Stormwater capture projects will soon transform two Wilmington neighborhoods 

 

Thanks to funding received by LA Sanitation and Environment from LA County’s Safe Clean Water Program’s regional program, two stormwater capture projects will soon transform two Wilmington area neighborhoods. Utilizing nature-based solutions, these two capital improvement projects will simultaneously improve regional water quality and provide multiple benefits for Wilmington residents.

 

Funded by Measure W, the special parcel tax approved by Los Angeles County voters in November 2018, the Safe Clean Water Program provides local, dedicated funding – approximately $285 million annually countywide – for projects that increase local water supplies, improve water quality, provide community enhancements and protect public health.

 

The first project, the Wilmington Q Street Local Urban Area Flow Management Project (or Wilmington Q Project), will be located along Q Street from Avalon Boulevard to Baypoint Avenue. This project will redefine the aesthetic character of Q Street, reimaging it as a “green street” – a stormwater management approach gaining popularity throughout the U.S., which incorporates vegetation, soil, and engineered solutions like permeable pavement to slow, filter, and clean polluted stormwater runoff. 

 

The Wilmington Q Project aims to do the following:

  • Redefine and improve the aesthetics of Q Street
  • Plant street trees and 4,800 square feet of native landscaping within infiltration planters
  • Modernize the existing storm drain infrastructure
  • Capture, treat and infiltrate up to 5.6 million gallons of rainwater from a 58-acre drainage area during a normal rainy season
  • Install 13,000 square feet of permeable sidewalks, enhancing pedestrian safety
  • Reduce the area’s heat island effect

With a total cost of $4.9 million, the Wilmington Q Project’s planning and design phase will be completed by early 2023. The project should be completed by June 2025.

 

The second project coming to the Wilmington area is the Wilmington Neighborhood Greening Project, which will transform the streets surrounding the Wilmington Recreation Center and Park as well as provide enhancements to the park. 

 

Once complete, the Wilmington Neighborhood Greening Project will have the potential to capture, clean and use approximately 7.1 million gallons of stormwater in a normal rainy year. This water will be captured, treated and stored in a new underground 3.3 million gallon stormwater detention tank, which will be located under the park’s current baseball fields. The stored water will be used to irrigate the park during the dry season (April – September), offsetting the park’s potable water usage. The excess stormwater will be pumped to LA’s Terminal Island Water Reclamation Plant for treatment and recycling.

 

The park’s improvements will include:

  • The addition of approximately 2,048 square feet of permeable pavement in the parking lot that will allow rainwater to infiltrate into the ground
  • Installation of an underground 3.3 million gallon stormwater detention tank
  • Installation of sports facility enhancements including the refurbishing of the current baseball fields, new batting cages, new horseshoe pits and new field lighting

Street improvements will include:

  • Construction of two new catch basins on a nearby street and at the Wilmington Recreation Center which will divert stormwater runoff
  • Installation of new underground hydrodynamic-separators to remove sediment, trash and other pollutants from the stormwater runoff, providing initial treatment for the collected runoff
  • Construction of parkway bioswales on residential streets to provide an enhanced pedestrian and bikeway experiences on Neptune Avenue
  • Mitigation of the neighborhood flood risk surrounding the park with the collection of  stormwater flow

The total cost of the Wilmington Neighborhood Greening Project will be $12.2 million, with the project’s planning and design phase completed by 2023. Construction is due to begin in 2024 with the project complete by 2025. 

 

To learn more about the City of Los Angeles’ Safe Clean Water Program, visit our website at: www.lacitysan.org/safecleanwater. For questions regarding the City of Los Angeles’ Safe Clean Water Program, please contact: san.safecleanwater@lacity.org.