Community Input Shapes LID Ordinance: What Folks Are Saying & How We’re Listening

So far the City of Los Angeles Stormwater Program has held five public meetings on the Low Impact Development (LID) Ordinance from October-December of this year.

The reason for these meetings is simple: your input is important to us! Without it, we have no way to gauge the support we ultimately need to move forward with this important ordinance.

Many of our stakeholders have chimed in. Folks from neighborhood councils, environmental groups, businesses and local community members have all participated.

Here’s a glimpse of what we’ve heard at the community meetings:

“It would be a good idea if the City and County’s LID ordinances are close/almost identical.”

“The City of LA needs to be careful about imposing costs on residents. Some communities may not have the resources to implement LID.”

“It would be a good idea to show people how easy it is to install some of these BMPs (Best Management Practices). People have no concept of what this is all about. “

“We should be focusing on educating people about how LID BMPs increase property values.”

Again, we thank you for all your input and we hope you will continue to stay engaged with us as we move forward in this process. The proposed LID ordinance was indeed shaped by your input. Overall the sentiment at the meetings was one of support with the details of the ordinance being the main concern. We hope all questions were addressed to the best of our ability.

LID directly affects the community, therefore the community (meaning you!) needs to affect the adoption and implementation of the LID Ordinance. The Board of Public Works is meeting on Friday, January 15, 2010 and the decision to move the LID ordinance forward will be discussed and voted on at that time. We encourage you attend this meeting!

*Photo courtesy of the Surfrider Foundation

Please take a look at our other LID-related blog posts:

- Board of Public Works Weighs in on LID Ordinance

- Input Needed - Attend the Low Impact Development ordinance community meeting (12/01)

- What exactly is Low Impact Development?

- How will the Low Impact Development ordinance affect LA’s water quality?

- Why is LA’s Bureau of Sanitation department proposing a Low Impact Development ordinance?

- What folks are saying about the Low Impact Development Ordinance – reactions from community groups, businesses and residents

Looking for a Last Minute (green) Holiday Gift?

Have you ever walked or driven past a tree and thought to yourself, “What a wonderful addition to this neighborhood?”

In many ways trees define who we are as people. We climb them, watch their leaves change and sometimes even pick their fruit.

Trees are also about more than aesthetics; they help clean the air by absorbing carbon dioxide, which contributes to climate change. Trees also help replenish the soil and reduce the amount of sediment that runs into our local rivers when it rains.

There is no denying it, without trees the world wouldn’t be the same.

One of the Stormwater Program’s partners, TreePeople, is providing the opportunity for individuals to contribute to the local community by dedicating the planting of a new tree.

That’s right: with just a small donation you can help TreePeople plant a tree in Los Angeles in the name of whatever or whomever you would like.

There is simply no denying it, the more trees that are planted the better off the environment is in our city.

So visit their site to learn more about TreePeople and the opportunity to contribute something tangible to a local neighborhood in need of a tree.

(*Photo courtesy of TreePeople.)

Why is LA proposing a Low Impact Development ordinance?

The City of Los Angeles is proposing a LID ordinance for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, LID will dramatically improve water quality in our city. By capturing and either infiltrating or using rainwater more effectively, on a larger scale, our oceans will be cleaner. Beach goers will thank us, not to mention marine life!

Secondly, LID may save the City and its taxpayer’s money. LID provides residents with the opportunity to use rainwater for outside irrigation needs, offsetting their need for potable water and conserving water in this time of drought. Additionally, many of L.A.’s storm drains are challenged with the amount of runoff they are forced to deal with during heavy rainfalls. Much of LA’s storm drain system was built in the 1930s and is simply not equipped to handle runoff from dense urban development which leads to flooding and an unnecessary burden on the system (see LA Downtown News’ article on the aging system).

However, if new and re- developments implement LID and control stormwater more efficiently by infiltrating or using the water before it reaches our creeks, rivers and beaches, our storm drain system will be less burdened with large amounts of urban runoff and may not require costly system upgrades.

Lastly, Los Angeles residents and businesses benefit from clean streets. Less flooding means more liveable communities and less trash flowing into our creeks, rivers, lakes and beaches. A reliable and functional storm drain system means safer, more vibrant neighborhoods. We all win.

LID is just one tool we have in our toolbox that will help us build the future of a cleaner and safer Los Angeles.

Why not use it?

Please take a look at our other LID-related blog posts:

- Board of Public Works Weighs in on LID Ordinance

- Input Needed - Attend the Low Impact Development ordinance community meeting (12/01)

- What exactly is Low Impact Development?

- How will the Low Impact Development ordinance affect LA’s water quality?

- Why is LA’s Bureau of Sanitation department proposing a Low Impact Development ordinance?

- What folks are saying about the Low Impact Development Ordinance – reactions from community groups, businesses and residents

City of L.A. Surpasses Trash Limit Milestone of 50% Reduction

After investing nearly $50 million toward retrofitting 30,000 catch basins in the city to reduce trash and debris from entering our storm drains, the City of L.A. recently announced we have achieved an over 60% reduction in trash that enters Ballona Creek and the Los Angeles River.

Trash Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), which refers to the amount of trash pollutants that enter the stormwater system on a daily basis, surpassed the goal of a 50% reduction specified to the City by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Under the Clean Water Act the EPA is authorized to require states to develop lists of polluted water bodies. The law mandates that California establish priority rankings of pollutants (TMDLs) for these waters, that is, the maximum allowable amount of pollutants that are legally able to enter our waterways. In the case of trash, the City of Los Angeles was mandated to reach a 50% reduction. We are currently exceeding our goal in meeting these regulations.

In all it is estimated that over 2,300 tons of trash was diverted from reaching and polluting L.A.’s waterways and beaches as a result of the catch basin screen covers. The City projects that Trash TMDL requirements will be achieved three years ahead of schedule of the mandated 2016 deadline established by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board (the water quality regulating arm of the EPA).

LID Ordinance Hearing Date Rescheduled to January 15, 2010

Dear Clean Water Supporter,

Thank you for the excellent feedback and comments regarding the proposed Low Impact Development Ordinance. We greatly appreciate the time and effort everyone has put into reviewing the draft ordinance and providing valuable insight to develop a workable and flexible ordinance.

We have been working diligently to address the many comments and concerns voiced by community members regarding the LID Ordinance and we are still in the process of addressing some of the issues raised. To avoid having to rush this ordinance through without checking back with all the involved stakeholders about the final language of the proposed ordinance, we have rescheduled the Board of Public Works hearing date of the LID Ordinance from Friday, December 11, 2009 to Friday, January 15, 2010.

You have the Bureau of Sanitation's commitment to move this Low Impact Development Ordinance forward. We thank you for your continued support and understanding. To view a copy of the December 11, 2009 Board of Public Works agenda, click here.

For ongoing updates about the LID Ordinance, please visit our blog at www.lastormwater.org/teameffort or join our Stormwater Facebook Fan Page.

And, of course, you can always send us your comments and concerns at lastormwater@lacity.org.

Best Regards,

Shahram Kharaghani





L.A. Stormwater Program Manager

Who will be affected by LA’s Low Impact Development ordinance?

You may be wondering how you and your community may be affected by LA’s proposed Low Impact Development (LID) ordinance.

Here’s how.

The proposed Low Impact Development Ordinance will require that all new construction or redevelopment projects within Los Angeles capture the first ¾” of rain generated by a storm. This rainwater, once captured, will then need to be infiltrated into the groundwater or utilized on site. If these requirements cannot be met, project applicants will have the option to build mitigation projects in other locations including public right of way within the same sub-watershed to offset the runoff or pay a fee to the city to fund additional projects that reduce stormwater pollution in the watershed.

Homeowners that are redeveloping or building new structures (1 acre or less in size) will be affected as well, albeit to a much lesser degree. These smaller projects will be also need to capture and use the first ¾” of rain from storms. Homeowners will be required to implement two best management practices on their proposed project site – a rain barrel, permeable driveway, and grassy swales are just a few examples – to capture and use the rainwater. The City will develop a companion guidance LID Handbook to assist the City developers and residents in implementing LID techniques and strategies.

These little improvements, if implemented, could drastically reduce the amount of stormwater that enters our creeks, rivers and lakes every day. In fact, LID has multiple benefits; it will replenish groundwater supplies and conserve potable water used for outdoor irrigation.

Please take a look at our other LID-related blog posts:


- Board of Public Works Weighs in on LID Ordinance

- Input Needed - Attend the Low Impact Development ordinance community meeting (12/01)

- What exactly is Low Impact Development?

- How will the Low Impact Development ordinance affect LA’s water quality?

- Why is LA’s Bureau of Sanitation department proposing a Low Impact Development ordinance?

- What folks are saying about the Low Impact Development Ordinance – reactions from community groups, businesses and residents

How will the Low Impact Development ordinance affect LA’s water quality?

A few of the water issues we face in Los Angeles such as stormwater pollution and water shortages will be positively impacted by the Low Impact Development (LID) ordinance.

LID, of course, is not a cure all and implementing the tenets of LID will not eliminate stormwater pollution. However, as demonstrated by community-based projects like the Proposition O-funded Oros Green Street project, when stormwater is handled at its source instead at the end of the pipe (i.e. the ocean), it can be a very effective way to address stormwater pollution and improve LA’s water quality.

The proposed LID ordinance will require that all new developments and redevelopments of certain size utilize existing technologies, such as barrels that capture rainwater or permeable driveways that infiltrate the water into the soil. By capturing and using rainwater for future irrigation needs, LID will produce and encourage water conserving practices. The infiltration of rainwater into the soil will produce the much-needed replenishment of groundwater supplies during this time of drought.

If households and developments begin to use these low impact development practices for capturing, infiltrating and using rainwater, Los Angeles could become a model for how large cities successfully make the most of a most precious resource – water.


Please take a look at our other LID-related blog posts:


- Board of Public Works Weighs in on LID Ordinance

- Input Needed - Attend the Low Impact Development ordinance community meeting (12/01)

- What exactly is Low Impact Development?

- How will the Low Impact Development ordinance affect LA’s water quality?

- Why is LA’s Bureau of Sanitation department proposing a Low Impact Development ordinance?

- What folks are saying about the Low Impact Development Ordinance – reactions from community groups, businesses and residents