First 2024 Snow Surveys Confirm Recent Winter Storms Boost Snowpack

LADWP hydrographers set out in the cold from January 25 to February 3 to conduct the first LADWP snow surveys and measurements of the 2023-2024 "water year." The atmospheric river that ripped through the state brought one-fourth of an average year's snowfall to the mountains in less than a week of storms. The precipitation from the February 4 storm is on trend with the highest day totals from the January and March storms of 2023. As of February 15, the snowpack was estimated at 71 percent of normal for the year to date, representing 54 percent of a typical water year ending April 1, with over 12 inches of water content.

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Stormwater Capture Expands Local Water Supply

8.6 Billion Gallons from Historic L.A. Storm Infiltrating Spreading Basins

LADWP's Art Castro is interviewed by KTLA at the city's Tujunga Spreading Grounds regarding the significant amount of stormwater captured so far this year.

Although this rainy season was off to a slow start, the severe multi-day storm that hit Los Angeles in early February brought nearly 9 inches of rainfall in Downtown Los Angeles, helping to recharge the San Fernando Groundwater Basin and replenish groundwater supplies. As a result of the latest storm, LADWP expects to capture an estimated 8.6 billion gallons of stormwater runoff, representing enough water to serve 106,064 Los Angeles households or fill 13,078 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Since October 1, 2023, L.A. has captured about 14.6 billion gallons of rain, enough to serve approximately 180,036 households. The city's stormwater capture capacity has increased in recent years thanks to the completion of the Tujunga Spreading Grounds Enhancement Project, developed through a regional partnership. The city's future groundwater supply will be further expanded with three major groundwater remediation projects expected to be operational this spring and fall.

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Read: Wired interview, Los Angeles Just Proved How Spongy a City Can Be

Watch: KTLA new s

"New" Water for the Los Angeles Region

LADWP joined with regional water and wastewater agencies to collaborate on an educational website featuring two major recycled water projects in development. The website, "New Water for the Los Angeles Region," seeks to educate the public about the safety and benefits of using purified recycled water to supplement our drinking water supply. LADWP's Operation NEXT and LA Sanitation and Environment's Hyperion 2035 are spotlighted as a joint effort that is creating a "new" source of drinking water. The programs involve purifying the cleaned water from a wastewater treatment plant and distributing it to replenish L.A.'s groundwater basins.

Learn more about Operation NEXT

Read: Securing Our Water Supply

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