The Importance of Multi-Benefit Projects for Stormwater Capture and Recreation

Los Angeles County just broke ground on a $41 million stormwater capture project at Adventure Park in Whittier.

1 minute read

March 6, 2023, 11:00 AM PST

By Clement Lau


Rendering of underground stormwater capture system in Adventure Park in Whittier, California

Los Angeles County Public Works Department / Adventure Park stormwater management system

The proposed Adventure Park Multi-Benefit Stormwater Capture Project, located in the unincorporated community of South Whittier, will help improve water quality in Coyote Creek and the San Gabriel River while offering various community benefits. The project involves the construction of new drainage infrastructure to capture and treat stormwater and enhancements to the park, including drought-tolerant landscaping with educational signs, new exercise equipment, walking paths, and renovated sports fields.

As Susan Carpenter reports, the $41.2 million project is partly funded with property tax revenues generated through Measure W, the LA County ballot initiative voters approved in 2018. The Safe Clean Water Program, as it is also known, taxes property owners within the LA County Flood Control District 2.5 cents per square foot of impermeable surface area. Those funds are then used to increase local water supplies and improve water quality. Annually, the countywide program generates as much as $285 million.

Adventure Park will be closed while the stormwater capture project is under construction. It will take about two years to build the underground storage system and upgrade the facilities above ground, during which time residents may visit nearby Mayberry and Sorensen Parks.

Wednesday, February 22, 2023 in Spectrum News 1

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

September 16, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico

A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

A coal power plant in Iowa billows smoke into the air.

Nation's most wind-powered state turns to coal as data centers increase energy demand

For the first time in decades, Iowa has increased its generation of coal power.

7 hours ago - Inside Climate News

A sign on a fence describing the rain garden behind it.

NYC cools commuters with city's first rain garden above a bus stop

New York City officials say the plants in the rain garden can absorb 16 gallons of rainwater during heavy storms.

September 17 - Gothamist

A map showing Brightline West's intended route from  Las Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga, California.

Brightline West’s future may rely on $6 billion federal loan

The company has until Nov. 2 to make a $400 million equity investment into its proposed high-speed rail line.

September 17 - Smart Cities Dive

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.