The Department of Public Works plans relief for the tranquility of the community

Among the things that people are most concerned about during the coronavirus pandemic is knowing how safe and efficient the water service will continue to be.

For this reason, Los Angeles County officials emphasized ensuring that there is no shortage of water and that it is also not contaminated with any viruses, including COVID-19.

On the contrary, they noted, Los Angeles County continues to work hard on projects to improve and retain the water its more than 10 million residents drink.

Dan Lafferty, deputy director of the central water resources service area for the Department of Public Works, said for La Opinón that there are some projects that – despite being expensive – will have a positive and improved impact on water quality in addition to providing supplies alternative drinking water or to offset existing uses of irrigation.

One of them is to continue improving the Angeles County Flood Control District, which since it was built in 1915 has successfully prevented flooding since before its existence it had claimed lives and severely damaged property.

Specific

Currently the Flood Control District covers more than 2,700 square miles and almost 2.1 million parcels in 6 major watersheds. It includes drainage infrastructure within 86 incorporated cities, as well as the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.

This includes 14 major dams and reservoirs, 483 miles of open channel, 27 expansion sites, 3,330 miles of underground storm drains, 47 pump plants, 172 debris basins, 27 sediment placement sites, three groundwater intrusion barriers sea ​​and an estimated 82,000 catchment basins.

"It is a very efficient system for moving water. It provides certainty in terms of where those flood waters are going, "said Lafferty.

However, over time the Department of Public Works, which is in charge of supervising it, has realized that the project lacked open space for habitat and recreational opportunities. As Los Angeles has grown and urban areas have become denser, the need for these spaces has increased.

"Although we know that the systems may have been originally designed in a certain way, there are places where we can change that and provide some of these other opportunities that are really in great need within our communities," said Lafferty.

For example, he said, it could be something that while the flood control system improves, it also creates a recreational space, a habitat area or walking trails or adding shaded benches for people to relax.

"There is also growing concern about the quality of the water that flows into our system and ultimately is discharged into the ocean and can affect the quality of the water bathers experience," said Lafferty.

Therefore, the flood control district and the county have been working for almost 15 years to change perspectives on infrastructure and future projects to see what kinds of multiple projects should be included.

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