Following several years of rainfall far below average, local rainfall during the 2016-17 winter season finally exceeded average precipitation. Precipitation in northern California, however, resulted in the wettest year on record filling the larger reservoirs that supply imported water to Southern California. Unfortunately, the rainfall last year was not enough to replenish our local groundwater supply that was depleted during several years of drought. It will require multiple years of average or greater local rainfall to restore the local water supply to pre-drought levels.   

The Verdugo groundwater basin, an underground aquifer, is the primary local water supply for Crescenta Valley.  Crescenta Valley Water District (CVWD) operates a system of several wells that lift the groundwater into the reservoirs to meet the water demands of the District’s customers. This local water supply is supplemented with imported water from northern California.

CVWD is planning for the future to address the challenges of sustainable groundwater supply, reliability of supplemental imported water supply, aging water system infrastructure and climate change. With groundwater levels at record lows, CVWD is evaluating several projects and initiatives to improve the long-term sustainability of our local water supply and reduce reliance on imported water. The District has an active program to improve our groundwater production capability through the activation of new and rehabilitated wells. Evaluations of projects to capture additional rainwater for percolation into the aquifer and deliver recycled water for irrigation at parks are in progress.

The Verdugo groundwater basin is replenished by rainfall, which slowly seeps through the ground refilling the aquifer. As the area has developed, paved roads, driveways, buildings, and other improvements, which are impervious to water infiltration, have reduced the natural replenishment of the aquifer. In addition, flood control improvements, designed to quickly transport storm water and protect property, have also reduced rainwater capture.

Capturing rainwater with artificial (man-made) public works projects has been done throughout history. Some of the largest projects in the country are here in Los Angeles County along the San Gabriel and Rio Hondo river channels. These projects require thousands of acres of flat land to allow the water to slow down and spread out for effective groundwater replenishment, which is in short supply in the Crescenta Valley.      

A project to assess the feasibility of utilizing Crescenta Valley Park to recharge the Verdugo Basin with rainwater has been in the works for the past few years.  CVWD has received state grant funding to conduct a feasibility study and technical evaluation of a project to divert runoff from the Verdugo Wash and Dunsmore flood control channels and use the park to allow the water to percolate through the soil to replenish the groundwater basin. Working with Los Angeles County Parks and Flood Control departments and other stakeholders, CVWD is proceeding with the next phase of project development that includes negotiation of multi-agency agreements and additional grant funding. When complete, the project will capture up to 300 acre-feet of rainwater annually, thus increasing available local water supplies by 10%.

The involvement of the Crescenta Valley community is essential in the District’s efforts to address the challenges of sustainable water supply, infrastructure for reliability, and the long-term financial stability for the future. In this regard, there are ways everyone can help with rainwater capture.

What’s the best way to collect rainwater? Rainwater catchment systems can range from a couple of 55-gallon barrels at residents’ downspouts to industrial-scale cisterns that can supply an entire building. Other ways to use rainwater, if a rain barrel is not your thing, is to install drain pipe extensions at the bottom of your downspouts to direct the rainwater to areas in your garden and away from your house. If possible, grading or sloping away from your house will enable the rainwater to run down to your landscaping.

The District, along with Glendale Water and Power, will be hosting a rain barrel class Saturday, Jan. 20. Reservations can be made at www.rainbarrelsintl.com.

For more information on capturing and utilizing rainwater on your property, please visit www.cvwd.com.