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      Department of Public Works Bureau of Sanitation

Volume I, Issue IV

Partnership Solves Sun Valleys Flooding Woes

A collaboration of the City of Los Angeles Stormwater Program, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works and the not-for-profit Tree-People is creating a large-scale sustainable watershed management demonstration project in a 4.4 square mile area of the San Fernando Valley watershed known as Sun Valley.

The Sun Valley Watershed Stakeholders Group that initiated the watershed management demonstration project was formed in 1998. It aims to develop holistic solutions to the chronic flooding in the area, and offer multiple benefits to Sun Valley residents. The Sun Valley Park Multiuse Project and the Tuxford Green Multiuse Project are two stellar examples of how this collaboration utilized innovative methods to solve flooding problems that have plagued this community for decades.

The Sun Valley Park Multiuse Project is designed to solve the local flooding problem while retaining all stormwater runoff (approximately 48 acre-feet) from the surrounding areas that drain into the park. A few of the project’s benefits include increasing water conservation, creating residential recreational opportunities, establishing wildlife habitat, and reducing stormwater pollution.

The Sun Valley Park Multiuse Project takes a non-traditional approach by collecting stormwater from a 24-acre community upstream and routing it through a treatment train that removes suspended solids and heavy metals. The runoff is then directed into two large underground infiltration basins where the water is naturally filtered and ultimately recharges the aquifer. Buried beneath playing fields at Sun Valley Park, these two basins work silently while soccer and softball teams play on the fields above. Vegetated swales using California native plants and dry wells treat stormwater runoff from the park’s 21 acres.
“This pilot project is an example of a paradigm shift away from conventional flood control solutions,” said Ammar Eltawil, Civil Engineering Associate IV with the City’s Watershed Protection Division. “Stormwater runoff will recharge the aquifer instead of flooding Sun Valley’s streets.” In addition, recreational enhancements and interpretative kiosks provide an important opportunity for residents to learn about the Sun Valley watershed and the sustainable solutions hard at workwhile they play in the park.

The project serves as a model in demonstrating the effectiveness of nontraditional stormwater management techniques that will be implemented throughout the Sun Valley watershed. “This project is the first of its kind in the nation, and it will serve as a model for several other watershed management projects planned to mitigate stormwater quality concerns and assist with meeting the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) regulations,” continued Eltawil.
A view of the infiltration system recently constructed below Sun Valley Park.
The Tuxford Green Multiuse Project addresses chronic flooding at the intersection of San Fernando and Tuxford Street. During the rainy season the intersection was often impassable due to heavy water accumulation. The project redesigned the intersection with a flood control system that conveys most stormwater under the road instead of over it.

A portion of the water is stored in a 45,000 gallon cistern where it is then used to irrigate landscaping at a newly created pocket park that is plush with native plants and drought-resistant vegetation.

The collaborative effort of the Sun Valley Watershed Project has received worldwide recognition. In 2003 the United Nations World Forestry Organization’s State of the World’s Forests featured the Sun Valley Watershed Project as an outstanding example of partnerships creating a sustainable water supply. In 2006 the Sun Valley Park Multiuse Project was awarded the Outstanding Public/Private Sector Civil Engineering Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers and was recognized by Environment NOW as one of the Top Environmental Achievements in the Environmental Community in Southern California.
OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE: Manager's Message | Elmer Ave | Downspout Disconnection Program | Dog Waste Stinks

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