting Planner
mchase@cwea.org
Julie Taylor, CAE
Dir. Education and Training
jtaylor@cwea.org
The Santa Monica Bay’s dry-weather water quality record has improved and some habitats have rebounded since the release of a report five years ago on the bay’s environmental health.
But the latest analysis of the waters off the South Bay coastline points to some lingering problems, including contaminated seafood, threatened fish populations and pollution caused by wet weather discharges.
Link to 2010 State of the Bay Report published by the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission
From damaged cars to flooded homes, residents in a large area surrounding Termino Avenue have been battling winter storm runoff waters for years.
Now, a major storm drain project is expected to alleviate flood prone areas in Belmont Heights, Alamitos Heights, Recreation Park and neighborhoods around Wilson High School.
The Termino Avenue Storm Drain Project, which consists of about 8,100 feet of underground piping, is designed to reduce flooding, filter trash and ultimately decrease the flow of polluted runoff water into Colorado Lagoon.
The project began last fall and is expected to take about two years to complete, with occasional street closures during construction. The main piping will stretch diagonally from Redondo Avenue and 12th Street all the way to Marine Stadium.
The $22.6 million public works project, funded by the city and the Los Angeles County Flood Control District, utilizes a high-capacity main line and filters to block trash, grease and oil from flowing into catch basins. Its low-flow diversion system directs runoff away from coastal waters and into the sewer system.
The project installed a biofiltration system comprised of vegetated swales and an infiltration trench that will collect runoff from a 7.5-acre area and remove bacteria, oil, trash and suspended solids from stormwater that would otherwise be discharged to Santa Monica Bay. Shrubs and trees were also planted in the project area, and an automated irrigation system that uses recycled water was installed.
Link to City of LA Press Release
AECOM is providing environmental engineering support to the Port of Long Beach (POLB) as part of its Green Port Policy and continuing plan to minimize impacts of its operations, and reduce air and water pollution. AECOM is a global provider of professional technical and management support services to a broad range of markets, including transportation, facilities, environmental and energy.
Shopping carts, tires or furniture floating down the Los Angeles River and into the San Pedro Bay could be a thing of the past.
A major environmental project to help 16 cities capture tons of their trash before it enters the Los Angeles River moved forward when a regional authority awarded a $5 million contract funded with federal stimulus monies Thursday.
Photo: Psomas. Artist’s rendition of the South Los Angeles Wetland Park. The park will feature trails, boardwalks, and observation decks.
Los Angeles, CA, is a city famous for its pavement. What other city lauds a mere concrete slab as a notable tourist attraction? However, apart from the landmark Hollywood Walk of Fame, life, like the concrete, can be a little harder. Mile upon mile of freeways and boulevards, punctuated by parking lots and service facilities, sprawl over the region, distancing residents from the pleasures and benefits only nature can provide.
Until recently, public works departments across the country have shown a similar affinity for pavement, as have the road builders and developers. Sean Vargas, senior project manager with Psomas Engineering, says the rationale “was basically flood control. You were just trying to prevent a capital flood from causing damage to public health and safety. They were just draining these very highly urbanized watersheds to paved channels and discharging directly into the ocean, with no treatment.” The same was true in Los Angeles.
Thus, untreated stormwater, carrying with it metals from the roadways, nutrients, bacteria, and other contaminants, flowed right to the oceanfront beaches, making the region’s parks even less safe and less accessible.
Los Angeles was saddled with two major quality of life problems: a critical parks deficit within the city, and severely polluted stormwater flowing from city streets and storm drains into the rivers and beaches.
Read more about the development of the South Los Angeles Wetlands Park
The APM Terminals Pacific complex in the Port of Los Angeles may have allowed untreated stormwater to enter the harbor from 2004 to 2008 in violation of permits. The EPA is proposing a $47,000 fine.
“Controlling storm water pollution is key to improving Southern California water quality,” said Alexis Strauss, Water Division director for the EPA’s Pacific Southwest region. “Many tools to control storm water pollution are simply good housekeeping and continued maintenance.”
Artwork courtesy of Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts
LACSD will be hosting a dedication party and tours of their newly restored Bixby Marshland on the grounds of the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant in Carson.
Thursday, July 16th
9 – 10am Dedication
10-Noon Tours
Bixby Marshland
Sepulveda and Figueroa Ave.
Event flyer
Water news this week is pouring out of all corners of the County…
- Mayor Villaraigosa supports a vote to increase stormwater parcel fees to fund clean-up. LA Times
- State would like Santa Clarita Valley residents and Sanitation Districts to remove even more salt – even though part of the problem is the salty State Water Project. The Signal
- Daily News editorial calls on LA to embraces wastewater reuse and 9 other ways residents can save the earth. Daily News
- LA’s Regional Water Quality Control District cites 38 businesses in Malibu for non-compliance with wastewater discharge permits. Malibu Times
Sun Valley's Elmer Ave. is prone to flooding so the City and residents hope improvements will eliminate flooding and also allow the healthy reuse of stormwater. (credit: City of LA)
Urban Water Management magazine reports on the City’s stormwater infiltration project in Sun Valley. The 24-home project area will convert streets into a filtering site with driveway drains, curb inlets and vegetated swales. Perforated pipe will be installed under the street to allow stormwater to percolate underground.
The Elmer Avenue BMPs will likely be able to capture and infiltrate all runoff from a 2-year storm – 2.6″ in a 24-hour period. – Dr. Martin Sponberg, PhD, senior engineer with AMEC Geomatrix.
Read the article.
View the City’s Elmer Ave. project webpage.
City of Los Angeles public outreach website lanuched this month (credit: City of LA)
The City launched an ambitious public outreach campaign April 1 with ads in newspapers and on websites, billboards and bus graphics featuring the slogan ‘Clean Water: It’s a Team Effort.”
The public website www.lastormwater.info provides details to help Angelenos take care of their animals, gardens and any toxic wastes in a clean and environmentally friendly manner – which will equal cleaner stormwater! We’re all in it together!
See what you can do to help out - check out LA Stormwater!
The City of Los Angeles designed Vista Hermosa Park to capture and clean stormwater. (credit: City of LA)
By Wendy Wert
LABS Director
On March 19, 2009, the Los Angeles Basin Section (LABS) of the California Water Environment Association (CWEA) hosted the “Water Quality Compliance Master Plan for Urban Runoff” at the Taix French Restaurant in Los Angeles.
A highlight of the program was the inspired introductory remarks of CWEA President Dave Greenwood. President Greenwood’s discussion focused on a primary objective of CWEA, to enhance the education and effectiveness of industry professionals through training and certification. President Greenwood explained the role that the local sections have in carrying out this mission through supporting partnerships with state and national affiliations.
Taix French Restaurant
Los Angeles
Reza Iranpour
Reza Iranpour’s impressive resume includes 10 years of private and institutional work, followed by 18 years with the City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Sanitation wastewater program. His service with the City has covered nearly every aspect of operations including facility upgrades, innovative research, plant operations and maintenance, planning and engineering.
For the past two years, Mr. Iranpour has exercised broad managerial oversight for its stormwater program including strategies, regulatory compliance, stakeholder outreach, applied research and engineering and contracts/grants. Mr. Iranpour is either the lead or co-author of over 300 publications and advanced books. He has also served on research foundation committees, and has been a frequent award recipient both locally at LABS and internationally.
Mr. Iranpour is a gifted speaker – LABS encourages you to come see a wonderful presentation on what’s ahead for LA stormwater.
After the jump, a bit more background on LA’s TMDL targets…
The Bell Gardens Sun newspaper profiles Arturo G. Martinez, a City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Sanitation Environmental Compliance Inspector. The group spends much of their time convincing people to clean-up after their pets and take hazardous chemicals such as paint and motor oil to one of the city’s SAFE disposal sites. They also spend time responding to chemical spills which threaten stormwater, such as a paint spill during last week’s rain storms:
Someone had dumped large amounts of paint down a storm drain. “The contaminated water had to be pumped out, the contaminated sediment removed and the catch basin had to be steam cleaned,” Martinez told EGP about the all-night effort to clean up the mess. “It must have cost $10,000 to $25,000 [to clean up].”
That’s a lot of money to clean-up such a careless act. Bell Garden Sun has the story…
