![\"\"](\"http:\/\/cordobacorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Maria-300x300.jpg\")
Driving to the office during our recent rainstorms, I thought about the irony of the title of the song by Albert Hammond \u201cIt Never Rains in Southern California\u201d\u2013 a very popular song from the 1970s.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Driving to the office during our recent rainstorms, I thought about the irony of the title of the song by Albert Hammond \u201cIt Never Rains in Southern California\u201d\u2013 a very popular song from the 1970s.<\/p>\n
Driving through puddles, flooded intersections and freeway lanes, clearly, we can see that it does indeed<\/em> rain here in Southern California. So much so, it has been disheartening to see so much water go to waste, streaming into storm drains and then lost to Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n When much of our existing water infrastructure was established during the last century, it was not designed to capture stormwater for reuse purposes such as irrigation of our landscape or replenishment our aquifers.\u00a0 Our society had an \u201cout-of-sight\/out-of-mind\u201d mindset for stormwater until we started to see the damage that trash and contaminants were causing as stormwater was swept to our beaches and waterways, threatening public health and our ecosystems.<\/p>\n When innovators and early adopters of stormwater capture technology proposed the concept of stormwater capture as an important solution to address our water quality, water supply, environmental and public health needs, naysayers cited Southern California\u2019s seemingly perennial drought and pointed to the availability of plentiful water imported from other regions as the solution for Southern California\u2019s water needs.<\/p>\n However, as the chorus of Mr. Hammond\u2019s classic song states, \u201cIt pours, man, it pours.\u201d\u00a0 We do indeed have rain here in sunny Southern California \u2013- a lot of it at times, despite the long periods of drought conditions we frequently experience. \u00a0Rain that has so much potential, if only it could be effectively captured, cleaned and stored to create a more sustainable Southern California.<\/p>\n As frustrating as it has been this past month seeing so much rain literally going \u201cdown the drain\u201d, I am proud that the voters in Los Angeles County approved Measure W \u2013 The Safe Clean Water Parcel Tax<\/strong> on the November 2018 ballot. \u00a0This measure will provide greater water resiliency and an improved environment for Los Angeles County residents in this era of global warming.<\/p>\n I am grateful that the County of Los Angeles, which provided the vision and leadership to put Measure W on the ballot, is promoting stormwater capture.\u00a0 And, it is exciting to see that the concept of stormwater capture is being embraced by so many cities, agencies, NGOs and community groups — and importantly, individual residents, who demonstrated their support by overwhelmingly approving Measure W.<\/p>\n According to the County, we can potentially triple the amount of stormwater we currently capture by implementing a series of innovative stormwater projects and water system infrastructure improvements throughout the county that incorporate a combination of nature, science, and new technologies.<\/p>\n By capturing, cleaning, recycling and storing more stormwater, our region will benefit by having enhanced water quality, increased local water supplies, and a more sustainable future for our children and our grandchildren.<\/p>\n With more effective ways of capturing and cleaning stormwater, we will also see a significant reduction in the amount of trash and pollution that would otherwise contaminate our waterways, beaches and the ocean.<\/p>\n Dirty stormwater also tends to adversely affect many of our region\u2019s low-income communities where parks, open space and natural areas are scarce, and where flooding may be more likely to occur due to the presence of more impermeable surfaces.<\/p>\n Thankfully, many of the proposed stormwater capture projects currently being planned by such agencies as the County of Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation, and Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, are being developed from a multi-benefit perspective.\u00a0 These projects focus on nature-based green infrastructure opportunities that will improve water quality, augment local water supplies, and enhance — and even create more green spaces throughout the County, including low-income and highly urbanized areas that lack parks, natural areas and green spaces.<\/p>\n It is an exciting time in the water industry and for our region!\u00a0\u00a0 As we approach the next decade of the 21st<\/sup> century, we are singing a new tune about water.\u00a0 All water is precious.<\/p>\n New technologies, new perspectives and new realities -\u2013 such as climate change and more extreme weather conditions -\u2013 have led us to realize that stormwater capture is no longer just an option, but an essential element in our toolbox to create a more sustainable Los Angeles County.\u00a0 Measure W will enable many projects to go forward by providing critical funding \u2013- funding that truly is an investment from the county\u2019s residents who supported the parcel tax in anticipation of the societal benefits of implementing these new stormwater capture projects.<\/p>\n For information on the next steps for implementation of Measure W, go to:\u00a0 safecleanwaterla.org<\/a><\/p>\n Maria Mehranian<\/a> is the Managing Partner of\u00a0Cordoba Corporation<\/a>\u00a0and a former member and Chair of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board.<\/em><\/p>\n This OpEd was published by Fox & Hounds on February 6, 2019 with a different title.\u00a0 It can be accessed at\u00a0http:\/\/www.foxandhoundsdaily.com\/2019\/02\/heavy-rains-affirms-need-for-l-a-s-measure-w\/<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Driving to the office during our recent rainstorms, I thought about the irony of the title of the song by Albert Hammond \u201cIt Never Rains in Southern California\u201d\u2013 a very popular song from the 1970s. Driving through puddles, flooded intersections and freeway lanes, clearly, we can see that it does indeed rain here in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t![\"\"](\"http:\/\/cordobacorp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Flooded-and-Damaged-Storm-Drain.jpg\")