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Board of Water and Power Commissioners Approves Tujunga Spreading Grounds Project

Board of Water and Power Commissioners Approves Tujunga Spreading Grounds Project

Stormwater capture project will help increase groundwater levels in San Fernando Basin
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Board of Water and Power Commissioners has approved the Tujunga Spreading Grounds Enhancement Project, signing off on the $27,245,000 project budget and the California Environmental Quality Act-required Environmental Impact Report. LADWP will break ground on the stormwater capture and groundwater replenishment project in Spring 2014 and will continue construction for two and half years.  The stormwater capture project is one of several that LADWP has undertaken to help increase local water supplies and reduce the City’s reliance on imported water.

Improvements to the 150-acre spreading grounds, located on the south side of the Tujunga Wash and downstream from the Hansen Dam, will help increase groundwater replenishment in the San Fernando Groundwater Basin by 8,000 acre-feet per year. Originally built for flood control and groundwater recharge, the spreading grounds will be optimized with new structures, improved percolation, and increased capacity. Basins will be deepened by an average of six feet, increasing total water storage space from 100 acre-feet to 790 acre-feet.  Other enhancements include new intake facilities that will capture low flows from the Tujunga Wash and high flows from both the Tujunga and Pacoima Diversion Washes, trash racks to help protect water quality, a new or decorative fence around the spreading grounds, and possibly recreational use and native habitat improvements.

James B. McDaniel, Senior Assistant General Manager of the LADWP Water System said, “The Tujunga Spreading Grounds Enhancement Project is an important part of our Urban Water Management Plan. Our goal is to increase the use of captured stormwater for groundwater recharge through multiple projects like this.  By leveraging existing resources and enhancing assets that we already have, we help rehabilitate our groundwater supply and ensure a sustainable local water source for our city’s future, while reducing our demands on water from Northern California.”

The Tujunga Spreading Grounds Enhancement Project is a partnership between LADWP and the Los Angeles County Flood Control District. A  Memorandum of Agreement between the agencies has also been approved by the Board of Water and Power Commissioners. For more information about the Tujunga Spreading Grounds Enhancement, visit www.LADWP.com/TSG.

 

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