Fed Dollars for Stormwater

The new drainage system for Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach, Calif. will have an infiltration system to retain stormwater runoff, irrigate new drought-tolerant landscaping in the downtown area and divert runoff that would otherwise end up in the Pacific.

Hermosa Beach, Calif. has received nearly $1.3 million in federal Recovery Act stimulus funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and State Water Resources Control Board to improve stormwater management on Pier Avenue.

Urban stormwater runoff from Southern California communities is the number one cause of pollution for the coastal waters and beaches. When there is substantial rain in these parts, it soon follows that coastal waters will experience elevated levels of bacteria and the wave action bringing to shore the detritus washed out to sea from the runoff of the interior hardscapes.

Pier Avenue, as the name suggests, leads to the Hermosa Pier. The project includes a new storm drain system designed to handle flooding problems and reduce stormwater pollution to the nearby beach. The drainage system will have an infiltration system to retain stormwater runoff, irrigate new drought-tolerant landscaping in the downtown area and divert runoff that would otherwise end up in the Pacific. Vegetated areas will assist with the infiltration of stormwater.

Hermosa Beach is also making streetscape enhancements. That work is not funded by federal dollars. The improvements include bike lanes, landscaped medians with pedestrian refuges, bulb-outs to enhance pedestrian safety, street and median trees and drought-tolerant landscaping. The cost of the entire project is estimated at $4.8 million.