Heal the Bay Blog

Kirsten James, Heal the Bay’s director of water quality, says it’s time to end the stupid toilet-to-tap” debate.

For the last four years I have been a member of the City of Los Angeles’s Recycled Water Advisory Group (affectionately known as “RWAG”).  Led by the L.A. Department of Water and Power and L.A. Bureau of Sanitation, this diverse group of stakeholders from the government, business and nonprofit sectors keep tabs on the city’s efforts to increase water recycling.

Basically, we all want to avoid the downhill spiral that resulted from the toilet-to-tap debate in 2000, in which mayoral candidate Joel Wachs suggested that a DWP plan to recycle treated wastewater near Hansen Dam would result in Valley residents drinking “toilet water” in the future. The media coverage and public uproar eventually lead to the shuttering of the city’s recycling efforts for years.

RWAG didn’t get off to a great start. In fact, many groups were disillusioned early in the process when LADWP’s initial goal of producing at least an additional 50,000 acre-feet per year of recycled water by 2019 was suddenly pushed back to 2029. Now the goal that I hear most often is 59,000 acre-feet per year by 2035. Let’s stick to a goal and make it happen! (To give you some perspective, the city of L.A. uses about 621,000 acre feet of water each year, with an acre foot being about 326,000 gallons. The new goal would result in recycling accounting for a little less than 10% of our water supply, assuming demand stays constant.)

However, reflecting on the last four years, there are significant signs of progress on the recycled water front.   

In October 2012, LADWP adopted its Recycled Water Master Plan, which outlines plans for groundwater replenishment and non-potable reuse strategies within the city. Basically, this blueprint calls for highly treated wastewater from sewage plants to be pumped to other facilities that can supply it for irrigation. Other projects would replenish groundwater by pumping this treated wastewater — which meets all water quality standards — back into the aquifer for further natural cleansing and use. And yes, this reused water would even be used for drinking water — as it’s been done successfully since 2008 in Orange County!

The advanced treatment pilot project that explored treatment technology effectiveness was completed at the Tillman Water Reclamation Plant, and the draft EIR for the project is expected this fall. This is a big deal. However, the project is contingent on the construction of the San Fernando Basin Groundwater Treatment Complex and that costs big money ($600 million-$900 million, according to estimates given during L.A. City Council’s Energy and Environment Committee last week).

There are also non-potable reuse projects popping up around the city. For instance, the Harbor Refineries Pipeline Project will have 40,400 feet of recycled water piping that will convey recycled water to large industrial and irrigation customers by June 2014.

And this week the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board approved a permit amendment to allow the Water Replenishment District’s Alamitos Barrier project to move toward 100% recycled water. The Barrier project, located on the L.A. – Orange County border, uses 43 injections wells to prevent seawater intrusion into groundwater supplies and to replenish Los Angeles County’s Central Basin. The recycling program would save 3 million gallons per day of potable water, the equivalent of serving the needs of 7,000 homes. 

LADWP’s Master Plan also concluded what many of us already knew — the city’s recycled water program is less expensive than the cost of purchased imported water from MWD over the long-term. As an example, the upcoming non-potable projects in Downtown and East Valley are estimated to have a unit cost of $220 and $560 per acre foot, respectively, whereas imported water is running at $890 per acre foot. 

I believe we are ready for widespread recycled water use. Just look at our neighbors in Orange County who are replenishing their groundwater basin with 70 million gallons of treated effluent daily, with plans to reach 100 million gallons by 2015. An outreach study recently commissioned by LADWP found that the majority of residential and commercial customers support the concept behind the proposed groundwater replenishment. And 87% find that action needs to be taken to ensure L.A.’s water supply.  Keep in mind that this was data collected before the Governor’s recent drought declaration, so these numbers will likely climb.

At our RWAG meeting last week we discussed finalizing the “RWAG Consensus Statement,” which outlines the group’s strong support of recycled water to augment the groundwater supply and keeps the door open to exploring direct potable reuse. Even that small move is a measure of how far we have come from the days of toilet-to-tap (which, by the way, is now called “showers to flowers”). With more widespread public acceptance and the increasing pressures on our water supply, it is all the more important that we ramp up these efforts and start exceeding the goals.

Heal the Bay president Ruskin Hartley spends a night at the cinema.

I don’t normally go in for depressing documentaries. But when the local art house is showing a documentary on water around the world (“Last Call at the Oasis“), followed by a panel discussion with some of my friends and board members at Heal the Bay, I will make an exception.

The recent screening at Santa Monica’s Aero Theatre presented moving stories from Las Vegas, Texas, Australia, Israel and right here in California that painted a pretty grim picture of our water woes around the world. Pesticides are bleeding endocrine disruptors into water, turning male frogs into females. Kids are getting lesions from swimming in water polluted with fracking chemicals. The aquifer below the great Central Valley is being bled dry from unregulated wells. Mix in the disruption of climate change and you have a depressing narrative. As one of the scientists summed up: “We’re screwed.”

But amid the doom and gloom there are glimmers of hope. Some of these glimpses appeared in the film, others were shared by the panelists. For years I have been hearing about water wars. Turns out the concept is a fallacy. A social scientist had studied wars over the past 50 years and found that water had actually brought warring sides together even as conflict raged.

And think we’ll never be drinking recycled water? Think again. Singapore already meets 30% of its potable needs through cleverly branded “new” water. Turns out recycled water is more regulated and safer than bottled water. The answer? Put “new” water in bottles and sell it as “porcelain springs” with a slick campaign!

Better water policy often boils down to local communities coming together to stand up for their local water sources and solve problems in their neighborhoods, communities, cities and states. Take Santa Monica, as an example. Tired of waiting for the state or federal government to clean up groundwater contaminated with MTBE and other noxious chemicals, it took matters into its own hands and sued the oil companies responsible for the pollution. The result? $250 million to clean up local groundwater. Local water supplies in Santa Monica have shot from zero percent to 72 percent in a few short years.

We need to take that approach at every level. And we can’t wait for it to happen to us. We just need to get it done.

Our cities and state can start to invest in local water today. We should be cleaning up groundwater. We should be capturing stormwater to recharge our aquifers and irrigate our lawns and golf courses. (Of course, it’d be better if we started moving away from having to maintain water-intensive lawns and gardens, but that’s the subject for another post). And we should be recycling more waste water — as David Nahai said, “It’s only waste water if we choose to waste it.” (David sat on the panel with fellow boardmember Mark Gold, the former longtime president of Heal the Bay.)

And on a personal level, we can work to reduce our water footprint in a number of ways: installing low-flow fixtures, capturing rain in rain barrels, installing simple and cheap grey water systems to re-use water from washing machines to water the garden.

 I turned my sprinklers off before the rain started to fall. Did you?

The 3-Day Rule has long been a mantra at Heal the Bay – always wait three days after a rainstorm before getting back into the ocean.

But a recent study conducted by UCLA environmental science students in conjunction with Heal the Bay’s water quality team indicates that extra caution may be warranted at certain locations, especially stormdrain-impacted beaches and enclosed beaches.

The new report, which analyzed Heal the Bay’s beach water quality data for the past seven years,  reveals that many popular beaches near stormdrains in Southern California remain riddled with bacterial pollution up to five days after rain and pose a health risk. There are more than 100 stormdrain-impacted beaches in Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

Malibu Surfrider, Santa Monica Pier, and Doheny are among the iconic Southland beaches located near flowing storm drain outfalls. These outfalls carry bacteria-laden urban runoff directly from city streets into the sea. So it seems wise to avoid these beaches for at least 5 days after a storm.

The main source of pollution to Santa Monica and San Pedro bays is urban runoff carried through the county’s 5,000 mile-long storm drain system. Unlike sewage, this runoff typically receives no treatment and flows freely onto shorelines and the sea through the network of open channels, catch basins and streams.

Exposure to bacteria from runoff can cause a variety of illnesses, most frequently respiratory infection and stomach flu. Human pathogens of unknown origins can also be carried down gutters.

Separately, enclosed beaches located near harbors and marinas often did not meet beach water quality standards for 10 days after a rain, according to findings from UCLA undergraduates participating in a program with the school’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability.

Enclosed beaches, such as Marina del Rey’s Mother’s Beach or L.A.’s Cabrillo Harbor, do not have the strong currents and breakers of open-ocean beaches. The lack of waves may be reassuring to some parents but it leads to very poor ocean circulation.

Students analyzed water quality data gathered weekly by Heal the Bay with the goal to re-evaluate the California Department of Public Health advisories. More than 87,000 data points from the 32 most frequently monitored beaches in California were analyzed for levels of harmful bacterial pollution.

“The UCLA study indicates that the 3-Day Rule may not be adequate to protect the health of all ocean swimmers,” said Amanda Griesbach, a Heal the Bay staff scientist. “Until the rule is modified, swimmers are better protected by avoiding storm drain impacted and enclosed beaches for 5-10 days after a storm.”

Heal the Bay urges beachgoers to check the latest water quality grades for more than 400 beaches statewide, based on the latest samples, each week at beachreportcard.org.

 The full UCLA-Heal the Bay report can be found here.

Kirsten James, our science and policy co-director, shares a special night on the red carpet with our board member..

Wow, what a party! Last night I had the opportunity to attend the unite4:humanity event on the Sony Pictures lot honoring Heal the Bay’s very own board member, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, for her service to Heal the Bay and environmental causes. The dinner and awards program, presented by unite4:good and Variety, also recognized the philanthropic work of Bill Clinton, director Martin Scorsese, singer Alicia Keys and youth star Selena Gomez.

I jumped at the chance to be there to support Julia, as I have been blown away by her dedication to our cause during my nine years with Heal the Bay. Walking to Los Angeles City Hall with Julia last year right before the successful vote on the single-use plastic bag ban remains one of the highlights of my career. Julia met with the councilmembers to make sure they understood the importance of the issue. She also provided poignant testimony before the Council, with a twist of humor of course.

For someone steeped in the world of nonprofits, the entertainment industry remains a bit of a mystery. Hollywood is something you read and hear about constantly, but it’s not something most people get to experience first-hand. So I was pretty star-struck to sit at a table with Julia, Jane Fonda, Bobby Kennedy and Cheryl Hines. Who would have thought that I’d ever be having a conversation with Jane Fonda during Oscar week about blue whales in Santa Monica Bay?!

No matter how big a celebrity, everyone we met at the 1,000-person event seemed genuinely interested in hearing more about what we do at Heal the Bay. It’s great to be working on a cause that everyone can so easily grasp and relate to – clean oceans and beaches. Meeting President Clinton was the icing on the cake. (I already emailed the photos to my mom!)

But the true highlight of the night was hearing Julia’s speech about Heal the Bay and why our work is important to her. Her passion came through in every word. It made me so proud to work for this organization.

A big THANK YOU to Julia, Variety and unite4:good for celebrating the work that we and many others do to create positive change throughout the world. Hopefully, the room full of creative storytellers and media executives was moved by our efforts and can share the stories with their audiences.

Watch: Julia Louis-Dreyfus awarded for her work with Heal the Bay from Heal the Bay.

With heavy storms forecast for the weekend we take a look at what all that rain means for our local beaches and ocean:

What does the recent storm mean for our local environment?

In a time of severe drought, storms will help recharge our local aquifers and increase water supply. That’s a good thing. But all the rainfall also has a downside, namely polluted runoff hitting our local beaches and ocean.

Where does all the storm-related runoff go?

After a big rainstorm, L.A. County’s 5,000-mile stormdrain system and local waterbodies carry runoff straight to the ocean. Engineers in the 1930s and ‘40s designed the stormdrain system to prevent area flooding. L.A. is like a giant concrete bowl titled to the sea, with thousands of miles of freeways, parking lots and other impervious surfaces draining to the beach.

With such a severe drought, couldn’t we make better use of all that water dumped in the ocean?

Yes. Sending urban runoff to the sea is a huge waste of a precious resource. Los Angeles imports costly and increasingly scarce water from Northern California and the Colorado River. Storm water — if captured in groundwater basins, cisterns and other devices — could provide a safe, more secure and less costly source of drinking water. Heal the Bay is now working on a public funding measure to support regional multi-benefit stormwater capture and reuse projects.

What are the impacts of stormwater on our local beaches and ocean?

Urban runoff is the No. 1 source of pollution on our beaches. As rainfall runs through the streets and stormdrains, it picks up harmful contaminants along the way – trash, pet waste, chemicals, fertilizers and metals. All that gross stuff winds up in the ocean and along the shoreline.

In what way do local residents contribute to the runoff problem?

Among many items, Angelenos add to debris buildup by dropping nearly 1 million cigarette butts on the ground each month, according to L.A. County Department of Public Works estimates in 2010. Citizens walk a dog without picking up the droppings more than 82,000 times per month, and they hose off driveways and sidewalks into storm drains more than 415,000 times each month.

Why isn’t the runoff treated?

Some cities have combined stormwater and sewer systems, but Los Angeles has completely separate water drainage systems. The sheer volume of runoff generated in the nation’s second-largest city makes it difficult to treat.

How much runoff are we actually talking about?

After a single powerful storm, up to 10 billion gallons of contaminated water and trash flow daily through our storm drains, creeks and rivers into the Santa Monica and San Pedro Bays. That’s the equivalent of 100 Rose Bowls filled with polluted water.

What does all this runoff to do the ocean and the animals that call it home?

Countless animals each year die from ingesting trash or getting entangled in manmade debris. Seawater laden with chemicals and metals makes it harder for local marine life to thrive and reproduce.

What about the human health impacts?

Beachgoers who come in contact with polluted water face a much higher risk of contracting illnesses such as stomach flu, ear infections, upper respiratory infections and skin rashes. A UCLA epidemiology study found that swimmers are twice as likely to get sick from swimming in front of a flowing storm drain than from recreating in open water.

How can ocean lovers stay safe after rainfall?

• Wait at least 72 hours before entering the water for most beaches and avoid storm drain impacted and enclosed beaches for 5 to 10 days
• Stay away from storm drains, piers and enclosed beaches with poor circulation
• Go to Heal the Bay’s beachreportcard.org to get latest water quality grades and updates

What about the economic impacts?

People make nearly 50 million visits to Santa Monica Bay beaches each year. And the coastal economy in Los Angeles County generates more than $20 billion in goods and services each year. Polluted water and debris-laden beaches put these economic drivers at risk.

What can people do to reduce the impact of runoff-related pollution?

• Dispose of litter properly. Keeping trash out of the street, keeps trash out of the sea. Cigarette butts and Styrofoam pieces are the two most frequently found items at our beach cleanups.
• Rip up your lawn. Nearly half of our water is used to care for our lawns. Not only is it a waste of water in an arid climate, it contributes to poor water quality due to pesticides and fertilizers.
• Keep rainwater on site. Many cities offer rebates to homeowners who install rain barrels or cisterns, which capture and infiltrate rainfall for later use around the home.

What can I do to reduce the immediate impact of all the storm debris washing onto our beaches?

Consdier joining Heal the Bay’s new Storm Response Team, a rugged squad of volunteers and staff ready to give some TLC to our most trash-impacted beaches. After big storms, the crew leaps into and removes debris and catalogues it for our ongoing stormwater advocacy efforts.

Want to get a graphic, real-time look at storm debris impacting our shoreline? Check out this nighttime video of runoff hitting the beach at Bay Street in Santa Monica

Heal the Bay president Ruskin Hartley on what it really means to waste water:

On Wednesday I joined Mayor Garcetti, Gov. Brown and members of the President’s Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience at a reception at the Getty House to kick off day-long talks about how the federal government can help communities confront climate change. And today in Fresno, President Obama is unveiling an aid package for communities hit hardest by the drought.

Even as we address immediate needs of drought-stricken communities, we must move beyond short-term aid and invest in a water system for California’s future. And that presents historic opportunities for our work at Heal the Bay. Since 1985, we have been focused on cleaning up pollution in California’s waterways and ocean.  We have had some remarkable successes.  However, many of the state’s rivers and streams still fail to meet clean water standards and much of our groundwater is polluted.

There’s much discussion at the moment about how we “waste” water by dumping it into the ocean. Every time I hear that I cringe. While it is not a waste to let water flow to the ocean (it’s an essential part of the natural system that keeps us alive), it is a waste to dump highly treated water in the ocean that could be reused to off-set dwindling imported supplies.   And we do this every day from countless wastewater treatment plants. One plant alone, Hyperion out by LAX,  flushes 250 million gallons a day of treated wastewater into Santa Monica Bay – equivalent to the water needs of 2 ½ million people. That’s unconscionable waste!

And then there’s stormwater. When it rains, millions of gallons of rain flush through the urban watershed via engineered culverts and channels, picking up pollutants in a rush to the ocean. In a naturally functioning system, much of this would infiltrate into the ground and replenish our aquifers.  Instead we are left with polluted beaches and depleted aquifers. Crazy! 

We cannot make it rain. But we can make much better use of the precious water we have. Today, Heal the Bay is advocating for solutions and investments that make better use of our local water resources: groundwater clean-up, stormwater capture and recharge, and increased recycling. Taken as a package, they will go a long way to cleaning up our rivers, streams, and ocean. And that will make for a healthier bay. I’ll drink to that!

Kirsten James, Heal the Bay’s director of water quality, recently took a trip to China to discuss environmental issues with policymakers in the world’s most populous nation. Here she shares her reflections.

I’m back from China, and breathing a lot easier. I had a fabulous time, but the air pollution is brutal! Last month, the Beijing government invited me to speak to its Water Authority about water issues and regulation in California and share lessons to help inform the development of Beijing’s Water Action Plan.  My trip was a great learning experience, providing an up-close view of Chinese culture and how the nation goes about tackling environmental issues.

Addressing water supply and water quality is no small task for Beijing managers, given that they serve a population of more than 21 million residents. Officials I spoke with repeatedly pointed to population growth as their greatest environmental challenge.  As I described our work to benefit the city of Los Angeles and its 4 million residents, they nodded but said we are on a totally different playing field.  Nonetheless, they seemed keen to investigate how practices used to manage water in California could be introduced to Beijing, such as Total Maximum Daily Loads, other pollution limits and low impact development requirements.

In some respects, Beijing could be considered a step ahead of us in conservation. The city has had success implementing the use of grey water, water metering and price-tiering. Yet those programs might be attributed to an overly strong government hand and more lax public health regulations, which may not be a good thing.

My Chinese colleagues got a good chuckle when I mentioned that people in the greater L.A. region use 187 gallons of water per day on average.  One participant noted that he keeps a bucket of grey water from his sink/laundry to flush his toilet.  Beijing  has significant water recycling initiatives and is seriously exploring indirect potable reuse, so-called “toilet to tap” technologies. Beijing has definitely taken notice of Orange County’s cutting-edge efforts to cleanse wastewater and turn it into drinking water.

My biggest takeaway was seeing how the Chinese government has such a strong role in both hindering and encouraging environmental progress.  For example, if the government owns much of the industry and business, are officials going to make themselves the “responsible party” for cleaning up a groundwater contamination issue or an industrial spill?  However, if the government determines that a new subway line needs to go in within the year and that people shouldn’t drive a certain day of the week to help reduce air pollution, this can be done overnight (no CEQA in China)!

Local municipalities, residents, businesses and public policy advocates in Southern California struggle with the number of agencies dealing with water management. It can be hard to gain consensus and move forward when there are so many silos (e.g., the DWP, MWD and L.A. County Public Works).  Beijing had a similar problem, with 70 different agencies working on water issues.  So in 2004, the government decided the competing unit would all unify into one agency. Voila!

I learned a lot in Beijing to broaden my perspective on water management and hopefully I provided some tools that can help officials there develop and implement a robust water plan.  However, it’s good to be home, drinking clean water from the tap and enjoying a clear blue sky.