Rethinking Stormwater – From Waste to Treasure

Unmanaged stormwater can pose a flooding and pollution hazard. But when managed properly, it can benefit communities by creating green spaces and replenishing aquifers. We spoke with Karen Cowan, executive director of the California Stormwater Quality Association (CASQA), to learn more about this undervalued resource.

First, tell us a little bit about CASQA. How should we be thinking about stormwater in California?
CASQA promotes sustainable stormwater management, protecting California’s water resources. We support policies, regulations, legislation, and stormwater solutions based on the latest science. We emphasize stormwater capture—putting water in the ground. We also focus on “true” source control—preventing contaminants like plastics and pesticides from getting into stormwater in the first place. For example, instead of dealing with one pesticide at a time, we need an approval process that considers aquatic toxicity before a pesticide is approved for use.

We also work with our members and other organizations to achieve common goals. In a regulatory context, water is siloed, so our job is to free it up and get everyone working together. Stormwater—whether in a practical or regulatory sense—affects everyone in some way, so our membership includes cities and counties, drinking water agencies, wastewater agencies, all of the University of California campuses, Caltrans, and even California State Parks.

Education is at the heart of our work. We create resources that inform and educate stormwater professionals and communicate with the public. I’m very excited about our new campaign—Rain Ready California—which we hope will change the way people think about stormwater. We hope that if state or local measures that fund stormwater or promote policies like true source control are put on the ballot, people will support them.

What are the biggest challenges and opportunities related to stormwater drainage today?

Sustainable stormwater management is the definition of opportunity. Stormwater capture includes putting water into the ground through smaller street greening projects or large infiltration basins and many approaches in between. We want to change the way we look at rain—to treat it as something good, not as a toxic waste stream. The governor’s water strategy identifies stormwater capture as one of the state’s top priorities; investments and incentives will help.

We recently worked with an economist to publish a report on the socioeconomic value of stormwater. We selected case studies of stormwater capture from around the state: small greenway projects, large infiltration projects, and flood control ponds like the Fresno system. Regardless of the size of the project, we found that the investment paid for itself within the first year. The investment opportunity is enormous, and the value it can provide to communities—including health and recreational benefits—is enormous.

The biggest challenge is funding. Stormwater is largely unfunded, and communities fund their stormwater programs primarily through the General Fund. It’s a really tough way to fund anything. You’re competing for funding for police, fire, libraries, and social services. We need to invest more, but it takes a lot of political will.

We need ongoing local, state and federal funding—not just one-time grants. Without that, it’s hard to do long-term planning. Unlike other water sectors, stormwater doesn’t have a rate-based structure, so the mechanisms established for other types of water management—low-interest loans, state revolving funds—are not options because they can’t be repaid.

Measure In is a Los Angeles property tax on impervious surfaces that is intended to raise millions of dollars annually to capture and treat stormwater to increase water supplies and improve water quality. How is it going?

Measure W shows what a dedicated stream of money can do, year after year. There’s always some inertia in the system when you’re building something out of nothing—you have to make sure you’re being careful with public money. But the projects on Measure W’s books are amazing.

Measure W is by no means enough money to fund the needs of even Los Angeles County, but it shows what can happen when significant stormwater dollars are funneled into communities. And they can design projects that may not be funded this year but could be funded in future years because the money is a dedicated funding source. Unfortunately, we don’t see local funding like Measure W spilling over to other places. Because of Prop. 218, each community needs two-thirds of the voters to approve a local stormwater funding measure. Some communities have been successful, while other local measures have failed to be approved by voters.

What gives you hope?

Public awareness has changed in such a positive way. The drought has really brought home to people how important good water management is in California. People are realizing that we need to be good stewards of our water, that it’s worth investing in, and that it’s a resource—not something to be thrown away. Working in water isn’t easy, but I do it because I know it matters. We can make a difference—what we do now can have lasting effects.