The Los Angeles County Water Plan was recently released for public review, and it gets a lot of things right. LA Waterkeeper submitted comments on the draft, noting some of the things the Plan gets right and where opportunities for improvement remain.

Our State of the Water blog series has explored how LA’s water sources fared after one of the wettest wet seasons the region has ever experienced. Here we explore how we can take advantage of future rains to ensure a secure water future.

The Emerald Necklace is a vision nearly 20 years in the making, a vision to create a 17-mile loop of parks and greenways connecting 10 cities and nearly 500,000 residents in the Rio Hondo and San Gabriel Rivers watershed of LA County’s San Gabriel Valley. LA Waterkeeper’s litigation helped make this vision become a reality.

The County of Los Angeles reached a settlement with LA Waterkeeper to invest $4 million in SEPs to address the #1 source of pollution to LA’s waters: urban and stormwater runoff. From this settlement, $2.8 million went to the Watts neighborhood’s 103rd Street Green Improvement Project, adding ecological features to the neighborhood’s main transportation artery, formerly known as “Charcoal Alley.”

More than three decades ago, a landmark lawsuit filed by LA Waterkeeper and Heal the Bay spurred the creation of the TMDL program, one of the biggest drivers of clean water projects in California. However, half of our waters are still considered impaired by pollution, and deregulation and lack of enforcement threaten to disempower this landmark piece of legislation. Our future depends on restoring, enforcing, and defending the Clean Water Act in the decades to come. How did we get to where we are, and how can we continue to push for better water quality for all of Los Angeles?

On August 11, Governor Newsom released a new water strategy for the state, warning that water supplies will shrink by 10% over the next twenty years due to climate change. While the plan has been met with mixed reaction, there is a lot to like, including its call to dramatically increase wastewater recycling, stormwater capture and reuse, groundwater remediation, and conservation. Now, we have until the end of the month to ensure the state budget includes sufficient funds to move these programs forward and ensure a resilient water future for California.

In a lawsuit filed by LA Waterkeeper and NRDC, LA County was required to pay $4 million for projects that reduce stormwater runoff and enhance the urban tree canopy. The funding was used by TreePeople to help people retrofit their homes with water filtration and stormwater-capture features, including drought-resistant plants and bioswales.

LA Waterkeeper’s successfully litigated using the Clean Water Act against a waste hauling and recycling facility in the Sun Valley neighborhood of Los Angeles. The funding was used in part to fund the Bradley Plaza and Green Alley, a project led by Pacoima Beautiful that transformed a run-down alley into a greenway for residents to walk, bike and recreate.

One year after the Hyperion Water Treatment Plant released 12.5 million gallons of raw sewage, regulators have yet to levy penalties for the spill.

MWD Budget Vote Sends Mixed Message on the Agency’s Future Direction, With More Key Votes on the Horizon

Learn more about ARLA’s Safe Clean Water Program (SCWP) Working Group Recommendations for better water management in Los Angeles.

Groundwater has always played an integral role in the water supply for the region and is poised to play a primary role in our drought resiliency. Understanding the region’s groundwater journey reveals how this critical resource will secure the LA Basin’s water security for decades to come.

How can Los Angeles expand its successful wastewater purification programs to help move us towards water independence? Learn what it means to Recycle wastewater- the 3rd ‘R’ in our Integrated Approach to Water Management.

How can Los Angeles capture and reuse stormwater to address our climate crisis? Learn what it means to Reuse- the 2nd R in our Integrated Approach to Water Management.

Our climate crisis has pushed the Western US into a Mega-Drought. How does LA adapt to this new normal?

Why are Urban Water Management Plans important? What are LA Waterkeeper’s recommendations for equitable and sustainable water management?

A major step towards water independence.

A case study along Ballona Creek.