During one of this winter’s frequent storms, sheets of rainwater spilled from roofs, washed across sidewalks and down gutters into a sprawling network of underground storm drains that empty into the Los Angeles River channel. (Same goes for Ballona Flood Control Channel. Billions of gallons of rainwater
Thanks to these natural runoff filtration structures, we don't have to choose between great landscape aesthetics and eco-friendly design.
Diagram by Julia Cauller
BIO-WHAT?
Bioswales are a unique green solution to the problem of contaminants in stormwater runoff. Bioswales slow down and collect polluted stormwater runoff and then filter it prior to returning it into the water cycle. They accomplish this filtration with the help of two natural processes: filtering water by passing it slowly through porous material, along with phytoremediation, where plants remove contaminants. Bioswales can contain sand, compost, and rock trenches along with native species of plants, which are adapted to local conditions. The inclusion of local plants is also important on an aesthetic and educational level: these plants blend in with the local environment and can serve as a tool to educate the public on issues of native biodiversity. Bioswales are a small but necessary remedy to the unmitigated proliferation of paved surfaces in our car- centric world. Parking lots especially create massive concrete plains incapable of absorbing or filtering stormwater.
To learn more about bioswales, check out the Soil Science Society of America: tiny.cc/soil-science-society
SWALE
/swāl/ • noun a low or hollow place, especially a marshy depression between ridges.
WHAT DO BIOSWALES FILTER?
Silt
Organics
Pathogens
Harmful fertilizers
Metallic compounds such as mercury and lead
Rain Water Capture and Reuse discussion by Jeanette Vosburg at the Culver City Garden Club 9.2.15. Capturing rainwater has saved 40% on the water bill from 2014 and 2015. Jeanette suggests choosing one or two of her ideas on your own property. 41 Minutes
Baldwin Hills/Inglewood oil fields emit fumes of vary types of danger to humans, children, elderly, and pets. And pumping water ino the ground to force oil upwards cracks the grounds, and the home's concrete foundation and walls can crack open, risking the collapse of the home's ceiling on top of the occupants. Do you want more information, then please read the below, download official studies and reports, and become actively voice your concern to the parties we have listed for you. Join our efforts to alleviate the dangers to your life and home.
