What a Small Park in Torrance Can Teach Rest of L.A.
Heal the Bay data manager Lee Myers takes an eye-opening walk at his local park and likes what he sees.
Dec. 5, 2014 — Entradero Park makes for a lively green space in northwest Torrance. It’s a popular spot that sees all kinds of use — baseball fields, children’s playground, tennis courts, impromptu kids bike course, robot-control flight space, dog walk and jogging track. And in the midst of all this human activity, you can even spot a bit of wildlife — snakes and hawks, to be sure.
The open space sits inside a low-lying sump, one of many that Torrance uses to drain the streets and neighborhoods. When it rains, stormwater flows in, and then out through the Herondo storm drain to Santa Monica Bay.
Hoping to both clean up runoff and increase infiltration, the City of Torrance recently began a Stormwater Recharge and Enhancement project at the park. Due to be completed in March 2015, the reconfigured space will slow the rush of runoff, giving it more time to seep into the ground. The project also includes catch basin screens to prevent trash from going to the Bay, as well as increased “No Parking” signs to facilitate consistent street sweeping. Less debris in the ocean, more water in the aquifer – that’s a good deal.
The park holds a special place in my heart. Not so many years ago, it served as home-schooling site for my kids. But they have moved on to public schools. Now I join the many residents who use the park to walk their dogs. You can find me there with my fearful but ever-so-sweet rescued “miniature” Lab, a Lab/American Eskimo/Australian Shepard mix. She loves it — and yes, I pick up her poop, and (dare I mention) some “extra.”
As a longtime resident of Torrance, I’m proud my city is investing in green infrastructure like this. It makes environmental and economic sense to capture runoff and keep pollution out of our ocean.
After the recent storm, I visited the park and took some photos. In the images below you can see some of the elements of the project, which is supported by Heal the Bay and largely funded with Prop. 84 bond money.
I expected to see a lot of trash… but what I saw was not what I expected.
Yes, there were a few plastic bags…
…but what else I saw gave me hope:
Torn up concrete and asphalt…
Concrete and asphalt out!
Rainwater streaming in…
…pooling, and infiltrating to replenish the aquifer: Future well water!
And in the midst of baseball fields, playgrounds and houses…
An in-the-making vernal wetlands habitat!
Shout out to John Dettle, an Engineering Manager with the city of Torrance’s Public Works Department, who supplied information for this report. Here’s more information about Torrance’s stormwater initiatives.
