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Turning Runoff Into Resource
How a River Sump Pump System Could End California’s Drought Woes
As a native of Long Beach, California, the dry riverbeds of the Los Angeles and Los Coyotes River basins were the playground of my younger days. As a kid riding their bike through the LA River, water conservation was never a constant presence, but I remember teachers highlighting the value of every drop saved in a state frequently balancing on the edge of the drought, which was something drilled into us every day. This morning’s news of Southern California being inundated by an atmospheric river, with up to 14 inches of rainfall reported in parts of LA and San Bernardino counties, brought this issue back to my mind. The Los Angeles River, once a dry channel from my childhood, now surged against its cement flood walls. Yet, the irony was clear: this abundance of water was destined to be flushed out to the ocean, and the amount of water could have easily sustained a city like LA for a year.
This observation led me to question: If we can extract water from hundreds of feet below the ground, why can’t we find a way to store excess rainwater back into the aquifer during times of plenty? I watch many YouTube videos about drought and water shed status; the ground is bone dry just below the surface, and the soil is desperate for this water. There must be a way to get…
