Stormwater Quality Master Plan

Photograph of stormwater running along street corner into storm drain

In 2021, the City of Culver City developed a Stormwater Quality Master Plan. The Stormwater Quality Master Plan is a customized tool to guide the City’s stormwater quality compliance strategy, prioritize best management practices, prioritize spending, identify potential project partners, and maximize grant funding opportunities. 

What is a Stormwater Quality Master Plan?

 

Photograph featuring a sign for Ballona Creek

Based on the physical characteristics of Culver City and current stormwater quality goals and requirements, the Stormwater Quality Master Plan has identified and analyzed potential project opportunities for capturing and managing stormwater in the Ballona Creek Watershed. Depending on the competing priorities of the City, the Master Plan will assist to prioritize stormwater projects to determine which move forward into feasibility study, design, and construction.

The Stormwater Quality Master Plan presents over 400 potential project opportunities that, if constructed, would achieve 69 acre-feet of stormwater capture, 70% of the total compliance goal. Based on planning estimates, it would cost approximately $140M to implement all of the potential projects. The Master Plan will assist the City to prioritize projects using three measures: 1) budget, 2) cost-effectiveness, and 3) multi-benefit metrics. The Master Plan's implementation strategy includes individual "recipes for compliance" based on variations in budget, prioritization, and multi-benefit goals.

Image: Compliance chart showing EQMP Target Volumes = 42 ac-ft and SWQMP Opportunities = 69 ac-ft, features graph bars show breakdown by project type, including approx 25 ac-ft LID projects, approx 40 ac-ft Green Streets projects,approx 48 ac-ft Regional Projects, and TBD

The Stormwater Quality Master Plan features a web-based dashboard tool to facilitate collaboration within the City to increase efficiency. The tool will also track compliance progress and spending through the planning, bid, and construction phases of a project.

Lastly, the Stormwater Quality Master Plan includes concept plans for the top-ranked multi-benefit priority projects. These concept plans will serve as a communication tool to solicit project funding and public engagement once projects move forward to the feasibility study stage.  

View the Draft Stormwater Quality Master Plan(PDF, 82MB)

View the Stormwater Quality Master Plan Fact Sheet(PDF, 963KB)

Why was the Stormwater Quality Master Plan developed?

Under the Ballona Creek Enhanced Watershed Management Plan, Culver City is responsible for capturing 99 acre-feet of stormwater and Culver City must comply with the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4). The Stormwater Quality Master Plan was developed to assist in meeting stormwater quality compliance targets, to comply with the provisions of the MS4 Permit, and to address the City's water quality priorities.  

Football stadium field showing hand drawing of box filled with 99-ac-ft of water.jpg

A 99 acre-feet of capture is approximately one (1) football field filled with 99 feet of water.

Learn more about Culver City's management of stormwater and urban runoff, regulations, funding, and current projects.

What types of projects are in the Master Plan?

The three main project categories of structural Best Management Practices (BMPs) can be categorized as Low Impact Development (LID), Green Streets, and Regional Projects.

Low Impact Development Projects (LID)

Image: Conceptual schematic drawing showing Low Impact Development type project featuring a house and surrounding parcel, parked car on driveway with permeable pavement, sidewalk from driveway to front door, landscaped plants and trees throughout parcel, and a water-storage silo, with arrows showing water captured from permeable pavement and water-storage silo up to landscaped plants and down to water table

  • Distributed structural practices that capture, infiltrate, store, and use and/or treat runoff at a parcel (normally less than 10 tributary acres)
  • Common practices include bioretention, permeable pavement, and other practices that prevent runoff from leaving a parcel 

Green Streets Projects

Image: Conceptual schematic drawing of a Green Street type project featuring a car parked on city street with permeable pavement capturing water and a planted parkway capturing street and sidewalk runoff, with arrows showing water pathways underground - up to landscaped plants and down to water table

  • Distributed structural practices that are typically implemented as linear bioretention/biofiltration practices installed parallel to roadways
  • Receive runoff from the gutter via curb cuts or curb extensions (sometimes called bump outs) and infiltrate through native or engineered soil media

Regional Projects

Image: Conceptual schematic drawing of a Regional type project featuring a large pool of water in a park area with parking lot receiving water from pipes, with arrows showing water pathways underground down to water table

  • Centralized facilities located near the downstream ends of large drainage areas, typically treating tens to hundreds of acres
  • Receive large volumes of runoff from extensive upstream areas and provide a cost-effective mechanism for infiltration and pollutant reduction

Learn More

View the Stormwater Quality Master Plan(PDF, 185MB)

View the Stormwater Quality Master Plan Fact Sheet(PDF, 963KB)

Learn more about Culver City's management of stormwater and urban runoff

Learn about the Culver Blvd Reallignment and Urban Stormwater Project

Learn about the Washington Blvd Stormwater and Urban Runoff Project