Have you heard the news? TreePeople is facilitating a groundbreaking collaboration between our region’s top water agencies, with the help of the engineering firm Tetra Tech, to help fight our Stage 5 drought emergency.
The project includes the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the Los Angeles County Flood Control District, and the City’s Bureau of Sanitation working together to show Angelenos how the coming winter rains can be harnessed for water resilience.
The partnership, known as the Greater Los Angeles Water Collaborative, is set to unveil the first pilot site in a series of residential installations that promise to turn Los Angeles’ traditional approach to water upside down. Under the Collaborative’s “StormCatcher Project,” (#LAStormCatcher) homes will be retrofitted to direct rain from the roof into large tanks that can be monitored and controlled electronically. The installations are designed to increase local water supply, improve water quality and reduce flood risk, while revealing Southern Californians’ role in building a climate-resilient future.
The first pilot site, located in North Hollywood, includes the following features:
- a 1,320-gallon smart cistern with cloud-based software that anticipates rain and adjusts settings to prevent overflow and maximize irrigation and infiltration
- 900 square feet of roof retrofitted to capture 7,000 gallons of rainwater in an average year
- a rain garden irrigated by water from the cistern, which will optimize groundwater recharge to the San Fernando aquifer
Interested in learning more from other organizations invested in creating a water-secure and climate-resilient LA? Check out these amazing groups: