Water Quality
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Water quality varies across southern California. Be sure you know the water quality in your area.
Groundwater Recharge, Retention & Pollution
Water Quality
If you were a Chumash Native American living 300 years ago or even a resident living in Los Angeles in the early 1900s you would have witnessed a lovely rambling L.A. River that would regularly flood its banks. All that changed in the 1930s when there was an extremely damaging flood and that is when the government decided to make a concrete floor and sides to the river so it could not wander or flood anymore. That fix did tame the river but there was a price to pay for the luxury.
Los Angeles water quality is always a concern
Otter image courtesy Bureau of Land Management
In 2006, The Angeles Chapter opposed additional land use approvals in Santa Clarita relying on water from the contaminated Saugus aquifer.
Once a year, your local water utility sends you a glossy pamphlet, your annual water quality report. Let’s take a look at one and decipher it!
Blank support letter for Los Angeles Groundwater Replenishment Project
In 2012, Disney proposed an expansion of the Big Golden Oak Studio, releasing a 5-thousand page DIER (Draft Environmental Impact Report), which the Sierra Club reviewed:
Chromium 6 Overview for the Sierra Club 2012
Water Quality
Resources
The City of Los Angeles’ Bureau of Sanitation manages a Watershed Protection Program that includes Low Impact Development, Green Infrastructure,Pollutant Prevention and Removal, and Environmental Compliance:
The Water Committee of the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter reviewed the Los Angeles River Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study in 2013:
In 2013, the Water Committee commented on the LA County Flood Control District Water Quality Improvement Program Ordinance, related to fees assessed to pay for projects involving improvement of surface water quality within the LA District:
2010 Support letter from the Sierra Club for the DWP’s Groundwater Replenishment Project.
Slides of a 2011 update from Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles Country presentation on the Clearwater Program
Comments from the Sierra Club on the Clearwater Program Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental – written 2012.
Water & Living in a Desert in the Santa Clara Valley – Recycled Water Disposition
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Assessing Water Quality
Water Quality Scorecard
The Sierra Club Angeles Chapter Water Committee is currently in the process of developing a water quality scorecard for the Southern California Area.
Until then, you can calculate your water footprint using the link below!
Draft Scorecard
[Top header image: Hollywood Reservoir, Hollywood, CA. A major storage area for LA’s fresh water needs. ©John Nilsson, All Rights Reserved.]
Water Quality Posts
Did You Know that Graywater is Legal in the State of CA?
Posted on 21 June 2019 By Charles Alex Malotte What is graywater? Graywater (also spelled “greywater” or “gray water”) is water from showers, tubs, bathroom sinks, and clothes washers. Graywater does not include sewage. Graywater is an ideal resource for reuse:...
West Basin and the Angeles Chapter
Posted on 30 April 2021 By Scott Houston World Water Day may annually be recognized on March 22, but we must honor and respect water every day as we confront climate change in order to ensure we have adequate supplies of safe, affordable water to meet our needs. The...
Pasadena Citizens’ Resource Guide
Regarding the Need for a Polystyrene (aka “Styrofoam™”) Ordinance Pasadena Styro Campaign PDF
Scoring Our Water Systems
Hollywood Reservoir, Hollywood, California. A major storage area for LA's fresh water needs. John Nilsson all rights reserved As part of the Sierra Club’s long-standing efforts to protect sources, supplies, and just access to water throughout the country, the Angeles...
What’s in your Water
Posted on 17 February 2021 By Filomena Fuchs, Water Committee Member As part of the Sierra Club’s long-standing efforts to protect sources, supplies, and just access to water throughout the country, the Angeles Chapter Water Committee is preparing a tool to evaluate...
Mapping Our Water
Posted on 25 February 2021 By Lore Pekrul and Chuck Gooley GIS Committee Maps for Angeles Chapter Water Committee The GIS and Water Committee first partnered up many years ago on the Water Conservation Measures Scorecard project, then on a map of California Lakes and...
Where Does Our Water Come From?
Posted on 31 July 2009 By The Editor Turn on your faucet, and what do you get? Rain that fell on Mount Shasta? Snow from the Feather River watershed in the Sierras? Glacial melt from the Colorado Rockies? Water from deep sandy aquifers far beneath your feet that...
SOS from PFAS in Our Water
Posted on 17 September 2019 By Krystal Ruiz There are foreign chemicals in our water that aren’t meant for human consumption. How did they get there and do they pose any risk to our health? Perfluorooctanoic acids and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, are a...
Did You Know that Graywater is Legal in the State of CA?
Posted on 21 June 2019 By Charles Alex Malotte What is graywater? Graywater (also spelled “greywater” or “gray water”) is water from showers, tubs, bathroom sinks, and clothes washers. Graywater does not include sewage. Graywater is an ideal resource for reuse:...
SIERRA CLUB AIRPORT MARINA GROUP – Summer Issue While we are DARK at Chase Park in July and August there are things you can do — PLEASE READ
Posted on 17 July 2018 By Jeanette Vosburg SIERRA CLUB AIRPORT MARINA GROUP – Summer Issue While we are DARK at Chase Park in July and August there are things you can do --- 1. Attend Del Rey Neighborhood Council Planning & Land Use Committee’s Meeting, Thursday,...