After a historic amount of rainfall fell in Los Angeles County from late 2023 through early spring, officials say there was a benefit for the region.
L.A. County’s reservoirs captured and stored a little more than 96.3 billion gallons of water since October of last year when storm season began, which is enough to supply an estimated 2.4 million people for a year.
The water that is captured by the reservoirs is sent to spreading grounds for the recharge of the county’s aquifers.
“Water is our most precious natural resource, especially as cycles of drought, wildfire, and flood threaten our region’s water supply,” said Lindsey P. Horvath., Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. “The more water we capture and store locally, the more we are able to reduce our reliance on imported supplies and ensure the entire region has access to safe, clean, and reliable water.”
With 52.5 inches of rainfall over the last two storm seasons, downtown L.A. saw the wettest back-to-back years since 54.1 inches fell between 1888 and 1890.
“Because of the weather whiplash effects of climate change, it is critical that we capture and store as much stormwater as possible during these above average storm seasons—so the region is prepared during the inevitable drought years to come,” said Mark Pestrella, Director of Los Angeles County Public Works.
The city of Los Angeles benefits from the added precipitation and stored groundwater. The Department of Water and Power has 681,000 customers, the most of any municipality across the country.