WATER ISSUE 2015

Santa Monica’s guide to water conservation and sustainability

2015

TheWaterIssueSanta Monica, CA

Santa Monica, CA | The Water Issue 2015 3

GET TO KNOW YOUR WATER ..................................4-11

MAKING PROGRESS IN WATER CONSERVATION ....12

EL NIÑO WARNING! ................................................12

WHEN EVERY YARD IS A WATERSHED ....................14

A GUIDE TO WATERSHED PLANTING ......................17

FOUNT OF WISDOM ................................................20

TOP 3 FIXES FOR THE DROUGHT ............................20

Q&A: WATER SUSTAINABILITY ................................21

FACTS AND FIGURES ..............................................22

CLEAN WATER REQUIREMENTS ..............................23

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Table of Contents

ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION:The Water Issue was produced as a collaborationby the City of Santa Monica and the Santa MonicaDaily Press. Santa Monica Daily Press Editor-in-Chief Matthew Hall served as editor, photographerand primary author of the publication and theissue was designed by Santa Monica Daily Press

Production Manager Darren Ouellette.Content for this issue was also provided by theCity of Santa Monica’s Office of Sustainability andthe Environment. Special thanks to Debbie Lee,Andrew Basmajian, Kimberly O’Cain, Dean Kubani,Shannon Parry, Gil Borboa, City of Santa MonicaPublic Works, Engineering and Water divisions.

4 The Water Issue 2015 | Santa Monica, CA

We don’t think much about water. It’s justalways there. It runs when we open thetap. It flows when we turn on the show-

er. It swirls when we flush the toilet. It fills ourwashing machines and cycles through our dish-washers.

It can be refreshing, cleansing and nourish-ing. It’s the clear liquid in which we cook much ofour food, wash our hands and chase down med-icine. But most of all, water is just always therewhen we want or need it.

But truthfully, this urban miracle isn’t magic.It’s the result of a huge amount of planning,

spending, engineering, building and maintaining.Its preservation, purification, and distribution bypipe consumes countless pages of public docu-ments, thousands of hours of public meetings,and the attention of a great many skilled, and attimes ingenious, people.

Even as we focus our attention on conservingthe water we get during this drought, there’s abigger picture to see—a broad vista of whereour water comes from, how it gets here, and howwe can make the best use of it now and in thefuture.

Santa Monica chose to become a city rather

than be annexed to Los Angeles in 1917, duringa drought. Even though annexation would havemeant access to the Owens River water LosAngeles had started importing four years earlier,Santa Monica wanted to safeguard its own watersupplies. In 1923, voters approved a $1 millionbond to overhaul its existing water system, builda reservoir and acquire its own water assets.

Nearly a century later, Santa Monica is stillsafeguarding its water. It has declared a goal tostop importing water within five years, mainlybecause purchased water is more than twice asexpensive as water from the city’s own wells. Andit is making steady progress toward realizing thatgoal.

As water forces itself during this droughtdeeper and deeper into our thoughts, there’s abig picture to keep in mind—where our watercomes from, how it gets to us, and what we canglean from Santa Monica’s history of more thannine decades in maintaining, protecting and con-serving this vital resource.

WATER INFRASTRUCTURE

Santa Monica’s water comes from threesources—groundwater, purchased water, andcollected runoff. Groundwater comes from anunderground area called the Santa MonicaBasin, purchased water comes from the ColoradoRiver and Northern California through theMetropolitan Water District of SouthernCalifornia (MWD), and runoff is water recycledfrom storm drains.

Whether the water that fills your glass ispumped from Santa Monica’s underground sup-ply or imported by the Metropolitan WaterDistrict (MWD), it’s delivered quickly, efficientlyand cleanly to 17,700 homes, apartment build-ings, office and industrial structures, campuses,institutions, and fire hydrants. It flows day and

Get to knowyour water

SEE PLAN PAGE 6


night, weekdays and weekends, and holidays.We take for granted the systems that keep

water flowing. It’s a massive system that employs46 full-time city workers to keep it going 24hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Santa Monica continues to work towardswater independence by 2020, but in the meantime, the city imports about 30 percent of itstotal supply. That water comes from the ColoradoRiver and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta viathe MWD. MWD provides supplemental water toabout 300 cities and unincorporated areas inSouthern California.

Colorado River water originates fromsnowmelt in Utah, Wyoming and Colorado. Ittravels through a 242-mile aqueduct. Delta watertravels through a 441-mile aqueduct. All MWDwater is treated prior to shipment to SantaMonica.

Santa Monica has 205 miles of water mainpipe connected to about 18,000 meters. Thatwater flows through 3,439 valves and the citycan store up to 40 million gallons. Undergroundreservoirs lie underneath San Vicente Boulevard,the Riviera Country Club, Mt. Olivet near theBrentwood Country Club and the Arcadia WaterTreatment Plant.

Upgrades are a constant process but tend tohappen on an as-needed basis. Functional equip-ment can stay in operation for years, includingsome sections of pipes that are 110 years old.Once water comes out of the tap and goes downthe drain, it may travel through the 154 miles ofsewer pipes.

GROUNDWATER

There are no underground lakes, no subter-ranean rivers, no magic springs. However, there isa lot of dirt and a little physics. Despite appear-ances, “ground” isn’t a solid. It’s a collection oftiny parts, stacked atop each other. That stackingleaves minute spaces, too small for the naked eyeto see but large enough for drops of water toaccumulate. Repeated millions of times overthousands of feet, those spaces add up toenough water to quench Santa Monica’s thirst.

To access groundwater, the City has dugwells, perforated pipes sunk into the ground thatallow water to be pumped out. That water is thenprocessed, treated and shipped to homes andbusinesses throughout the city.

All of the City’s groundwater currently comesfrom the Santa Monica Basin, an undergroundexpanse that extends well beyond the city limits.Santa Monica is the only city drawing water fromthe basin.

The Santa Monica Basin is non-adjudicated(which means that no court presently rations itswater) and encompasses 50.2 square miles. Thebasin is defined by natural boundaries--the SantaMonica Mountains to the north, the Newport-Inglewood fault zone to the east and the PacificOcean to the west.

All rain within those borders drains into thebasin. Given the high quantity of runoff, theaquifers underlying the Santa Monica Basin arerecharged by deep percolation of rainfall andrunoff in streams crossing the Santa MonicaPlain. There is also a smaller component ofrecharge to the shallow aquifer from rain on theSanta Monica, Ocean Park and Sawtelle plains.

THE SANTA MONICA BASIN

Along the eastern and southeastern bound-aries of the Santa Monica Basin are two adjoin-ing but currently non-adjudicated groundwaterbasins: the Hollywood Groundwater Basin andthe Central Groundwater Basin. Directly south ofthe non-adjudicated Central Groundwater Basinis the Court-adjudicated Central Basin. On thesouth, the Santa Monica Basin is bordered by theadjudicated West Coast Basin.

Adjudicated basins are subject to strict pro-duction limits based on court orders. Waterproviders restricted by an adjudicated basincould branch out at any time and drill wells in anon-adjudicated area. Such behavior is rare andcould lead to disputes that result in courts settinglimits in previously non-adjudicated areas butthere are no indications that nearby municipali-

ties are about to move into the Santa MonicaBasin.

Earthquake faults and other undergroundgeological features in the Santa Monica Basinmake up the boundaries of five subbasins withinthe Santa Monica Basin--the Arcadia, Charnock,Coastal, Crestal, and Olympic subbasins.Groundwater generally flows from north to southwithin the interior portions of the Santa MonicaBasin, with possibly some flow towards theocean on the west side of the basin.

The City of Santa Monica overlies portions ofthe Arcadia, Olympic and Coastal subbasins, butnot the Charnock or Crestal subbasins. However,the City obtains water from the Charnock area.

The City’s wells are closely clustered and onlyat three locations (the Arcadia and Charnockplants and along Olympic Blvd in the City). Thesewell fields are essentially located at specific andrelatively small properties in separate subbasins.The City’s Charnock and Arcadia well fields areoutside the city limits. Santa Monica does not getany of its groundwater supply from the Crestalsubbasin and it never has.

Lincoln Boulevard is assumed to be the west-ern boundary of useable groundwater. It is possi-ble that seawater may have intruded into theaquifer in the past and could intrude in thefuture.

The current amount of groundwater in stor-age could range from approximately 8,100 acre-feet (AF) in the Arcadia groundwater storagesubunit under minimum (“low basin”) condi-tions, to as high as 141,300 AF in the Coastalgroundwater storage subunit under fully saturat-ed conditions. The current total combined volumeof groundwater in storage in the subunits couldrange from 141,400 AF to 338,300 AF under“low basin” to “full basin” conditions, respec-

tively. (An acre-foot of water, abbreviated as AF,is a standard unit of water measurement. It’s theamount of water it would take to cover an acreto a depth of one foot, which is roughly 325,851gallons.)

The total combined groundwater currently instorage for these subunits may be on the order of317,400 AF. Although this would be about 24years worth of water at today’s rate of usage, notall of this water may be accessible.

Santa Monica does not have access to thecombined total, regardless of how much there is.Groundwater wells draw from a set geographicarea based on the location and depth of the well.Groundwater that flows outside the well’s reachor below its depth is unavailable to that well. Inorder to withdraw the total amount of waterpotentially stored in the accessible subbasins, thecity would have to drill new wells at differentlocations and stagger the depths of those wells.

Assuming land could be purchased for manynew wells, deep-water drilling could still be prob-lematic if it had to penetrate layers of rock. Thatcould make drilling prohibitively expensive.

RECHARGING THE SYSTEM

Santa Monica’s aquifers are replenished byrainfall; through percolation of stream runoffalong canyons, streams and gullies, especiallyalong the front of the Santa Monica Mountains;and by irrigation return water.

Recharge along the front of the Santa MonicaMountains and into the sediments of the SawtellePlain may have been significant along Rustic,

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Santa Monica/Sullivan, Mandeville, Kenter,Sepulveda, Dry and Stone Canyons before the areawas urbanized. During those times, surface watercould easily percolate through the coarse, gravellyand permeable alluvial fan sediments at thecanyon mouths and into the aquifer.

Development of homes, schools and business-es over the last century has steadily reduced theamount of rainfall runoff able to percolate into thegroundwater system. Much of the water nowflows along paved streets and into lined stormdrains where it flows directly to the ocean.

Currently, the only areas that may significantlyrecharge Santa Monica Basin aquifers are theRiviera Country Club (within Santa MonicaCanyon), Brentwood Country Club, just to thenortheast of the Santa Monica City limits, and Bel-Air Country Club near UCLA. Much of SantaMonica has extensive residential developmentswith large lawns. These lawns, as well as the openspaces of golf courses and city parks, providesome additional areas for deep percolation andrecharge of excess irrigation. However, the amountof water returned to the aquifer is maybe 5 to 10percent of the irrigation and rainfall in these areas.

In the south, Penmar Golf Course in Venice,near Marine Park, is the only other relatively largeand flat, unpaved area near Santa Monica thatlikely could serve as a natural recharge area.

However, rainfall recharge here would only likelybenefit the aquifer under the Ballona Gap. At thesouthern end of the Santa Monica Basin, theBallona Wetlands, along the Ballona Escarpment,constitutes another significant recharge region,but recharge here would likely only benefit theaquifer of the West Coast Basin.

Artificial recharge might be possible through theuse of specialized wells but the city has not devel-oped plans for such a process and the urbanizationof the region could make the project unfeasible.

THE WELLS

Currently, the City’s water system serves apopulation of about 93,000 through 17,847connections within a service area of 8.3 squaremiles. At this time, Santa Monica has 12 existingmunicipal-supply water wells, ten of which arepumped on an active basis to help meet the cur-rent water demand.

Of the 10 active wells, five are located in theCity’s Charnock well field located in the MarVista area of Los Angeles, a little less than a milesoutheast of the southeastern corner of theSanta Monica city limits. Historically, 20 wellshave been drilled at the site. Only five of thesewells are currently active. The City’s most recent-ly activated well is at the Charnock facility. Thenewest well came online in December 2012 toreplace an old well that had been taken out of

service. The Windward School leases property atthe Charnock field and an expansion of theschool’s athletic fields required removal of Well15.

Two wells are in the City’s Arcadia well field.The Arcadia pumping plant is located at BundyDrive and Texas Avenue; this facility representsthe City’s main water treatment and distributionplant and is located in West Los Angeles, approx-imately 1,500 feet east of the eastern boundaryof Santa Monica. There is a treatment system atthe plant that provides treatment for total dis-solved solids (TDS), iron (Fe) and Volatile OrganicChemicals (VOCs) for other City wells.Historically, ten or more wells have been con-structed at this plant site, although only WellNos. 4 and 5 are currently active.

Two wells are located along Olympic Blvd(near 26th Street), and one is located in thenorthern portion of the City near the intersectionof 19th Street and San Vicente Boulevard. Thethree latter wells are considered to lie in theCity’s Santa Monica well field. Historically, asmany as seven wells have been constructed inthis well field.

The final two wells are located near the inter-section of Pico Boulevard and the beach. Thosewells produce saltwater which was previouslyused as a source of sodium at the original 1968water-softening plant shuttered in 2000. Theyare not designed for, nor is it possible for thosewells to produce, fresh water. One has beendecommissioned, the other is usable but inactive.

The Charnock Well field is the city’s mostactive water source followed by the SantaMonica well field and Arcadia well field.Documents show there have been a large num-ber of other historic city-owned wells and pri-vately owned industrial or agricultural wells thathave been constructed in the region, but thosewells are either inactive or outside city control.

WATER LEVELS

Static Water Levels (known as SWL) are usedto determine the health of a well and can providea measure of water levels while a well is inactive.Santa Monica’s wells are usually in continuousoperation, so static water levels can only beaccurately measured when the well is offline formaintenance or repair. Over time, SWL patternsare influenced by two factors, rainfall and nearbypumping. In general, as rainfall declines (i.e., dur-ing a drought), there is a decline in the SWLs; asrainfall increases (i.e., during a wet period) waterlevels tend to increase, as expected.

This indicates that rainfall does primarilyrecharge the aquifer systems from which thesewells draw. However, wells that are idled for asubstantially longer period, possibly years, canrebound even during drought because they arenot being pumped. Similarly, a once-idle wellthat’s put back into service will register a drop inwater levels, even during a wet season.

Annual rainfall totals in the Santa Monicaarea have varied over time. Figures from theSanta Monica Pier weather station show a low of2.36 inches in 1947 to a high of 28.7 inches in1978. The most recent analysis of local rainfallconcluded Santa Monica has received an averageof about 11.3 inches of rain per year, however,that figure has dropped precipitously in recentyears. Rainfall in 2011 was just 0.96 inches. In2012 that dropped to 0.82. Totals for 2013 and2014 are considered in doubt due to a lack ofconsistent measurements. So far, Santa Monicahas received about 4 inches in 2015.

The City has seen fluctuating water levels atsome wells due to factors other than rainfall. TheCharnock well field was shuttered for about 15years due to groundwater contamination. Duringthat period, the SWLs increased greatly. However,all the wells were reactivated simultaneously with

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There are easier ways tosave water.

For more information on water-saving tips and the latest on the drought:

visit SMgov.net/water

[email protected]

or call310.458.8972

DOGGY DISHWASHER


the construction of a new treatment plant, caus-ing a steep decline in SWLs as was expected.

Historically, water levels at Santa Monicawells have remained stable, showing little to nooverall decline despite increased demand in theregion. However, during the current drought, reg-ular SWL measurements have shown a moderatedecline in groundwater.

Prudent groundwater management through-out the City’s 140-year history has preventedoverdraft conditions from occurring, even in theface of recurring droughts, as the City is nowexperiencing.

IMPORTS

In addition to well water, Santa Monicaimports water and has access to a limited quan-tity of recycled water. In 1928, the City of SantaMonica joined several other cities in forming theMetropolitan Water District of SouthernCalifornia to import water from the ColoradoRiver to augment local groundwater supplies. Thehistoric annual volume of water imported by theCity from MWD has been approximately 2.4times greater than the average annual volume ofgroundwater pumped over time by the City.While the Charnock wells were contaminated, asmuch as 85 percent of the city’s supply wasimported.

With water conservation tools in place and allcurrent wells active, Santa Monica can produceabout 70 percent of its own water supply.However, the City has a goal of becoming waterself-sufficient by 2020 because it has found thatit is less expensive to operate its own wells thanit is to purchase imported water. Over time, SantaMonica has pumped more well water andreduced the amount of water purchased fromMWD.

Since 2011, the year Santa Monica resumedfull-scale groundwater production following asignificant groundwater contamination event in1996, the City has imported an average of 5,758AF/year from MWD. In contrast, the City haspumped an average of approximately 8,002AF/year of groundwater from its active water-supply wells during this same period. The amountof groundwater pumped from the wells since2011 amounts to approximately 58 percent ofthe total combined water production.

In 2012, Santa Monica adopted itsSustainable Water Master Plan (SWMP), whichmandated water independence by 2020, and

began working toward providing all the waterthe city needs for homes, businesses and institu-tions from its own wells. The idea was to cut theenvironmental impact of transporting water overhundreds of miles, and to give Santa Monicagreater control over securing the resource. Andwater from Santa Monica’s wells costs less thanhalf as much as imported water. Water purchasedfrom MWD costs about 25 cents a gallon. Waterpumped from Santa Monica’s well costs less than11 cents a gallon.

RUNOFF RECYCLING

Water that finds its way off the lawn or downthe driveway into the street is captured at theSanta Monica Urban Runoff Recycling Facility(SMURFF), where solid and chemical waste arefiltered out of the water before it is returned viadedicated lines. That water is used only in irriga-tion and for uses like toilet flushing. The facilityruns 24 hours a day and has continued to runduring the drought. Despite a decrease in waterlevels, the facility produces an average of200,000 gallons per day.

In addition to pumping groundwater andimporting water from MWD, the City also pro-duces non-potable water from its Santa MonicaUrban Runoff Recycling Facility (SMURRF) on thesouth side of the foot of Santa Monica Pier. Thesource water for this facility is urban runoff, com-prised of irrigation overspray and other waterwhich would otherwise enter Santa Monica Baythrough the City’s storm drain system. This facili-ty was completed in 2002 and is jointly operatedwith the City of Los Angeles. Since 2002, thisfacility has produced, on average, 154 acre feetper year (AF/year) of water that is principallyused for landscape irrigation in the City.

Urban runoff still exists despite the drought,and SMURFF continues to generate some recy-cled water for the City. However, if drought per-sists and water conservation measures were toradically reduce the amount of runoff available,officials have considered construction of addi-tional storage tanks near SMURFF to captureadditional runoff for future processing.

CONTAMINATION

Contamination in Santa Monica has comefrom several sources. Locations of suspected andknown soil and water contamination are trackedand cataloged by the Regional Water QualityControl Board (RWQCB), a department of theCalifornia State Water Resources Control Board

(SWRCB), and by the California Department ofToxic Substances Control (DTSC). Some areashave naturally occurring contamination, but thevast majority of problems are manmade. Leakingunderground storage tanks of petroleum andother chemicals have allowed pollutants to seepinto the soil and water in some parts of the SantaMonica Basin. Some sites are actively leaking orare in the process of being tested. Others havebeen tested, cleaned and refurbished. In eithercase, well drilling would require more testing onthose locations.

Facilities as dry cleaners, metal-plating shops,oil-production facilities or other industrial andcommercial sites could also contaminate ground-water. Several agencies review such potentialcontamination on an ongoing basis.

Santa Monica wells have been contaminatedin the past. Both the Arcadia and Charnock wellswere shut down due to contamination frompetroleum hydrocarbons and/or VOCs from near-by filling stations or industries In October 1996.The two active wells at the Arcadia facility wereshut down after the gasoline additive methyltert-butyl ether (MTBE) was detected in pumpedgroundwater. The source of this chemical, used toincrease octane in gasoline and keep enginesfrom knocking, was determined to be from a gasstation at the southeast corner of Bundy Avenueand Wilshire Boulevard, which is no longer there.

Initially, water from the wells was blendedwith MWD water to decrease the concentrationof another contaminant ( the solvent 1,4-diox-ane, which had also been detected) and was alsoaerated to remove other chemical contaminants.Blending with MWD water and aeration contin-ued until a new Reverse Osmosis plant was com-missioned in December 2010. The reverse-osmo-sis plant replaced Santa Monica’s original water-

softening plant.Beginning in 1995, MTBE was detected in

groundwater pumped from the City’s Charnockwells. This resulted in the complete shutdown ofthe well field in June 1996. The entire well fieldthen remained shut down for more than 15years. In late 2010, construction was completedon a new onsite VOC treatment system and theexisting Charnock wells were once again placedonline.

The earliest mention of groundwater contam-ination in the Olympic Corridor well field areaappears to be in an Urban Water ManagementReport for the City, dated December 1985. Thatdocument reported that the solvent trichloroeth-ylene (TCE), widely used to remove grease frommetal, was encountered in these wells in 1980.Several VOCs were later identified in wells at thesite and some persisted through 2011. Howthese chemicals got into the groundwater is stillunknown, but is apparently associated with vari-ous industries in the area.

There are at least 10 sites that had or stillhave the potential to impact the quality ofgroundwater drawn by Santa Monica’s wells. Fiveof these sites are listed as currently “open” andundergoing various stages of assessment.Regulatory agencies have closed five sites.

The most notable of the five open sites is theformer Gillette Paper Mate facility located at26th Street and Olympic Boulevard. This facilityhad been in operation since 1957. Santa MonicaWell No. 7 is located just south of this site. ThisPaper Mate site has been undergoing remedia-tion since March 2010 for contamination by thechemical degreasers PCE and TCE and may havebeen a source for these VOCs that continue to bedetected in groundwater samples from this well.

Given Santa Monica’s proximity to the coast,saltwater intrusion is an ongoing concern. If thecity were to over-pump from wells, it’s possible toreverse the natural water flow and actually pullseawater from the ocean into the local ground-water supply. Such seawater intrusion can occurfor other reasons such as climate change ordrilling new wells too close to salt water sources.To the best of the City’s knowledge, no such con-tamination has occurred in recent memory but itis assumed contamination could have, and prob-ably did, occur at some point in the City’s histo-ry. Historic records are incomplete but city wellsin the Marine Park area were contaminated andabandoned in the 1930s due to salt water intru-sion. Experts have concluded that LincolnBoulevard is the boundary for any potential saltwater intrusion and therefore the western edgeof the city’s underground water supply.

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MAKING SURE IT’S CLEAN

Santa Monica has the finest filtration avail-able to remove impurities that come naturally inalmost all groundwater. State and federal regula-tors set limits on contamination levels for drink-ing water. Whether water is from local wells,shipped from out of state, or even bottled, pro-ducers have to comply with those rules. SantaMonica’s water consistently meets or exceedsthose limits thanks to its Arcadia treatment plant.

Local groundwater goes through a multi-stepfiltration process that for some wells begins even

before the water hits the main treatment plant.Water pumped from the Charnock Well Field iscontaminated with MTBE, a chemical formerlyadded to gasoline. Without additional treatment,the Charnock water would be unusable andthose wells were shut down for years until recentrenovations brought them back online.

Charnock water first has heavy metalsremoved. It’s then run through a carbon filter(made from coconut shells) and then pumped tothe treatment plant.

Once at the Arcadia treatment facility, waterfrom all sources is mixed and run through a rig-orous purification process. The water is again fil-tered for heavy metals and sediment, a necessarystep to prepare water for the reverse-osmosis(RO) filters. During the RO process, pressurized

water flows over a semipermeable membraneand minerals like calcium and magnesium are fil-tered out.

The water’s pH level is adjusted, fluorideis added, and it is disinfected a final time.The cleaned water could still contain somekinds of contamination so the final step isaeration while in storage. The Arcadia planthas a five-million-gallon reservoir. Treatedwater is circulated through the tank to helpremove volatile organic compounds. Staffperform more than 10,000 water qualitytests per year to verify the cleanliness andsafety of local water.

CONCLUSION

The drought has forced us to change ourthinking about water. Once, it was just there, thefluid that flowed when we turn the tap. It stillflows, but we have to put some thought into themost efficient ways we can use it.

Even before the drought, a lot of highly skilledand insightful people were thinking (and re-think-ing) many of those questions, figuring out ways toobtain a sufficient supply of water, determininghow best and most economically to make sure itis clean and safe, and how to send it quickly andreliably from deep underground to the spigotsthat surround us at home and at work.

What we have taken for granted turns out tobe an amazingly complex and important task.

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As we near the end of the 2015 summer, datafrom City of Santa Monica’s Office ofSustainability and the Environment indicate

that Santa Monica residents and businesses areindeed saving water and are on track to meet statemandated 20% water reduction. While no formalreport is available at this point, internal data showswater use is headed in the right direction.

“The drought is far from over, but it’s nice to seeSanta Monicans taking water conservation seriouslyand working hard to help meet the governor’s man-dates,” stated Christopher Smith, Principal Analystfor the City. “There are many ways to reduce ourwater use and we all need to do our part.”

The City is continuing its water conservationoutreach and has extended its landscape rebate

program offering up to $8,000 to help offset thecost of replacing grass with drought-friendly land-scaping, installing drip irrigation, and installingrain capture devices such as rain gardens and rainbarrels. The City has partnered with professionallandscape designers who can provide expertadvice on your new landscape for just $50.

“Fall is the perfect time to remove grass andinstall drought-friendly plants and landscapes,”Smith added. “If the rainy El Niño season arrivesas many predict, little additional watering will benecessary to help them take root and becomeestablished.”

More information on water saving rebatesand the City’s water conservation program isavailable at SMgov.net/water.

Making progress inwater conservation

El Niño is the term used to describe unusual-ly warm water in the Pacific Ocean near theequator, but a shift in winds can help send

this warm water toward the California coast. AnEl Niño season typically leads to heavier-than-normal rains during the fall and winter monthsfor California and the rest of the west coast.

While a strong El Niño is predicted for this sea-son, the National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration (NOAA)considers it unlikely that asingle El Niño year will erase four years of drought– it will take more than one season of above-aver-age rainfall to recover.

That said, a wet El Niño is still good news. Itcan provide some relief and help to replenishsome of the water we need in reservoirs andaquifers. It just won’t get us out of existingdrought conditions.

A large percentage of the rain we receiveends up as runoff to the ocean. Some of thatwater can be captured and used later to waterplants and landscapes long after the rains aregone. Interested residents and businesses caninstall rain barrels and cisterns, or rain and rockgardens and apply for rebates from the City ofSanta Monica to help cover the costs. Rain bar-

rels and cisterns come in all shapes and sizes,and are connected to rain gutter downspouts.

With about 50% of water use occurring out-side the home, the City of Santa Monica encour-ages residents to make changes outdoors.Before the rains arrive, the combination ofinstalling rain barrels and a drip irrigation systemin addition to swapping out a rain garden fordrought friendly plants can make a significantdifference in reducing water use at home.

The City of Santa Monica can help you learnmore ways to save water. Visit the website atSMgov.net/water.

El Niño Warning! Well, Maybe…What it means for Santa Monica

WATER SAVING TIPSWATER USE CONSULTATION

A free service, one of Santa Monica’s waterconservation experts will visit your home or busi-ness and provide you with specific ways you canreduce your water use and point you to incentivesthat can help. Request a free water consultation at(310) 458-8972 or email [email protected]

REBATES

Rebates are available for items like new toi-lets and irrigation systems. A High-EfficiencyToilet (HET) flushes at 1.28 gallons per flush orless. The average water savings for HETs is esti-mated to be between 4,000 to 19,000 gallonsper year depending on the type of toilet that youare replacing. This equals an estimated saving of22 gallons per day.

CONSIDER GREYWATER

As of January 1, 2014, there are new stan-dards regulating greywater systems in the Stateof California. Greywater flows from sink andshower drains, and from laundry machines andcan be captured and reused. These codes arefound in the 2013 California Plumbing Code,Title 24, Part 5, Chapter 16. Permits are requiredfor multi-family and commercial property grey-water systems andsingle-family greywater sys-tems that include wastewater from more thanone plumbing fixture (such as clothes washerplus bathtub).

USE METER TO CHECK FOR LEAKS

Turn off all faucets and water-using appli-ances around the home (be sure to check dish-washer. washing machine, lawn sprinklers, etc.)Check the meter. Wait one hour and check themeter again. If the reading has changed, youhave a leak. Your water meter can be the bestdetective in your home. If you can't read yourmeter, contact the Santa Monica Water for assis-tance at (310) 458-8224.

CHOOSING NEW PLUMBINGFIXTURES, APPLIANCES AND EQUIPMENT

Toilets, Faucets, Showerheads – choose EPAWaterSense Labeled products

Dishwashers, clotheswashers, refrigerators, HVAC– choose EPA Energy Star Labeled products

Detailed Green Product Information - GreenOffice Buying Guide

Process Equipment - call city staff at (310) 458-8459 or email [email protected] for cus-tomized audits and programs.

EASY WAYS TO SAVE WATER:Outside:1. Remove lawn and install drought-

friendly plants.

2. Install drip irrigation.

3. Install a weather-based irrigation timer.

4. Fix irrigation system to prevent runoff and overspray.

Inside:1. Check for leaks and repair quickly.

2. Replace any toilets, showerheads and faucets installed before 2014 with WaterSense™ models.

3. Wash full loads of laundry and dishes.

4. Shorten your shower by 2 minutes.

SMgov.net/water


Newly installed succulent

plants and water drip system

projected to save 14,500

gallons of water each year.

Water SavingInitiativeON THIRD STREET PROMENADE

Over 2,000 succulent plants with 8 variety

types can now be seen at the dinosaur

topiary sculptures located on Third Street

between Broadway and Wilshire Blvd.

Succulent plants were chosen because of their

adaption to extreme xeric (dry) conditions by

developing swollen fleshy stems and leaves

that retain moisture. Along with low water

requirements, succulents need minimal

maintenance and grow at a slow rate.

Conceptualized by SQLA Landscape

Architects, the new planters were designed

to evoke the feel of a modern beachside

community. Blue and green coastal hues

from the blue spruce sedum and blue chalk-

sticks varieties planted in a soft wave pattern

reinforce a relaxed and breezy beach feel.

Last year, the iconic dinosaur fountains

were turned off to be a visual reminder of

California's serious drought issues. As well

as reducing the power washing schedule

and instating new hand detailing to

keep the parking structures within

Downtown Santa Monica clean.

Downtown Santa Monica has also reined

in water use by altering the power-washing

schedule in its parking structures. Officials

have implemented alternative cleaning

methods, including hand-detailing, that

don’t rely on water.

And these are just the latest initiatives

for Downtown Santa Monica, which has

repeatedly come up with creative ways to

raise environmental awareness.


Awater wise garden used to mean someartificial turf, perhaps a southwest inspiredlandscape or maybe a patch of gravel

where grass used to be. Those first generationsteps did, and still do, save water but what itmeans to be a water wise garden has changed,the number of options has multiplied and theimportance of landscape to the environment hasnever been greater.

Today’s experts are focused on the bigger pic-ture when it comes to landscaping and while thedrought has kick-started interest in options thatsave water, professionals say the next step is toactually clean water while conserving.

“We want a garden that is performing multiplebenefits, that’s sponging up water, filtering pollu-tants and absorbing carbon from the atmosphere,”said Paul Herzog, coordinator of the Ocean FriendlyGardens program at the Surfrider Foundation.

“The drought has awakened us to the truththat our landscape plays a critical role, especiallyin the urban environment, in all environmentalissues,” said Pamela Berstler a ManagingMember with Green Gardens Group.

She said savvy property owners should seizethe opportunity to become more in harmony withthe natural environment and understand theirdecisions have long-lasting implications beyondjust a drought.

“Climate is variable, the landscape is theplace that we can make a difference, we canmake choices that make a difference,” she said.“When you begin to think of it that way, you canbetter understand that you want to create alandscape that is responsive, the term I like touse is resilient, have a landscape that is resilient.

A resilient landscape is one which does notrequire constant inputs to keep it looking beauti-ful and performing well.”

The terminology around next generation land-scaping varies depending on the speaker. It mightbe called a rain garden, Ocean Friendly Garden orwatershed garden but the concepts are thesame. Capture rain, use climate adapted (prefer-ably native) plants and rethink the purpose of thelandscape.

“We all have a responsibility to plant plantsthat are from this area,” said Herzog. “Nativeplants are deeply rooted, they seek further downfor water and that sends polluted water furtherdown for cleaning. We want to get plants thatare as appropriate for where we are as possible.”

He said plants are actually the last step in theprocess and property owners should be thinkingabout the entire landscape as a water cleaningsponge. By focusing on spreading water, slowingits rate and sinking it into the ground, propertyowners can dramatically enhance local waterways.

With every 1000 square feet of hard surface,like a roof which is capable of creating 620 gal-lons of water per inch of rain runoff, there’s a lotof water available in even a small rainstorm.

“Soil is literally like a bank account for waterwhen it’s living and its depending on biology,”he said.

Landscape architect Mark Abramson with TheBay Foundation said the process isn’t complicated.

“It’s a very simple process of taking back whatwas taken when it was paved over,” he said.

According to the Los Angeles County Drought

SEE WATER GARDEN PAGE 16

When everyyard is a

watershed

materials legend

gravel

decomposedgranite (DG) mulch

boulders

flagstone

Tolerant Garden handbook, a garden should befilled with plants that can get by on rainfallalone, when the plants are properly grouped, soilis properly mixed, and the landscape is designedto capture moisture, it’s possible to create a func-tional, visually pleasing garden that requires lit-tle, if any, irrigation.

Residents begin by planning their garden,either using publicly available resources or withthe aid of a professional. Construction requiresremoval of existing landscape, including lawn,and may include the creation of a depression tomimic a creek bed, rerouting of gutters/water-spouts, conditioning of the soil with compost andfinally, replanting.

“They look interesting, with different flowersthat are exciting,” he said. “It’s nice to look at,dynamic, seasonal, but it also brings in hum-mingbirds and butterflies that come to the nativehabitat that doesn’t otherwise exist around here.It becomes a focus for people to stop and askabout it, it causes neighborhood discussions.”

Abramson said the required steps are read-ily available and an interested property ownercould undertake the project on their own with-out too much trouble. However, the presence ofa professional can help facilitate the process, ifthat professional has some experience withwatershed gardens.

Berstler, whose company helps certify land-scape professionals, said homeowners shouldapproach a landscape project as if it were ahome construction project.

“If you were going to build an addition toyour home, you’d do some research,” she said.“Even if you’d hired a designer, hired a contrac-tor, you’d still go online, determine what you’dlike, go shopping, look at magazines, determinewhat kind of materials you like. If you are inter-ested in having a more sustainable constructionyou would start exploring that, you’d first edu-cate yourself,” she said.

She said the challenge in the landscape indus-try is a very regionally fragmented approach tocertification, a problem compounded by the prolif-eration of small companies that may or may nothave the resources to accomplish the task at hand.

“There hasn’t really been an overarchingqualification in the watershed approach to land-scaping,” she said. “There are many small certifi-cations that focus on one aspect or another oflandscaping. Irrigation is something that’s beenconsidered scientific, you can qualify. So youhave irrigation certification and you have horti-cultural certification but horticulture doesn’t takeinto account irrigation.You have storm water cer-tification, but that doesn’t include horticulture orirrigation. You have this specialization andregionalization, those two things to keep theindustry very fragmented and prevent a holisticapproach from taking hold.”

She said even if a property owner can finda list of professionals, that might not be com-plete depending on the last update to that list.The best way is to educate yourself and usethat knowledge to interview potential land-

scapers.“If homeowners don’t ask questions, they’re

going to get whatever the contractor wants togive them, the easiest cheapest thing,” she said.“If a contractor is not willing to educate you andexplain thoroughly how something works, theyare not a good fit.”

While homeowners are increasingly interest-ed in the process, experts said there is hugeuntapped potential in publicly owned land.

Abramson said homeowners are moving inthe right direction, but municipalities could havea huge impact if they adopted watershed land-scaping on medians, sidewalks and other piecesof public property.

“Cities and municipalities have to deal withstormwater runoff,” he said. “It’s an ongoing issueand that water is coming down the pipes anyway.It’s foolish not to consider this if they get extrabenefits for not much money, why not take it?”

He said part of the problem is bureaucratic.Different cities maintain different lists of plants thatare approved for the public right of way and thoselists need to be realigned with the watershed gar-den philosophy. “They need to streamline the per-mitting for the allowed plants on public space.”

Some of that public space has been occupiedby turf used for recreation purposes. Berstler saidproperty owners often believe they too needrecreational turf.

“The idea that people have in their head ofhow they use their landscape is often com-pletely different from how they actually use it.For 80 percent of them, the one person in theirgarden was their gardener once a week mow-ing the lawn. That wasn’t how it was used.Again comes back to educating yourself and-being clear it how you’re using your space.”

For those that do need grass, public or other-wise, she said it’s not out of the question whenplanted, installed and maintained correctly.

“Lawn in and of itself is not unsustainable,”she said. “Very, very, very rarely is it maintainedin a way that keeps it low water use. Usually,it’s maintained in a way that makes it highwater use.”

She prefers what she calls an “estate lawn”over other options. Her version has three steps:aerate the lawn annually, replace fertilizer/herbi-cide with compost/casings and overseed it withclover and small daisies.

Clover and bell daisy alter nitrogen levels inthe soil, keeping the turf green and moreresilient. Mowing is reduced to once a month, orevery three weeks, and the lawn will use half thewater of a regular lawn.

She said the technique should be applied toall lawns, including those in the public space.

“A lot of municipal design has defaulted togreen space and has not explored how to makeit as sustainable as possible.”

Berstler said resistance to watershed land-scaping is based on outdated ideas of our role inthe ecosystem.

“You’re not being asked to sacrifice here,you’re being asked to change,” she said.“There’s plenty you can grow on a very lowamount of water, especially if you harvestingrainwater.”


WATER GARDENFROM PAGE 14

DYMONDIA DODONEA CEANOTHUS CISTUS


The Surfrider Foundation provides tips onwhat it calls “Ocean Friendly Gardens”(OFG) as part of their mission to maintain

clean water. Their certification employs what itcalls the “CPR” approach, Conservation,Permeability and Retention, to revive under-hydrated watersheds and protect pollutedoceans

C - Conserve water and wildlife habitat withnative or climate appropriate plants.P - Permeable, living soil and hard surfaces thatrunoff to landscapes to filter pollutants, spongeup water for plants to tap into during drymonths, and absorb carbon dioxide from theatmostphere.R - Retain rain as the first source of irrigation.

Their principles are generally in line with otherkinds of rain gardens but in addition to waterconservation, OFGs are built with a focus onclean water. According to Surfrider, the largestsource of water pollution cannot be traced to anyone point other than humans.

A variety of human activities leave pollutantson buildings, driveways and parking lots, land-scapes and streets. The runoff from those build-ings, whether from rain, irrigation or othersources washes those pollutants to watersheds.Surfrider says fertilizers increase algae popula-tions and red tides; high bacteria counts closebeaches; car exhaust, oil, and brake pad dust aswell as pesticides, herbicides and fungicides canpoison fish.

The same landscaping techniques thatreroute rain and runoff into the ground for irriga-tion also captures that pollution. With particularattention to the kinds of plants used, it’s possibleto for every home watershed to remove thosechemicals before they hit the ocean.

INGREDIENTS FOR A WATERSHED GARDEN

• A Site Plan: Find and record propertydimensions, measure buildings, draw a map(include dimensions, orientation, structures, land-scape features, large plants/trees, hills, slopes,low points, exposed rock, shallow areas orchanges in soil type). Consider use of space,availability of sunlight and rain sources. Call DIGALERT (811) at least two days before digging.

Tools: shovels, rakes, landscaping equipmentOrganic additions: compost, worm castings,woodchip mulchHose and spray nozzlePlants

Preparation steps:

1. Get to know your rain. Make your site planand note how rainwater flows on site. Look

for an open, mostly flat low spot to direct waterflow, in the front yard, or anywhere with thecenter at least 10' away from the foundation ofthe house and 3' away from the sidewalk.

2. Lay out your rain garden. Spread out a gar-den hose to outline the shape. The area must

be basically flat or slightly bowl-like, and notsloping back toward the house. Be carefularound trees. Don't put your rain garden under amature tree or disturb any big roots.

3. Remove all plants (including grass) from thearea and start digging.

4. Test how fast your soil drains. If you havecompaction, try to break through it with a

shovel pick or mattock.

5. Dig a basin that is between 6” and 12” deepat the center. Slope the sides gently to make

a sloping bowl, not a cylinder. Mound extra soilaround the bowl to increase capacity. Put downat least an inch of compost or worm castings toactivate your soil.

6.Direct downspouts into the basin area, mov-ing the rainwater through gravel-lined ditch-

es or above-ground drainage pipes. Also, makean overflow path so extra water has a directchannel to the street and away from your house.

7. Plant swale plants in compost on the bot-tom. On the mounded sides, choose plants

that like their feet drier. When it rains, the basinwill fill up, creating a temporary pond until thewater soaks into your soil. All the water shouldbe gone in 24 hours. Make sure to mulch (2-3”deep) around your plants.

LOCAL CLIMATE ZONES

Santa Monica straddles two climate zones withslightly different features and preferred plants.

1. To the north, possible planting zones havea generally flat topography (mountain regions

fall into a different zone). Salty ocean air, coastalfog and mild temperatures distinguish this zonefrom the rest of the county. Annual rainfall isabout 13 inches. This climate zone is almost com-pletely dominated by ocean influences and thedrought tolerant plants listed for this zone maynot do as well further inland. Likewise, plants list-ed for the other zones may not be tolerant of thesalt, damp, or cool temps. The primary vegetationtypes are coastal salt marsh, coastal dune, and

A Guide toWatershedPlanting

SEE OCEAN GARDEN PAGE 18

GREVILLA

BEFORE AFTER

KALANCHOE

C. D.

ERIGERON LAVENDER

A. B.


coastal bluff scrub. Good landscaping choicesinclude:

SHADE TREE Arbutus marina (Hybrid Strawberry Tree) Melaleuca linariifolia (Snow in Summer) Quercus agrifolia (Coast Live Oak) Quercus tomentella (Island Oak)

SMALL TREE Arbutus menziesii (Pacific Madrone) Cercis occidentalis (Western Redbud) Leucadendron argenteum (Silver Tree) Prunus ilicifolia ssp. lyonii (Catalina Cherry)

VINE BougainvilleaCalystegia macrostegia (Anacapa Pink IslandMorning Glory)Mascagnia macroptera (Yellow Orchid Vine)Pandorea pandorana (Wonga-Wonga Vine) Solanum jasminoides (Potato Vine)

HEDGE Ceanothus (South Coast Blue Lilac) Cordia boissieri (Texas Olive) Dendromecon harfordii (Channel Island Bush Poppy)Myrica californica (Pacific Wax Myrtle)

GROUNDCOVER Acacia redolens (Desert Carpet)Achillea millefolium (Yarrow)Arctostaphylos ‘Pacific Mist’ (Manzanita)Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ‘Anchor Bay’ (Manzanita)Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ‘Point Reyes’ (Manzanita)Armeria maritima californica (Sea Thrift)Aster chilensis (Point Saint George Aster)Camissonia cheiranthifolia (Beach Evening Primrose)Fragaria chiloensis (Beach Strawberry)Lessingia filaginifolia var. californica (Carmel Aster)Satureja douglasii (Yerba Buena)Senecio mandraliscae (Blue Chalksticks)Thymus pseudolanuginosus (Wooly Thyme)

RAIN GARDEN Juncus patens (Common Rush)Russelia equisetiformis (Coral Fountain)Sisyrinchium californicum (Golden-eyed Grass)

GRASS Achnatherum hymenoides (Indian Rice Grass)Bothriochloa barbinodis (Cane Bluestem Grass)Melica imperfecta (Coast Range Melic)Muhlenbergia rigens (Deer Grass)

PERENNIAL Calylophus hartwegii (Sundrops)Cistus hybrids (Rockrose)Coreopsis maritime (San Diego Sea-Dahlia)Encelia actoni (Acton Brittlebush, Bush Sunflower)Encelia californica (Brown-Eyed Susan)Eriogonum arborescens (Santa Cruz Island Buckwheat)Eriophyllum nevinii 'Canyon Silver' (Island Snowflake)Galvezia 'Firecracker' (Island Bush Snapdragon)Helianthus tuberosus (Jerusalem Artichokes)Mimulus aurantiacus (Bush Monkey Flower)Mimulus cardinalis (Scarlet Monkey Flower)Mimulus guttatus (Seep Monkey Flower)Penstemon heterophylus Margarita BOP (Penstemon)Salvia 'Pozo Blue' (Sage)Salvia leucophylla ‘Point Sal' (Purple Sage)Salvia munzii (San Diego Sage)Verbena lilacina 'De La Mina' (Verbena )Viguiera (Bahiopsis) laciniata (San Diego Sunflower)Origanum majorana (Sweet Marjoram)

FOCAL Aeonium arboreum (Black Rose)

Aloe brevifolia (Aloe)Dianella caevulea (Cassa Blue)Dracaena marginata (Madagascar DragonTree)Dudleya brittonii (Britton Dudleya)Dudleya hassei (Catalina Island Dudleya)Dudleya pulverulenta (Chalk Dudleya)

MEADOW/TURF Agrostis pallens (Dune Bent Grass)Artemisia pycnocephala 'David's Choice' (Wormwood)Carex pansa (Dune Sedge)

2. Inland and more southern areas are also devel-oped with a generally flat topography however it

includes mild slopes, with many areas of low hills andvalleys. This zone includes many microclimates, andtemperatures can vary greatly between the foggycoastal areas,the deep valleys,and the higher mountainpeaks.Annual rainfall also varies greatly from about 13inches at the coast, about 15 inches downtown, toabout 21 inches in the valley. Freezing temperatures,frost, or even snow may be experienced in the foothillswhile it remains merely cool near the ocean. In general,this is an area with excellent water infiltration rates,con-ducive to rain gardens. Rainfall also varies greatly; astorm can drop less than an inch of rain in downtownLos Angeles but when it reaches the foothills, inPasadena, it may drop two or three times that amount.

This zone is mostly a Mediterranean climatewith wet, generally mild winters and warm, gener-ally dry summers.The main natural vegetation typesare coastal sage scrub, chaparral, grassland, ripari-an scrub and woodlands, oak woodlands, and wal-nut woodland. Good landscaping choices include:

SHADE TREE Arbutus menziesii (Pacific Madrone)Pistacia chinensis (Chinese Pistache)Quercus tomentella (Island Oak)

SMALL TREE Cercis occidentalis (Western Redbud)Cupressus abramsiana (Santa Cruz Cypress)Umbellularia californica (California Bay Laurel)

VINE Hardenbergia comptoniana (Lilac Vine)Lonicera subspicata denudata (San Diego Honeysuckle)Pyrostegia venusta (Flame Vine)Vitis californica 'Roger's Red' (California Wild Grape)

PERENNIAL Asclepias fascicularis (Narrowleaf Milkweed)Encelia californica (Brown-Eyed Susan, CoastSunflower)Epilobium (Zauschneria) canum 'Uvas Canyon'(California Fuschia)Eriogonum giganteum (St. Catherine's Lace)Eriogonum grande var. rubescens (Red Buckwheat)Felicia fruticosa (Shrub Aster)Galvezia speciosa 'Firecracker' (Island BushSnapdragon)Helleborus argutifolius (Corsican Hellebore)Heuchera maxima (Island Alum Root)Lavatera assurgentiflora (Malva Rose)Lepechinia fragrans (Wallace's Pitcher Sage)Limonium californicum (Western Marsh Rosemary)Linum perenne (Perennial Blue Flax)Mimulus cardinalis (Scarlet Monkeyflower)Penstemon spectabilis (Showy Penstemon)Ribes indecorum (White Flowering Currant)Ribes speciosum (Fuchsia Flowering Gooseberry)Salvia 'Pozo Blue' (Pozo Blue Sage)Salvia apiana (White Sage)Salvia clevelandii 'Winifred Gilman' (Sage)Smilacina stellata (Solomons Seal)Solidago californica (California Goldenrod)Verbena lilacina (Lilac Verbena)

SEE OCEAN GARDEN PAGE 19

OCEAN GARDENFROM PAGE 17

LEUCODENDRON

SALVIA SPATHACEA

SALVIA LEUCANTHA HEUCHERA

ENCELIA

CEANOTHUS 'SNOWBALL'

COPROSMA IRIS


GROUNDCOVER Achillea tomentosa (Woolly Pink)Arctostaphylos edmundsii 'Carmel Sur' (Manzanita)Artemisia californica 'Montara' (CaliforniaSagebrush)Baccharis pilularis 'Pigeon Point' (Dwarf Coyote Bush)Calendula officinalis (Calendula)Dymondia margaretae (Dymondia)

RAIN GARDEN Erigeron glaucus 'Wayne Roderick' (Seaside Daisy)Juncus patens (Common Rush)Muhlenbergia capillaris (Hairawn Mulhy)

GRASS Aristida purpurea (Purple Three-Awn)Koeleria macrantha (June Grass)Leymus (Elymus) condensatus (Giant Wild Rye)Muhlenbergia rigens (Deergrass)Nassella pulchra (Purple Needlegrass)

HEDGE Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Howard McMinn'(Manzanita)Carpenteria californica (Bush Anemone)Ceanothus 'Concha' (Ceanothus)Cupressus forbesii (Tecate Cypress)Dodonaea viscosca (Hopseed Bush)Fremontodendron californicum 'California Glory'(Flannel Bush)Heteromeles arbutifolia (Toyon)Prunus ilicifolia ssp. lyonii (Catalina Cherry)Rhus integrifolia (Lemonade Berry)Rhus ovata (Sugarbush)

FOCAL Agave attenuata (Agave)Cordyline baueri (Bauer's Dracaena Palm)Kniphofia uvaria (Red Hot Poker)Romneya coulteri (Matilija Poppy)Russelia equisetiformis (Coral Fountain)

MEADOW Buchloe dactyloides (Buffalo Grass)Carex pansa (Dune Sedge)Carex praegracilis (Clustered Field Sedge)

El Niño Coming?Santa Monica

is saving wateroutdoors, rain

or shine.Change your landscaping

this fall and get up to$8,000 in new rebates

starting soon.

Visit SMgov.net/water

YARD LANDSCAPING

up to $4,500 in rebates

PARKWAYup to $1,500

in rebates

RAIN CAPTURE

up to $2,000 in rebates

OCEAN GARDENFROM PAGE 18

CEANOTHUS

LEPTOSPERMUM

AEONIUM

ARCTOSTAPHYLOS ALOE

CONVOLVULUS FREMONT


By Matthew KingCommunications Director, Heal the Bay

With a 25% cut in water use by cities nowordered by the state, the greater L.A. region canbe a lot smarter in a time of perilous drought. Hereare some wise investments to make right now.

California faces an uncertain water future.The record drought coupled with climatechange and other stressors has called into

question the practicality of importing nearly 90%of L.A.’s water supply. Simply put, being able torely on imported water in the future is an uncer-tain and dangerous proposition. Instead, ourregion needs to be smarter about maximizing thewater that we already have.

We're often asked if desalination is theanswer. Unfortunately, desal plants are notsome sort of silver bullet. The plants are incred-ibly energy intensive, expensive to build andoperate, and create a whole slew of environ-mental challenges. Instead, our region needs tobe smarter about maximizing the water that wealready have.

The adage of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle"applies just as neatly to water as it does todurable goods. The first step in fighting droughtis reducing demand. For example, irrigation forlandscaping still accounts for more than 50% ofurban water use in our arid climate.We can all dobetter to get on a serious water diet, such as rip-ping out water-intensive turf. But on the otherside of the equation, the region must start to getserious about investing in projects that will aug-ment supply in a smart way.

Heal the Bay is actively engaged in determin-ing greater L.A.’s water future. Here is what webelieve the region needs to start doing today tosustain our water needs in the future:

#1: CAPTURING STORMWATER AND OTHER URBAN RUNOFF

Wasteful: On an average day roughly 10 milliongallons of urban runoff flows through L.A Countystormdrains, picking up pollutants and eventuallyreaching the ocean without the benefit of any treat-ment. It's why many of our beaches, rivers and creeksremain chronically polluted. This pollution along ourshorelines is terrible, but the waste of water in a timeof extreme drought is equally maddening.

Smart: Capturing that runoff, cleaning it, andusing it to augment regional water supplies.

The potential: After a storm, as much as 10billion gallons of water is wasted flowing into thesea from urban runoff. That’s enough to fill 100Rose Bowls! Up to 630,000 acre feet per yearcould potentially be generated by better stormwa-ter capture and reuse in the state, according toestimates by the NRDC. This volume is roughlyequal to the amount of water used by the entirecity of Los Angeles annually. Using this water fornon-potable uses and groundwater recharge cangreatly increase local water supplies.

How to get there: It will take significantresolve and funding, but watershed managementplans that prioritize green infrastructure andmulti-benefit stormwater capture projects mustbe embraced. Portland and Philadelphia aredoing it, and so can we.

What Heal the Bay is doing: Our policyteam is working to ensure stormwater manage-ment planning and implementation includesmulti-benefit solutions that improve greenspace,beautify communities, and capture water onsitefor reuse or recharging groundwater. Our staffscientists are working with state and local gov-ernments to find creative ways to fund stormwa-ter programs. We hope to get funding in place fora countywide solution before 2020.

#2: RECYCLING TREATED WASTEWATER

Wasteful: Each day, wastewater treatmentplants send hundreds of millions of gallons ofhighly treated wastewater into local rivers andthe Pacific Ocean. It’s not helping the sea, and it’scertainly not helping us combat drought.

Smart: Using reclaimed wastewater to offsetpotable water demand and replenish our region-al groundwater basins. Treated wastewatershould be returned back to underground aquifersinstead of the sea.

The potential: Each day the Hyperion TreatmentPlant discharges more than 250 million gallons ofwastewater into Santa Monica Bay. If all ofHyperion’s water was treated to a higher standard, itcould be recycled and substantially reduce theregion’s reliance on imported water and simultane-ously bolster regional water supplies, eventually sup-plying enough water for daily use by 1 million people.

How to get there: We need to reuse every dropof water we have, rather than just importing increasing-ly scarce water from outside Southern California.Orange County residents have been sourcing drinkingwater from local aquifers recharged with highly treatedreclaimed water since the 1970s. Los Angeles needs tofollow Orange County’s lead, and move beyond “toiletto tap” fears. We prefer Mayor Garcetti’s term: show-ers to flowers.This effort will require us to clean up ourcontaminated aquifers (see below).

What Heal the Bay is doing: We continue toadvocate for increasing recycled water use, such as theimplementation of the Los Angeles GroundwaterReplenishment Project, which will use up to 30,000acre-feet per year of highly purified water from theDonald C.Tillman Water Reclamation Plant to replenishthe San Fernando Groundwater Basin. Environmentalreview is already underway, and the city of Los Angeleshopes to meet this goal by 2035 or sooner.

#3: CLEANING UP OUR LOCAL AQUIFERS

Wasteful: Contaminated plumes continueto expand in aquifers in the San Fernando andSan Gabriel valleys, infringing on and reducinggroundwater that is available to greater LosAngeles. Much of our groundwater contamina-tion is due to historic improper handling and dis-posal of industrial chemicals.

Smart: Removing pollutants from groundwa-ter basins in order to enhance available storagespace for stormwater and reclaimed waterrecharge.

The potential: The city of Los Angeles hasthe rights to pump up to 87,000 acre-feet ofwater annually. That’s enough water to meet thedemands of the greater L.A. Basin for twomonths out of the year.

How to get there: We need to find thefunding to clean up our groundwater basins.Investment is necessary to allow for our localaquifers to be used to their fullest extent in thefuture.

What Heal the Bay is doing: Our advoca-cy staff supports funding through state bondmoney and the Metropolitan Water District tohelp clean up the San Fernando Valley and SanGabriel Valley aquifers. LADWP hopes to havetwo San Fernando Valley aquifer remediationfacilities in operation by 2022.

Improved water supply and improved waterquality are inextricably linked. Heal the Bay willcontinue to advocate for smart projects that helpus achieve both goals. The drought will requiresacrifice and investment. Let's just make sure weare investing wisely.

Heal the Bay board member and formerDWP chief David Nahai knows his water.Here he shares how L.A. will beat the

drought.As a former CEO of the LADWP and former

Chair of the L.A. Regional Water Quality ControlBoard, David Nahai has a unique perspective onSouthern California’s water woes. Urbane anderudite, the London School of Economics-trainedattorney has been a longtime Heal the Bay boardmember. Both a pragmatist and an optimist, hefirmly believes that L.A. can fix its water woes ifits leaders act decisively today. He recentlyshared his views with Heal the Bay’s communica-tions director, Matthew King.

Heal the Bay: Do people in L.A. even knowwhere the water comes from?

David Nahai: Generally, no. The history of L.A,which is inextricably linked to our relationshipwith water, is not generally taught in our schools,nor is there an ongoing, ever present campaignto inform the public. Public outreach efforts sur-

face only during shortages. That may have beenfine while our imported water was cheap andplentiful and droughts were periodic occurrences.But importing 90% of our water supply is nolonger a sustainable model. Climate change andother factors necessitate a fundamental change.We must conserve more and produce more localresources (from wastewater recycling, stormwa-ter capture, aquifer remediation, infrastructurerepair, new building standards and so on). Thisshift will require an investment, which, in turn,must have public support. So, having aninformed, engaged public is essential.

HTB: Do you dislike the word drought?Does it imply something temporary?

Nahai: This drought has galvanized attention andmobilized action in a remarkable way. I would notjettison the word because it technically describesthe current condition. Rather, the messagingaround the word has to convey the fact that we arein uncharted territory, that, with the advent of cli-mate change, this could well be our “new normal.”

HTB: Is agriculture being scapegoated bymedia or given a free ride by water regu-lators? Or something in between?

Nahai: Some facts are undeniable: Ag doesaccount for the vast bulk of water used inCalifornia; some farmers do lag behind inadopting modern, efficient irrigation tech-niques, as well as farm runoff control practices;the water rights system in California isinequitable and must be revisited; and the farmlobby is a formidable force in Sacramento. Onthe other hand, Ag is important to us econom-ically, historically, and culturally; it employsmany people who need and deserve our pro-tection; and possible impacts on food pricesresulting from greater regulation must be con-sidered. It is encouraging to see the adminis-tration take action to restrict water use by thesenior rights holders, and the voluntary cutbacks offered by the senior holders are certain-ly welcome. But finger pointing won’t solvethe problem. Rather, all interests must con-tribute to the solution.

HTB: Is desalination our savior or the def-inition of insanity?

Nahai: Ocean desal must be our last resort inLA. It remains the most expensive, most energyintensive, most environmentally impactful alter-native. While our conservation record is goodcompared to other U.S. cities, it is not impressive

judged against the levels reached by Israel,Australia and other countries. Further, our rate ofwastewater recycling is very low; we fail to retainthe rainfall that we do receive (allowing itinstead to run untreated to the coast only to pol-lute our beaches and marine environment); ourSan Fernando Valley groundwater basin is con-taminated; and our infrastructure is deteriorat-ing. Addressing these challenges has to be ourfirst priority.

HTB: What’s the biggest obstacle? Money?Complacency? Political Will? Technology?

Nahai: I believe the main obstacle is money.While there are pots of money that agencies canlook to, such as Prop 1, to defray some of the costof the various steps outlined above, it appears tome that water rate increases will be necessary.LADWP has started to present its case for rateincreases. I hope, and believe, that Angelenos willsupport the necessary investments.

HTB: What are the consequences realisti-cally if we don’t? Are we all moving toPortland?

Nahai: If we don’t act now, our future choicesmay be limited, drastic, and financially wrench-ing. But let’s not dwell on failure; it’s not anoption. L.A. has clear measures that it can taketo conserve water and produce local water, thusgaining some level of independence from import-ed water. It needs to seize the opportunity.

Heal the Bay’s Top 3 Fixes for the Drought

Fount ofWisdom


Tracy QuinnNatural Resources Defense CouncilPolicy AnalystWater Program

Question: What are the biggest advan-tages the city of Santa Monica has toachieve better water sustainability?

TQ: Santa Monica is a city that is known to be aleader in environmental stewardship, its part ofthe reason that people love this community. TheCity needs to tap into the intrinsic environmentalstewardship of Santa Monica residents and givethem the education, tools and incentives to per-manently reduce water use in our homes andbusinesses. Also, half of all water use in urbancommunities is used outdoors. As a coastal com-munity, Santa Monica is cooler than many inlandcommunities and therefore residents don't needas much water to keep their landscapes thrivingand we have many more options for drought tol-erant plants than our inland neighbors.

Question: What are the biggest obstaclesin terms of water Sustainability?

TQ: One of the biggest obstacles for SantaMonica is that the largest residential waterusers in the city are also some of the wealthiestwho don't respond to price signals - i.e. higherwater bills won't deter them from continuing touse excessive volumes of water. To make mat-ters more difficult, many of these residents havestaff that are responsible for watering largelawns and are also often tasked with washingcars and rinsing down driveways and otherhardscapes, despite the fact that these actionsare now violations.

Question: We are a city that is roughly70% renters. Many of us don’t see anindividual water bill and the vast majori-ty of individual units are not metered.How do we make sure that renters aredoing their part?

TQ: While behavioral changes (i.e. shortershowers, waiting for full loads to run the dish-washer and clothes washer) can result in imme-diate changes, they can't be counted on for per-manent savings. Historically, the majority ofpermanent water demand reductions have beenthe result of passive savings - reductions attrib-uted to stricter building codes, product stan-dards, and local ordinances. Santa Monica canmake sure that renters are doing their part by

implementing policies that mandate thereplacement of inefficient fixtures (toilets,shower heads, faucets, clothes washers, etc) inrental properties.

Question: What is the role of local busi-ness owners?

TQ: Business owners have many roles to play;they can install water efficient fixtures and imple-ment innovative best management practices thathelp reduce demand and they can also act asmessengers and educators within the community- reminding residents and tourists that water is aprecious and limited resource that needs to beconserved.

Question: What’s the single most impor-tant thing that residents can do to securea better water future in our city?

TQ: The single most important thing residents cando to secure a better water future is to stop usingprecious drinking water outdoors. This can beaccomplished by removing thirsty lawns and non-native plants and replacing them with drought tol-erant landscape or using an alternative, non-potable source of water, like rainwater or gray-water (i.e. the relatively clean wastewater fromshowers, bathtubs, bathroom faucets, and clothes

washers), to irrigate landscapes. Treated rainwaterand gray-water can even be used to wash cars,flush toilets and for the first cycle of your clotheswasher. While treated gray-water systems are eas-iest to install in new construction or during a majorremodel, everyone can install rain barrels andeveryone with a yard should do so immediately.

Question: Some people now say, “Hey ElNiño is coming. What’s there to worryabout?” What’s your response?

TQ: This year's El Niño might provide somelimited drought relief, but it will not addressCalifornia's long-term water challenges norprepare us for future droughts. The last strongEl Niño we experienced (1997-1998) led tosignificant flooding in California, but the truthis that an El Niño is no guarantee of a wetwinter. In fact, we've only seen four strong ElNiño events in the past 65 years; two of thesefeatured above-normal precipitation and dur-ing the other two, we received below-normalprecipitation. And even if SoCal does get a lotof rain, unfortunately we just don't have theinfrastructure to capture the stormwater - somost of the rain that does fall will simply flowto the nearest storm drain and out to theocean, picking up trash and other pollutantsalong the way.

Rob LempertRand [email protected], Frederick S. PardeeCenter for Longer Range GlobalPolicy and the Future HumanCondition; Professor, PardeeRAND Graduate School

Question: What lessons could othercities learn from Santa Monica aboutbeing more water wise? What’s a goodsuccess story?

RL: We in Southern California have to learn tolive differently with water. Santa Monica is wellpositioned to be in the forefront of this transfor-mation. In the 20th century, we managed ourwater as three separate systems. Some agen-cies would be responsible for water supply, thatis providing clean water for for drinking,hygiene, and our gardens. Other agencies wereresponsible for preventing flooding, by ensuringthat the rain from heavy storms would be con-veyed as quickly as possible into the ocean.Other agencies were responsible for keepingour water clean. In the 21st century, we haveto manage our water as one integrated system.The formal term is “integrated water manage-ment.” This is a challenge of not only engineer-ing, but of governance. Agencies that used towork separately have to work together. SantaMonica is ideally positioned to help lead thistransformation. We have ample local suppliesof water; citizens eager to participate and dotheir share; and a city the right size – neithertoo big nor too small – to pioneer this new ofway managing our water.

Question: How realistic is the city’s plan toget to 100% water self-sufficiency by2020?

RL: It’s a challenge. The city needs to conservewater significantly beyond the current goals forthe drought, and develop new local supplies ofwater. In addition, we are still learning what arethe sustainable levels of withdrawal from ourground water. Climate change may also affectour sustainable level of ground water with-drawals.

Question: We are a city that is roughly70% renters. Many of us don’t see an indi-vidual water bill and the vast majority ofindividual units are not metered. How dowe make sure that renters are doing theirpart?

RL: As a goal, we should aim to have separatewater bills for renters so that they could benefitdirectly from their conservation efforts.

Question: Landscaping still accounts forroughly 50% of metropolitan water use,how do you get wealthy homeowners inthe largest properties to get on boardwith conservation efforts if an incremen-tal increase in their water bill is notviewed as a major deterrent?

RL: If nothing else, the City’s drought programrequires all residents to reduce their water use. Ashift in aesthetic as to what constitutes beautifullandscaping may also help.

Question: What is the role of local busi-ness owners?

RL: Commercial properties use about 28% ofSanta Monica water use. Just like other members ofthe community, business owners can contribute bymaking their properties water wise. They can fixleaks, replace toilets and urinals with low use sys-tems, use water smart plants and drip irrigation forlandscaping. Through such actions they can helpto educate their employees and customers aboutwater savings. Overall, conservation saves moneybecause it is the least expensive source of water.

Question: How do you respond to peoplethat say if Santa Monica wants to be atruly sustainable and water-smart city thatit should limit or better control commer-cial development? Won’t all the newdevelopment projects in the pipeline sure-ly put more demands on our water sup-ply? Does LUCE adequately and realistical-ly address the water issue?

RL: Properly done, dense development can bemuch less water intensive. Over the last decade,Santa Monica has grown substantially, but wateruse is down by 1%. The City could require thatall new development be water neutral, by mini-mizing their own water use, and investing in con-servation in other parts of the city. There are lotsof opportunities for such investments, since theolder building stock is much less water efficientthan new construction.

Question: Santa Monica is in a unique posi-tion because it largely controls its ownwater destiny by sourcing 70% of its waterfrom local wells. With plans to becometotally self sufficient, does the city riskbecoming an island in regards to regionalwater policy? How does it play nice withall its water neighbors and other agencies?

RL: By becoming water neutral, Santa Monicafrees up supply for others in the region, which ispretty nice. Santa Monica can also push MWDand the region to use its expertise and its exist-ing water transfer infrastructure to facilitate thejoint development of local supplies among localcommunities, which in many cases could providenew, economically efficient sources of local sup-plies.

Question: What’s the single most impor-tant thing that residents can do to securea better water future in our city?

RL: I usually answer such questions by encourag-ing people to vote. But Santa Monica is on theright track, so in addition the most importantthings residents can do are to become wise con-sumers of water and do what they can to maketheir homes and businesses models of the newways to manage water.

Question: Some people now say, “Hey ElNiño is coming. What’s there to worryabout?” What’s your response?

RL: Even an intense El Nino won’t make up ouraccumulated drought deficit. And drought maybecome more frequent. Whatever the effectson precipitation, climate change will make itwarmer and thus increase evaporation and dryout our soil. In addition, as we’ve learnedmore about the climate, its become increasing-ly clear that the 20th century was anomalouslywet. Most of the last millennium was muchdrier in California. So this drought is an oppor-tunity to make ourselves better prepared forthe next one.

Q&A: Water Sustainability


NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN WATER DIVISION46 Water Employees22 Wastewater Employees

NUMBER OF VALVES3,439

AMOUNT OF WATER THAT FLOW INTO THE CITY EVERY DAYAvg 12.5 MGD

AMOUNT OF WASTEWATERTHAT EXITSAvg 2014 = 14.17 MGDMAX 2014 = 18.30 MGD (February 28th)

NUMBER OF METERS IN THE CITYAvg: 200,000 Gallons

AMOUNT OF RECYCLEDWATER PRODUCED DAILY18,033 Meters (includes fire lines andvacant accounts)

AVERAGE DISTANCE WATER TRAVELS FROMSOURCE TO TAP (MAYBE DIFFERENT FOR WELL VS.PURCHASED WATER?)Local GW: 4.5 mi MWD: 200-400 mi

NUMBER OF RESERVOIRS ANDTHEIR INDIVIDUAL CAPACITYArcadia 5MG;Mt. Olivette 5MG;San Vicente 5MG;Riviera 25MG

MILES OF PIPE:205 Miles of Water Mains154 Miles of Sewer Mains

TOTAL WATER IN STORAGE?40MG maximum

COST OF REPLACING ALENGTH OF PIPE (PERFOOT/MILE OR WHATEVERMEASUREMENT YOU HAVE)$350 - $400 per linear foot (includingdesign, construction, constructionmanagement, and testing costs) vari-able by the amount of main put in,larger projects being less per LF dueto the economy of scale.

AGE OF OLDEST PIPE STILL IN OPERATION110 years old

AVERAGE AGE OF PIPESAvg. 72.25 - Watermains

ADDITIONAL FACTS:9.42 miles of City owned storm drain1,332 hydrants2,800 sewer manholes778 City owned catch basinsMoss Ave. Pump Station pumps approx.3 million gallons of sewage daily

ADDITIONAL NOTES:Additional Urban Runoff Capture Alternatives:

In order to increase the use and avail-ability of local non-potable water sup-plies, the City requires new and re-development construction projects, pri-vate and public, to implement post-construction structural BestManagement Practices that harvestrainwater and storm water for onsitebeneficial uses. These non-potablesources are used for irrigation, infiltra-tion (recharging groundwater whereapplicable), and flushing toilets andurinals in dual plumbed buildings. TheCity has required over 50 governmentsites and over 2,000 private sites toimplement these sustainable BMPs.Future projects will focus on the directuse of storm water for indoor and out-door purposes to help reduce the useof potable water supplies.

Facts and Figures


Wherever Santa Monica’s water comesfrom, it’s delivered to homes/businessesquickly, efficiently and cleanly.

The systems that keep water flowing, andsafe, are largely hidden from public view, but it’sa massive system that’s manned 24-hours a day,seven days a week. The end result is a safe andsteady stream coming from taps but it’s a lot ofwork to keep that water clear.

Water is actually a very efficient solvent andany number of substances can find their way intodrinking supplies prior to treatment. Water flow-ing above and below ground can pick up natural-ly occurring minerals, salts, metals, viruses, bacte-ria, pesticides, herbicides, naturally occurringradioactive elements and industrial byproducts.

Anything and everything could be a source ofcontamination including sewage lines, wildlife,storm runoff, oil or gas production, mining, farm-ing, home landscaping and industrial activity.

Local sources of contamination include soilrunoff, naturally present bacteria, leaking under-

ground storage tanks, industrial contamination,byproducts from the water treatment process,erosion of natural mineral deposits, sewageleaching and irrigation runoff.

While some city wells are located close topossible contamination sources (like sewer lines)none of the wells (other than the already con-taminated Charnoc sites) show any signs of seri-ous contamination problems. However, almost allgroundwater comes with some additives thatneed to be removed.

State and federal regulators set limits on con-tamination levels for drinking water and whetherwater is from wells, shipped from out of state, oreven bottled, producers have to comply withthose rules. Santa Monica’s water consistentlymeets or exceeds those limits thanks to itsArcadia treatment plant.

Local groundwater goes through a multi-stepfiltration process that for some wells, begins evenbefore the water hits the main treatment plant.Water pumped from the Charnoc Well Field is

contaminated with MTBE, a chemical formerlyadded to gasoline. Without additional treatment,the Charnoc water would be unusable and thosewells were shut down for years until recent ren-ovations brought them back online. Charnocwater first has heavy metals removed, it’s thenrun through a carbon filter (made from coconutshells) and then pumped to the treatment plant.

Once at the Arcadia treatment facility, waterfrom all sources is mixed and run through a rig-orous purification process. The water is again fil-tered for heavy metals and sediment, a necessarystep to prepare water for the reverse osmosis fil-ters. During the RO process, pressurized waterflows over a semipermeable membrane and min-erals like calcium and magnesium are filteredout. The water is then adjusted for acidity, fluo-ride is added and there is a final disinfection. Thecleaned water could still contain some kinds ofcontamination so the final step is a aerationwhile in storage. The Arcadia plant has a five mil-lion gallon reservoir and treated water is circulat-ed through the tank to help remove volatileorganic compounds.

Staff perform more than 10,000 water quali-ty tests per year to verify the cleanliness andsafety of local water.

Santa Monica continues to work towards truewater independence by 2020, but in the meantime, the city has to import about 30 percent ofits total supply. That water comes from theColorado River and the Sacramento-San JoaquinDelta via the Metropolitan Water District ofSouthern California (MWD). MWD provides sup-plemental water to about 300 cities and unincor-

porated areas in Southern California. ColoradoRiver water travels through a 242 mile-longaqueduct and originates form snowmelt in Utah,Wyoming and Colorado. Delta water travelsthrough a 441-mile aqueduct. All MWD water istreated prior to shipment to Santa Monica.

Once cleaned, the water travels through ahidden system that most residents barely realizeis there. Santa Monica has 205 miles of watermain pipe connected to about 18,000 meters.That water flows through 3,439 valves and thecity can store up to 40 million gallons. Hiddenreservoirs run underneath San Vicente Blvd., theRiviera country club, Mt. Olivette (and the treat-ment take at Arcadia).

The City employs 46 full time water employ-ees and 22 wastewater employees to maintainthe system. Upgrades are a constant process buttend to happen on an as needed basis.Functional equipment can stay in operation foryears, including some sections of pipes that are110 years old.

Once water comes out of the tap, water maytravel through the 154 miles of sewer pipes.Water that finds its way out onto the street iscaptured at the Santa Monica Urban RunoffRecycling Facility. SMURFF filters solid and chem-ical waste out of the water before returning thatwater to the system via dedicated recycled waterlines. That water is used in irrigation and for useslike toilet flushing.

The facility runs 24-hours a day and has con-tinued to run during the drought. Despite adecrease in water levels, the facility produces anaverage of 200,000 gallons per day.

CHARNOCK WELL FIELD

SANTA MONICA WATERTREATMENT PLANT

Filtration through a three-stage ReverseOsmosis (RO) membrane system softensthe water by removing minerals (calciumand magnesium). RO uses pressure to

force water through membraneswith pores so small the

minerals can’t passthrough.

Reverse OsmosisFiltration

Water Quality AdjustmentsThe mineral content is adjusted

to the desired softness. The pH is adjusted, fluoride

is added and the waterundergoes final disinfection

with chloramine.

Final DeliverySanta Monica residents and businesses receive water foreveryday use. Water conservation by end users is key to

ensuring water reliability and sustainability.

Aeration and StorageThe final step, aeration, uses the existing air stripping technology in the five million gallon

reservoir to remove anyremaining volatilegroundwatercontaminants such astrichloroethene (TCE).

1 2

3

4

5

PretreatmentTo protect the sensitive Reverse Osmosis (RO) filters,the combined well flow is filtered again throughgreensand and cartridge filters to remove more ironand manganese and any remaining sediment.

S A N T A M O N I C A W A T E R T R E A T M E N T P R O C E S S

Charnock WellsGroundwater contaminated with the

gasoline additive MTBE is pumped upfrom 400 feet below ground surface.

Greensand FiltrationThe well water is filtered through

greensand media to remove iron andmanganese which would foul the

carbon filters.

GAC FiltrationThe MTBE is removed by filtering

through Granular Activated Carbon(GAC) filters.

Pump to Treatment Plant The filtered water is combined with theflow of other wells and pumped to theSanta Monica Water Treatment Plant.

Clean waterrequires gettingyour hands dirty


Thank you for saving water.

Saving water helps preserve our community's way of life. All of us working together can help Santa Monica thrive.

There are easier ways to save water.SMgov.net/water