The 98 Million-Gallon "Trickle": Stormwater Conservation Projects May Help L.A. Become Self-Reliant

The trickle that runs through the LA River nearly year-round is a joke to many Angelenos and outsiders who would say its not really river. But when it rains, the river's torrent proves those naysayers otherwise

The city's increasing need for water is now pushing lawmakers and water agencies to use the 51-mile rivers' function as a flood control channel to their advantage by converting it to a center for stormwater capture, one revitalization project at a time.

The Los Angeles River Watershed covers an area of more than 834 square miles, from the Santa Monica Mountains in the east, to the San Gabriel Mountains in the west and follows the path of the river south towards the ocean in Long Beach. Most of the watershed is highly developed with impermeable surfaces that prevent runoff from penetrating into underground aquifers. The river's function has largely been to drain the watershed by flushing storm water and dry weather runoff out to the ocean.

Although drier days may see river water at a trickle, it carries more than 98 million gallons a day --water wasted as it drains out to the Pacific and during times of peak flow, the river carries more than 118 billion gallons a day-- enough water to supply 800,000 homes in a year.

Source: KCET

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