G3’s Water LA Project Lead, Marianne Simon, Embraced By Residents After Watershed Basics Class
G3’s Watershed Basics Class kicked off the resident training portion of Water LA’s exciting project in Panorama City, CA. G3 became involved in the Water LA project more than two years ago when it was still percolating around Melanie Winter’s brain. Melanie is the Director of The River Project, the lead organization on this highly collaborative multi-phase project focused on infiltrating as much water as possible in the lower part of the Tujunga-Pacoima Watershed in Los Angeles. The California Coastal Conservancy has funded Water LA through a Proposition 84 grant (California citizens’ dollars at work!) to create this residence-focused rainwater harvesting and water conservation program.
The Tujunga-Pacoima Watershed presents a unique situation for Los Angeles. Most of the water in the Los Angeles River is generated by the upper two-thirds of this watershed, which is relatively pristine natural land dominated by forested mountains that receive a great deal of precipitation. 
The lower third of the watershed is highly developed, so the land is unable to filter and infiltrate the huge quantity of water flowing from the upper watershed. This is a serious issue, because that developed land sits on top of Los Angeles’ huge local aquifer with the geological conditions beneath these houses, schools, roads, etc. perfect for infiltration. But, because the area is so built-upon, the water is unable to enter the soil and recharge the aquifer. The result is a huge amount of wet weather runoff into the channelized LA River, extensive flooding, continued depletion of the aquifer, and desertification of our land. Thus, Water LA is focused on a few streets in a residential neighborhood of the lower Tujunga-Pacoima watershed to slow, spread, sink, and infiltrate as much rainwater as possible. It’s G3’s job to train the residents how to make this happen for their own properties and their neighbors’ too.
G3 utilizes Water LA’s message of “Capture, Conserve, Reuse” to help people make their homes more Watershed-friendly. As in all of G3’s Watershed Wise training, we begin the story by showing how rainwater can be used as a resource to conserve the use of potable water (whether is has to be imported, as 80% of LA’s water supply requires, or can be pumped from the local aquifer). Capturing rainwater also has the advantage of reducing pollution in the local waterways and ocean; that’s actually why the CA Coastal Conservancy is involved in this inland project. Also, when rainwater remains on properties instead of flowing out into the streets, flooding is radically reduced; neighbors sometimes see this as the greatest benefit to participating in a groundwater recharge project. Watershed Wise landscapes pair the story of slowing, spreading, and sinking rainwater with an understanding of how much water local grass-centric landscapes require — 55 inches per year! The ACTION MESSAGE becomes clear – remove your turf, build healthy living soil, and capture as much water as possible to both keep your new climate-appropriate landscape happy AND to infiltrate and recharge the aquifer.
LA Beautification Superheros Will Assist In Cutting Curbs and Breaking Hardscape
The Prop. 84 grant provides materials and professional services including training, garden coaching, and technical assistance to implement Best Management Practices at 24 homes in the project area. Residents will be taught to select and implement several BMPs including: Raingardens, Breaking Up Hard Surfaces, Drywells & Infiltration Pits, Curb Cuts & Parkway Swales, Edible Gardens, Greywater Systems, and Rain Barrels & Cisterns.
Marianne Simon, G3 Certified Professional 2009, is G3’s Project Lead for Water LA; she led the first Watershed Basics Class to rave reviews by attendees. Over the past several months, Marianne has participated in developing the descriptions and designs for the BMPs that will be implemented, as well as helping G3 Managing Member, Pamela Berstler, to craft a new Site Evaluation tool that will assist residents in figuring out which BMPs would be best for installation at their homes. 
The next class is a Hands-on Workshop on Site Evaluation and Design; it will be held at the home of one of the residents who participated in the Basics Class. Following the Site Evaluation HOW are four more geared toward building a demonstration site in the neighborhood before the LA rainy season begins: Sheet Mulching & Soil Building, Planting & Irrigation, Breaking Up Hard Surfaces, and Curb Cuts & Parkway Swales. Stay tuned for more as G3 and Water LA infiltrate Panorama City with Watershed Wise landscapes.
