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SUSTAINABILITY - ACTION ITEM - Receive and Discuss a Report on Nature-Based Solutions for Stormwater Treatment.
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Meeting Date: January 8, 2026
Contact Person: Sean Singletary, EPO Manager, Public Works Department
Contact: (310) 253-6457, sean.singletary@culvercity.org
Fiscal Impact: Yes [ ] No [X] General Fund: Yes [ ] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [ ] No [X]
Public Notification: Email via GovDelivery (01/06/2026): Meetings and Agendas - Sustainability Subcommittee, Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Commission; Stay Informed - Community Gardening, Sustainability and Environmental Issues, Urban Forest Management, Environmental Programs and Events
Department Approval: Yanni Demitri, Public Works Director / City Engineer
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BACKGROUND
On June 5, 2025, the Sustainability Subcommittee received a report from Melanie Winter of the River Project on nature-based stormwater treatment projects. Such projects are methods of treating stormwater for pollutants in ways that replicate natural processes and avoid the introduction of costly mechanized infrastructure.
The Subcommittee members requested follow-up from staff on several items aimed at increasing implementation of nature-based solutions into the City’s stormwater portfolio.
DISCUSSION
Current Local Legislative Framework Allowing Nature-Based Stormwater Solutions
For residents and developers, the use and implementation of nature-based stormwater solutions are codified in several City documents.
Culver City’s Residential Parkway Guidelines (CCMC §9.08.710) were published in 2016 and require all new plantings in parkways be water efficient and climate appropriate, while also banning conventional and artificial turf products. If a customer adopts one of the City’s five standard schematic designs (Culver City Native Garden; Tried-and True California Natives; More Tried-and-True Plants for Southern California; Low-Water Lawn/Meadow; or Edible Garden) a permit is not required. Rain gardens in parkways are encouraged but require a permit as these installations typically require the partial removal of the curb to allow flow to enter and exit the garden area.
The City’s Urban Forest Master Plan (2016) highlights rain gardens, both for water quality and water conservation purposes.
The City’s Complete Streets Guidelines, approved by City Council in June 2025, encourages stormwater management through bioswales, pervious strips, flow-through planters, permeable pavements, and other means.
The City’s General Plan (approved August 2024) addresses stormwater quality concerns and references the City’s Stormwater Quality Master Plan.
Regional Stormwater Compliance Requirements
For City-implemented stormwater compliance, there are a variety of stormwater compliance projects, both nature-based and mechanized, designed to address the region’s staggering water quality liabilities. Because stormwater does not adhere to jurisdictional boundaries, cities across California address compliance with the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit through regional action, as well as individual reporting. The MS4 permit is overseen by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board (LARWQCB).
Culver City lies mostly in the Ballona Creek watershed, but a small portion of the west side of the City drains to Marina Del Rey’s watershed. The City is in a Watershed Management Group (WMG) with the County of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Flood Control District, and the cities of Beverly Hills, Inglewood, Los Angeles, Santa Monica and West Hollywood. A watershed management plan (WMP) was approved in 2016 that defined the signature projects and treatment quantities required by each agency to bring the entire watershed into compliance. The region will be in compliance when all agencies complete mitigation efforts outlined in the WMP and water samples fall below allowable pollutant levels.
Culver City’s Stormwater Quality Master Plan (SWQMP) was completed in 2021 and evaluated the entire City for potential projects to address stormwater pollution, including large scale municipal projects, green streets, and low impact developments on private property. The City is required to treat approximately 132 acre-feet of stormwater each year per the WMP, and currently manages less than ten percent of that amount with current projects. The SWQMP defines over 400 projects (95% of them being green street projects) that, even if all projects are implemented, the City will still not fully meet the 132 acre-feet requirement. Large-scale projects such as Culver Boulevard Median and Syd Kronenthal Park are cost-effective as they are able to treat larger amounts of water than smaller, distributed projects. Due to the upper soil levels consisting of clay throughout most of the City, infiltration is often not an option, reducing the ability to implement nature-based solutions in the larger projects.
The City has an on-going Capital Improvement Program for smaller green-street projects, which includes landscaping and rain garden elements. Phase I is slated for construction in 2026.
Although Culver City only comprises only 4% of the Ballona Creek watershed, the Creek bisects the City, and its health and quality are a point of pride for the City’s residents and local advocates. Due to this, the City has been forward thinking, made significant early progress, and been a regional leader in implementing stormwater solutions through a variety of projects.
• Large scale diversion projects such as the Culver Boulevard Stormwater Project filters stormwater and returns it to the storm system.
• The Washington Boulevard Project, uses ultraviolet means to disinfect stormwater and return it to the storm system and is also a unique public-private partnership with Costco.
• The conversion of a decommissioned sewer pump station on Mesmer Avenue diverts dry weather flow in Centinela Creek to the sewer system for recycling.
• Numerous smaller-scale rain garden projects citywide are in development, including Ballona Creek walkway, Baldwin Avenue, Lindblade Avenue, and others. Since the rain garden implementation at the City’s Transfer Station has not resulted in reduction of pollutants leaving that site, staff is currently designing a project to route all drainage from that site to the municipal sewer system for recycling at the Hyperion Plant.
Encouraging Nature-Based Stormwater Treatment on Private Property
The Public Works Department will utilize the City’s social media platforms and newsletters to publicize the City’s permitting systems for private rain gardens and gray water systems to increase their usage, as well as investigate existing partnerships with West Basin Municipal Water District and Los Angeles County to offer classes to the community on implementing such systems.
The City permits the usage of ‘gray water’ systems in CCMC §15.02.1125 wherein laundry systems may divert used water to be used for landscape irrigation or percolation into the soil.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
In 2021, the estimated cost for achieving regional compliance in the Ballona Creek Watershed was $3.2 billion, and Culver City’s cost was estimated at $162 million. Construction and maintenance costs have increased substantially since these estimates were produced.
Currently, Culver City has two funding sources for stormwater projects: the City’s Clean Beach/Clean Ocean Parcel Tax implemented in 2018 ($2.1M per year) and the County’s Safe Clean Water Program Parcel Tax implemented in 2020 ($0.5M per year). Aside from project construction, this funding must also cover all other aspects of MS4 compliance, including operations, maintenance, sampling, reporting, inspections, regional partnership costs, State Water Board fees, and fines for exceedances. These costs are currently in excess of $1M per year, making the City heavily reliant on grant programs to complete projects.
One challenge for securing grants is that modern grant programs are often drafted with an environmental justice focus, which prioritize lower income areas that disqualify relatively affluent jurisdictions such as Culver City.