02/23/2026
Check out our new blog post on our recent collaboration with Heal the bay, LA Waterkeeper and Randolph Consulting Group!
Together, we’re promoting large-scale schoolyard greening and stormwater management throughout LA County, focusing on the most park-poor historically impacted communities.
We announced our partnership at the Green CA Schools and Higher Education Summit in Pasadena last November, leading a session titled Managing Stormwater on School Campuses: From Potential to Permits. The session covered what stormwater runoff is, the impact of stormwater pollution on our waterways, and exploring data from a TreePeople study on the potential of LAUSD schools to contribute to stormwater management.
The key takeaways on why this matters:
💧In LA County, the average one-inch rainstorm results in 10 billion gallons (30,700 acre-feet) of runoff moving through the storm drain system
🏫 Looking at all schools in LA County, there is a total of 19.5 billion gallons per year (60,000 acre-feet/yr) of stormwater management potential. This volume would address almost 75% of LA County’s groundwater recharge goal for context.
💦 Strategically selecting the sites with the greatest potential, 10% of these schools (78 LAUSD campuses) could capture 9.8 billion gallons per year (30,000 acre-feet/year).
🌳 While schools are not currently regulated by a stormwater permit (i.e. where they are required to legally manage the stormwater that runs off their sites), they are one of the few entities left that are not regulated and are likely to be regulated in the future.
Gradually building momentum in Los Angeles for green schoolyards and will be hosting our own symposium in May exploring the many synergies of school greening and stormwater.
To read more and to sign up for our May symposium visit: https://www.watershedhealth.org/single-post/building-momentum-for-green-schoolyards-across-los-angeles-county
