Show ‘em All Some Love on February 20
Feb 16th
By Joyce Amaro, City of Los Angeles, Stormwater Program
February has long been known as the month of love. Valentine’s Day is well established as that special day when we profess our love for family and friends. But now there’s a new February holiday Love Your Pet Day on February 20 that provides us pet owners with a special day to pamper our four-legged friends.
We all know the health benefits that pets afford their owners. Studies have shown that pets reduce stress and provide important social support. So, show your pets a little extra love on February 20 – take Max on an extra walk, cuddle up with Buttons on the couch. I know my dog Dodger will be getting his favorite treat, chicken jerky, that evening! They’ll love you for it, and it’s easy to do.
But don’t forget that there are a few simple practices that we as pet owners can adopt to show additional love to our environment and the myriad creatures who call our regional waterways their home.
– Pick up after your dog every time for a healthy community and healthier coastal waters. The City of Los Angeles Stormwater Program makes it easy by providing free leash canisters of dog More >
Healing the Bay, and Beyond
Feb 8th
Mark Gold was the first hire of Heal the Bay after having volunteered for the young organization since 1986. Twenty-five years later, Mark has stepped down as the organization’s president in order to become an associate director of UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability.
Now, we would never try to sum up two decades of Mark’s work in the field of coastal protection and water pollution with a handful of questions, and thankfully we don’t need to. Those eager for the wit and wisdom of half a lifetime of experience with the climates, communities and celebrities of Southern California’s world of water and other environmental issues, will find that and much more in Mark’s blog, Spoutingoff.
While we’re eager to see what Mark will accomplish at UCLA, it’s tough to see him leave Heal the Bay. And the feeling is mutual. In Spoutingoff, he writes, “The decision to step down as president of Heal the Bay was one of the toughest decisions of my life. …For the last five years, I’ve been obsessed by thoughts that I could have a larger beneficial impact in the environmental field.”
We sat down with Mark to see what he’s learned in his time at Heal the Bay, More >
South Los Angeles Wetlands Park Grand Opening!
Feb 6th
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jan Perry invites you to the South Los Angeles Wetlands Park Grand Opening!
Join the Department of Public Works and Recreation & Parks to celebrate the official grand opening of the South Los Angeles Wetlands Park, a Proposition-O funded stormwater improvement that transformed a historic rail yard into a multi-beneficial nine-acre green space. This project will improve water quality in the Los Angeles River while providing an oasis in this industrialized neighborhood.
Tours of the new green space will be conducted by community youth and young professionals after the program. Come and be a part of this celebration!
Date: Thursday, February 9, 2012
Time: 11AM
Location: 5413 Avalon Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90011
For more information, please call (213) 978-0333 or visit http://www.lapropo.org/.
It’s A Busy Month For Stormwater Events!
Jan 31st
Can you believe it is February already? Wow, time flies when you are having fun. It also flies when you are busy, busy. And here at LA Stormwater we’re busy doing our best to reduce urban runoff pollution. This month we hope you can take a moment out of your sure-to-be busy schedule to help us in this endeavor. Below is a list of stormwater-approved events around the area.
>Generation Earth is at a school near you on Wednesday, February 1st, helping to educate teachers and students about stormwater pollution and its negative effects on the environment.
>On Friday, February 3rd, Transition LA will be teaching how and why it is important to grow your own food. So join them at Redondo Beach for their Community Garden Work Day.
>Saturday, February 4th is a busy day. Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro is hosting a Beach Cleanup. Sustainable Works is sponsoring a Green Living Workshop in Santa Monica and TreePeople will be doing a little mountain restoration work in Calabasas.
>Saving the coastline is something we can all appreciate. Come out for a lecture from someone who has been there and done that. Serge Dedina, Executive Director for WildCoast will be sharing his work on Tuesday, February 7th in Malibu.
>Heal the Bay is in More >
Generation Earth Is Bettering A Watershed Near You!
Jan 27th
Clean water is a team effort and Generation Earth is helping the LA Stormwater Program’s efforts in educating our City by providing kids and teachers with the opportunity to become engaged in their local communities and schools.
Generation Earth, an environmental education program of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, organizes Water Pollution Prevention Workshops in different areas of the City. These free events aim to help participants understand the dynamics of our urban watersheds.
Through localized restoration projects, teachers and students may install rain barrels, participate in a river cleanup or pick up trash along a streambed. All in all, the program is a direct way to allow people to become directly engaged and improve the health of their watersheds.
On February 11, TreePeople, which organizes Generation Earth’s projects, will be holding a Water Pollution Prevention Workshop in Beverly Hills. The half-day event is open to teachers, students and non-formal educators who are interested in organizing an event in their community.
For more information about Generation Earth’s February outing, or another Water Pollution Prevention Workshop to be held in Norwalk on March 3, please contact Loyda Ramos at 310-623-4856 or lramos@treepeople.org.
*Photo courtesy of Generation Earth.
More >
5 Ways To Make Your Home Water-Friendly
Jan 18th
When the urban runoff from thousands of individual homes in LA comes together, whether it’s from wasteful practices or natural rainfall, it can end up carrying trash, debris, oil, grease, fertilizers and other toxic chemicals, in addition to bacteria and viruses, into our local waterways. Clearly, this has a huge impact on our local environment and the quality of our water. For this reason, legislation on Low Impact Development [LID] has set out to make new home developments and redevelopments take greater care in how they use and dispose of water and runoff.
But even if you’re not tackling a new construction, there are many different small scale—and fun—ways to help make your home more water friendly. By choosing or combining any of the five examples below, anyone can help to reduce urban runoff and increase household quality and savings!
1. Rain Barrels & Small Cisterns
Depending on your home, installing a rain barrel can be relatively easy and inexpensive way to get into rainwater harvesting. They work by directing runoff from your roof into catch-barrels, potentially saving up to 1000 gallons per year of free water, or more, with a 55-gallon barrel. That’s equal to a month worth of showers per person that More >
Secretary Salazar And Mayor Villaraigosa Announce Big News For The LA River!
Jan 11th
The City of Los Angeles Water Protection Division is joining Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Mayor of Los Angeles Antonio R. Villaraigosa for an announcement of the Los Angeles River being selected as an America’s Great Outdoors (AGO) project and an Urban Waters Federal Partnership pilot site. The event is taking place Thursday, January 12 from 12pm to 1pm at North Atwater Park in Los Angeles.
As one of two AGO projects in the State of California, the Interior Department, other federal agencies, and the City will enhance the 9-mile Glendale Narrows reach of the Los Angeles River as a recreational corridor.
The Los Angeles River Watershed was also selected as a pilot site through the Urban Waters Federal Partnership – an effort by 11 federal agencies to stimulate regional and local economies, create jobs, improve quality of life, and protect Americans’ health by revitalizing urban waterways in underserved communities across the country. The Los Angeles River is an excellent example of citizens developing a vision for a great urban park and trail system that will reconnect communities to the outdoors and improve local economies.
Stay tuned to our Facebook page for photos of the event.
Check out this video as John Kemmerer (Associate Water Division Director More >
How LA Rolled Out The Barrels
Jan 10th
When a program is 400% oversubscribed, you know you’ve got a winner. That’s what we found out over the last two years with the Rainwater Harvesting Pilot Program conducted by the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission, the California Coastal Conservancy and the City of Los Angeles Stormwater Program. In fact, we at LA Stormwater are so thrilled of the success of the program that we had to share the outcomes to keep the momentum of rain barrel installation going throughout the LA community.
As we hope to show here, it has been the eagerness and energy of early-adapting individuals and community groups who applied for grant funded barrel installation that have not only helped to gather important data on the benefits of rainwater harvesting for LA residents, but also act as living examples of these benefits to the media and their neighbors.
Check out our infographic to learn how LA rolled out the barrels to improve water quality.
If you are harvesting rainwater at your home or you’re inspired by the program’s success and you have a plan to start, share your rainwater harvesting experience with us in the comment section below!
Kick Off The New Year With A Little Clean Water Love!
Jan 3rd
It’s that time of year again. Do you have your list of New Year’s resolutions in front of you? Okay, good. Now, if you left one off, it’s not too late to add it on. Here it goes, are you planning on giving a little back to the environment in 2012?! We thought so! So why not start it off right this January and get involved in some eco-events in the LA area? Here’s a list of some upcoming eco-events:
> It is Whale Watching season! Every Monday of the month, head on over to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro for a little expedition that is sure to excite you and your family.
> We love trees! Do you love trees? On Thursdays this month Tree People will be adding a little tree beauty to their 45-acre headquarters atop Mulholland Drive. They love help, so love them back and join in on the planting!
> Transition LA is hosting a community garden work day on Friday, January 6th. Come learn how to grow your own food with the help of professionals! All skill levels are welcome to attend.
> The Bixby Marshland is ready for tours! On Saturday, January 7th the South Bay Environmental Services will open up this Carson More >
Celebrating the Ballona Creek Watershed
Dec 27th
If you have lived in the Los Angeles area for any amount of time, or are just a fan of ecological gems in the area, than you have likely heard of Ballona Creek and its important watershed that surrounds it. The creek may not have the same reputation as the LA River, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a crucial part of our local environment.
So why is this particular watershed so vital? For one, it feeds the Ballona Wetlands, which spans 600 acres and is a stopover for migratory birds as well as rare native plants like the yellow pincushion (chaenactis glabriuscula).
Ballona Creek itself runs almost 9 miles in length and the watershed totals 130 square miles. Friends of Ballona Wetlands and others have been working hard to protect this vital section of biological diversity in our city. Some great Clean Water folks living in the watershed are celebrating water by collecting it and putting it to reuse. To check out some cool rain gardens in the Ballona Creek Watershed, take a look at these.
Do you happen to live near the Ballona Creek Watershed? If you reside near downtown or west to the Pacific Ocean, you’re likely to be right in More >
City To Break Ground On Water Quality Project At Temescal Canyon Park In The Pacific Palisades
Dec 21st
The City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works will begin construction of the Temescal Canyon Park Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMP) project in January 2012 and will continue through fall 2013. The nearly two-year, $8-million stormwater infrastructure enhancement will help the City of Los Angeles meet state and federal water quality guidelines by keeping urban runoff from flowing directly to Santa Monica Bay.
The Temescal Canyon Park Stormwater BMP project will take wet weather flow from the existing storm drain beneath Temescal Canyon Road and divert it through a hydrodynamic separator and into a 1.25 million gallon detention tank before discharging it into the sewer system. The project will capture a rain event’s first stormwater flush and its contaminants to help keep Santa Monica Bay clean and healthy.
City Engineer Gary Lee Moore said “The Bureau of Engineering is excited to break ground on this project that will help to improve water quality in the Santa Monica Bay. We will begin by fencing a portion of Temescal Canyon Park where the detention tank will be built. Other related work will occur later along Temescal Canyon Road and along Pacific Coast Highway to construct a stormwater diversion structure, utility enhancements, and a More >
