Los Angeles County Looking for Ways to Fund Stormwater Management

Supervisor Sheila Kuehl made the announcement at the recent VerdeXchange Conference.

2 minute read

March 6, 2017, 10:00 AM PST

By Elana Eden


Echo Park

Songquan Deng / Shutterstock

At the 2017 VerdeXchange Conference in Los Angeles, County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl announced that she plans to introduce a motion "in the next couple of months" to develop a countywide funding measure to pay for distributed stormwater capture facilities.

The point of this is for us all to start to think together … It’s like when the railroads were being built from the east and from the west, and then connected by the golden spike: We have to all think together about recycling, reusing, and recharging. We have to do regional governance and integrated planning—otherwise we’re going to be stepping all over each other.

The announcement was part of a panel on how the Southern California region can collaborate on water issues, including stormwater capture and drought.

Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia spoke about the unique challenges Long Beach faces as a coastal city at the end of the Los Angeles River, while Los Angeles Chief Sustainability Officer Matt Petersen shared L.A.'s progress on its year-old Sustainable City pLAn.

Jeff Kightlinger, who heads the Metropolitan Water District, charted a course for water management in California, which may soon partner with Arizona and Nevada to manage parts of the Colorado River.

"Never have we had the opportunity to have wastewater, flood control, water supply, and urban greening folks work together at the level that they are now," State Water Resources Control Board Chair Felicia Marcus told the room. "We are poised at a moment to actually break through the gridlock on this issue that we’ve been talking about for a good two decades."

Tuesday, February 21, 2017 in The Planning Report

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

Passengers board an Amtrak train under a cloudy sky.

Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement

The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.

September 18, 2026 - Mass Transit

The Gross Reservoir, a large body of water surrounded by trees and mountains.

Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion

Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.

September 18, 2026 - Inside Climate News

A painted bus lane in NYC.

NYC DOT wants faster, more permanent street upgrades

The city is examining ways to build more concrete infrastructure without getting entangled in 'decades-long' projects.

September 21 - NYC Streetsblog

A woman looks at a utility bill.

'Something we’ve never seen before:' rising utility rates could strain city finances nationwide

Data centers, climate change and other factors have caused utility rates in the United States to increase by 38% since 2020.

September 21 - Smart Cities Dive

A person scuba diving in a coral reef off Guam.

Trump to overrule local leaders, lease millions of acres of America’s Pacific Island territories’ seafloors to mining companies

International law says that the Indigenous people of America’s territories have a right to prior and informed consent regarding projects that impact their countries.

September 21 - Grist