Liquid Assets: How Stormwater Infrastructure Builds Resilience, Health, Jobs, & Equity

Southern California’s water supply is precarious, and our current practices are unsustainable. Of the roughly 500 billion gallons used annually in the L.A. Basin, only one-third comes from local groundwater; the majority of our water is transported from hundreds of miles away, at a significant financial and environmental cost. Projected increases in demand, dwindling supplies, and the effects of climate change are expected to create a water shortfall by 2050, even assuming significant additional water conservation. Solving this crisis requires an investment in stormwater capture. We currently capture about 65 billion gallons of stormwater annually, but we discharge an additional 163 billion gallons each year. Investing in stormwater infrastructure could triple the amount captured, setting us on a path to sustainability.