1. LA Confidential - Prop O
Wing K. Tam , P.E.
Assistant Division Manager
City of Los Angeles Sanitation
September 26, 2013
Green-Blue Infrastructures in
the City of Los Angeles
“stormwater runoff as a resource”

2. Outline
Background / Watershed Planning •
Green-Blue Infrastructures •
Rainwater Harvesting •
Green Streets •
Questions •

3. City of Los Angeles Integrated Resources
Plan
Background
Sources of untapped water…
• Stormwater:Stormwater:
100 MG/day (dry-weather);100 MG/day (dry-weather);
> 3 BG/day (wet-weather)> 3 BG/day (wet-weather)
• Wastewater:Wastewater:
300 MG/day goes to the ocean300 MG/day goes to the ocean
• Groundwater:Groundwater:
BG of water (contaminated)BG of water (contaminated)
Watershed Planning - Water
““provides a universal view”provides a universal view”

4. City of Los Angeles Water Quality Compliance
Master Plan for Urban Runoff
Background
Watershed Planning - Stormwater
Our Mission
““ Protect Public Health and the Environment”Protect Public Health and the Environment”
• Source control & institutional measures
• Storm water capture, treatment, & reuse
• Infiltration & groundwater recharge
• Multi-use benefits
• Community & stakeholder value
• Drought tolerant landscaping
• Pervious pavements & green roofs
• Outreach / partnerships

5. Urban Runoff – IRP Approach
Background
Watershed Planning – Urban runoff
Strategy
– Institutional Measures
• Public Outreach
– Municipal Ordinances
• Green Building
Ordinance
• Landscape Ordinance
• Low Impact Development
(LID) Ordinance
– Local (on-site) Measures
• Rain Barrels
• Rain Gardens
– Regional Measures
• Public Projects
• Green Street Standards
Manuals for
Public/Private
• Green Street Standard
Plans

6. Green-Blue Infrastructures

7. • Solutions and Benefits
• Improve water quality
• Increase water supply
• Reduce flooding
• Save on energy use
• Adapt to climate change
• Enhance wildlife
• Provide open space for
habitat and recreation
PUBLIC
USE
FLOOD
PROTECTION
WATER
QUALITY
HABITAT
RESTORATION
OPEN
SPACE
WATER
SUPPLY
CLIMATE
ADAPTATION
JOBS
Green-Blue Infrastructures

8. Multi-benefits – Leveraging Resources
Green – Blue Infrastructure allows for integrated
funding and multiple benefits
o Water Quality Compliance (Prop O) Clean-Up
Funding
o Street Improvements funding
o Water Resources funding
o Park funding
o Grants
Green-Blue Infrastructures

9. Proposition “O”
• City of Los Angeles $500 million Clean Water Bond (2004)
– Over 33 water quality, water conservation, habitat protection, and
open space projects
•Low Flow DiversionsLow Flow Diversions
•BeforeBefore
•South LA Wetlands ParkSouth LA Wetlands Park
•Imperial HighwayImperial Highway
Median GreeningMedian Greening
Echo Park Lake RehabilitationEcho Park Lake Rehabilitation

10. Cost estimate & benefits
$1 costs results in $6 to $22 of benefits expected
Green-Blue Infrastructures

11. Economic & Job Impact
$1 investment results in $2 economic activity
Green-Blue Infrastructures
Note: Water Use Efficiency and Jobs Report,
2011, by Economic Roundtable

12.  Over 36,000 jobs created per billion
invested
 Over 400,000 jobs are ocean related in
Los Angeles County
- $10 billion annually in wages and
$20 billion in goods and services.
 Over 50 million tourists annually
- Over 1.5 million jobs generated
- Over $15 billion generated in Los
Angeles last year
Green-Blue Infrastructures
Economic & Job Impact

13. • Manuals – guidance standards
• Green Streets - Converting public right-of-way
or parkway to open space for multi-benefit uses
• Green Standards – institutionalizes, applies to
public and private
• LID – land developments and re-developments
• Rainwater Harvesting – capture and use
• Water Quality Matrix – Approved by Health
Department
• Stream Protection – Natural cleaning
Green Initatives

14. • Implemented Pilot Rainwater
Harvesting Program (600
barrels and “rain gardens”)
• Followed by distributing up to
1,000 rain barrels to residences
• City and community groups
implementing “rain garden”
program for the San Fernando
Valley and South Los Angeles,
with plans for City-wide
implementation.
• Rain Barrel and Rain Gardens
Rainwater Harvesting Program

15. Table
Installation Area Rain Barrel Rain Barrel w/
Overflow Infiltration
Ballona Creek
Watershed (600 homes)
600,000 gallons
(approx. 2 acre-feet)
2,200,000 gallons
(approx. 7 acre-feet)
City of LA
(800,000 homes) 800,000,000 gallons/
( 2,430 acre-feet)
2,940,000,000 gallons
(9,012 acre-feet)
Note 2: 1 acre-foot can supply a family of 3 – 4
for one year
Note 1: These numbers are based on 1 rain barrel per home.
If 2 rain barrels per home, the numbers will double.
Rainwater Harvesting Program
Estimated Annual Volume of Captured Rainwater

16. •Oros Street – LA’s First Green Street
Capture private and public runoff
•Riverdale Avenue – Green Streets Program
Demonstrate and monitor Green Streets
•Elmer Avenue – Water Augmentation Study
Combined distributed and regional solution
•South Park – Ultra-urban Application
Hope Street and Grand Ave.
Green Streets

17. Green Streets

18. LIDs

19. •Porous Pavement –
Rio del Los Angeles
State Park
•(aka: Taylor Yard)
•Bioretention - Sam’s Club
Parking Lot
•Planter Boxes - Versailles
Luxury Apartments
•Oxford St, Los Angeles
•Parkway Infiltration Swale
•11th
St & Hope St – Los Angeles
•Cisterns
- Lowe’s
•Infiltration - Costco
LIDs

20. •Westminster
Dog Park
Biofiltration
•Imperial Highway
Median Greening
•Grand Ave
Tree Wells
•Before
•After
•Oros
Green
Street Rain
Gardens
•Los Angeles Zoo
Green Parking Lot -
Vegetated bio-swale
•North Atwater Stream Restoration
and Park Expansion
Green-Blue Infrastructures

21. Garvanza Park Rainwater
Capture and Use
• Completed in March 2012
• Construction Cost: $3 Million
• Captures rainwater from 80
acre drainage area
• Diverting dry & wet weather
runoff into an underground
storage tank holding 1 million
gallons
• Captures water for infiltration
and use at the park
• Average volume per year ~ 50
AFY

22. ProjectsProjects
Green InfrastructureGreen Infrastructure
Example Projects – South LA Wetland Park
•Before Construction
•After Construction

23. Penmar Stormwater Capture
Project
• Phase I - Spring 2013 ($21 million)
• Phase II – 2014 (estimated - $2.8 million)
• Diverts stormwater into a 2.75 MG underground
storage tank
• ~100 AFY wet and dry weather runoff for use at park
and golf course

24. Temescal Canyon Park
Stormwater BMP Project
• Phase 1 – Fall 2013 ($15m)
• Phase 2 – 2014 (~$3.7m)
• Wet weather diverted to
1.25 MG underground tank
• Up to 50 AFY of dry and wet
weather flows reused
for irrigation

25. Other Runoff Management
Projects
Projects currently under construction include:
• Glenoaks-Sunland Stormwater Capture
• Woodman Ave Median Stormwater Capture
• Ed P. Reyes River Greenway
• Rosecrans Recreation Center Stormwater Enhancements
• Temescal Canyon Park Stormwater Capture and Use
Projects will be going to design or construction include:
• Laurel Canyon Green Street and Stormwater Capture
• Manchester Greenway
• Broadway Green Street and Stormwater Capture
• Avalon South Green Alley
• Westchester Parkway Stormwater Capture
• Vermont Green Street
• Rory Shaw Wetlands

26. Conclusions
• Great opportunity to meet water quality
while augmenting water supply sources
• Part of an integrated water resources
solution and urban revitalization
• Leveraging resources
• Creating Jobs
• May enable to secure other funding sources
• Involvement of neighbourhoods and
communities

27. Wing K. Tam , P.E.
Assistant Division Manager
City of Los Angeles Sanitation
September 26, 2013September 26, 2013Additional Information:
www.lacity.org or www.lastormwater.org
www.facebook.com/lastormwaterprogramwww.facebook.com/lastormwaterprogram
www.youtube.com/user/lastormwaterprogramwww.youtube.com/user/lastormwaterprogram
www.lastormwater.org/blog/www.lastormwater.org/blog/