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