LA is doing a poor job of capturing and cleaning stormwater, report shows

Winter rains are great for helping end the fire season and building up drinking water supplies. But in LA, a storm also means millions of gallons of storm water draining straight onto the beaches and into the ocean. That stormwater carries the filth and garbage on the streets and in the drains: bacteria, oil and grease, chemical, etc. Watershed management groups are supposed to capture and clean stormwater. But a new report by environmental nonprofit Heal the Bay finds that they’re only treating a small fraction of the water they’re supposed to.