The City of Paramount has been awarded a $891,984 grant from the Los Angeles County Safe, Clean Water (SCW) Program to design the Spane Park Stormwater Capture Project. Funding for the construction of the project is still being procured, and the project is merely in the design phase. The project was recommended with the guidance of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board through the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit program. The MS4 permit program requires the City to reduce the level of pollutants entering the Los Angeles River.
The grant will help the City design a state of the art infiltration system that will collect stormwater runoff to be used for groundwater recharge or treated before it is diverted to the Los Angeles River.
The project will focus on installing a 3.5-acre-foot-capacity regional stormwater capture and infiltration facility underground. Other project includes installing the following:
- A bioswale along the north end of the park: a long, channeled depression or trench that receives rainwater runoff and has vegetation (such as grasses, flowering herbs, and shrubs) and organic matter (such as mulch) to slow water infiltration and filter out pollutants.
- An ephemeral stream: a dry stream bed that flows only briefly during and following a period of rainfall in the immediate locality.
- Permeable pavements: porous surfaces composed of open-pore pavers, concrete, or asphalt with an underlying stone reservoir. Permeable pavement catches precipitation and surface runoff, storing it in the reservoir while slowly allowing it to infiltrate into the soil below or discharge via a drain tile.
- Bioretention areas within the parking lots and pathways: shallow depressions filled with sandy soil, topped with a thick layer of mulch, and planted with dense vegetation.
- Native California landscaping in the picnic area.
- Pump and filter system to provide final pollutant removal prior to discharge back into the storm drain channel during larger events.
The project will provide long-term benefits for the Paramount community and the LA River habitat. Residents can expect improved flood management, enhanced park space, new recreational opportunities, enhanced green spaces for schools, reduced heat island effect, and increased tree shade.
The City Council awarded the contract for the design phase of the project on February 1 and began community outreach at the end of April. Outreach efforts include community workshops, consideration and incorporation of public feedback, and project signage and announcements.
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