Santa Monica Aims To Make Polluted Storm Water Runoff Recyclable

SANTA MONICA, CA – The City of Santa Monica is almost done with the second project in a series aimed at transforming rain runoff to a recyclable resource. Downtown Santa Monica runoff that has been funneled to the Bay will be diverted and captured in a newly-installed 1.6 million gallon water tank, located in a corner of the parking lot to the north of the Santa Monica pier, NBC Los Angeles reported.

The project should be completed by August – once it's done, the captured water will be piped to a nearby facility for treatment, and then the recycled water will be used for irrigation, flushing toilets, or to recharge groundwater supplies, City Engineer Rick Valte told the news station.

Although Los Angeles County has captured mountain runoff in the San Gabriel River for years, urban runoff brings distinct challenges with the blend of oils, trash, animal feces, and various pollutants it accumulates while traveling through roadways and storm sewers.

"We hope this becomes a poster child for other cities," Valte told NBC Los Angeles.

Read more at NBC Los Angeles.

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