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Reservoirs Are So Full Long Beach Will Buy Water at a Discount, Save its Groundwater

/in , , /by /Long Beach Post by Jason Ruiz

With California reservoirs full after a historically wet winter, the Long Beach Utilities Commission has signed off on a plan to buy more imported water at a discount to help other cities clear space to capture more rain during the upcoming winter season.

Long Beach typically pumps over 60% of its customers’ water from local ground aquifers and is able to avoid paying for more expensive water piped in through the State Water Project or the Colorado River.

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Long Beach Gears Up to Fight Upstream Sewage Spills That Pollute Its Coastline

/in , /by /Long Beach Post by Maison Tran

Long Beach had to close its coastline for 63 days over the last five years because of upstream sewage spills, but city staff told council members Tuesday that the total amount of economic or environmental damage caused by the recurring spills is hard to estimate.

Beach closures caused by raw sewage are a perennial problem in Long Beach because the city is downstream from much of Los Angeles County. The Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers carry debris and pollutants into the ocean, which can make bacteria levels in Long Beach’s water unsafe for use.

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Los Cerritos Wetlands Awarded Multimillion-Dollar Grant

/in , /by /Spectrum News 1 by Jeremy Lindenfield

The Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority was recently awarded a $31,852,000 grant from the California Coastal Conservancy that will fund ongoing restoration efforts.

According to wetland ecology expert Christine Whitcraft of California State University, Long Beach, restoring coastal wetland ecosystems is a crucial step in protecting the endangered wildlife that calls places like Los Cerritos home.

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Long Beach Commission Approves 9% Hike in Water Bills

/in , , /by /ABC 7 Los Angelesby Staff

Long Beach water customers will likely see their bills increase this year.

This comes after the Utilities Commission approved a 9% increase for water usage Monday.

The increase would add just over $5 to the average single-family household’s bill starting Oct. 1.

A public hearing on the rates is tentatively scheduled for August.

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Commissioners Discuss Hikes to Long Beach Water Rates; Vote Expected June 22

/in , , /by /Long Beach Postby Jason Ruiz

Long Beach Utilities commissioners met again Thursday to discuss a potential rate hike for water, which could be as high as 10% next year as the department deals with declining sales due to customer conservation, increasing costs and an expanding capital investment plan that could, in the long term, increase the city’s supply of less expensive groundwater.

A staff-recommended hike of 10% for water rates next year would amount to a $5.69 monthly increase for the average customer, according to the department. However, an alternate increase of 9% that was requested at the commission’s last meeting would add about $5.13 to the monthly bill.

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Utilities Commission to Weigh Plan That Could Stiffen Penalties for Water Wasters

/in , , /by /Long Beach Post by Jason Ruiz

The Long Beach Utilities Department is looking to update its water shortage contingency plan, which outlines what activities are prohibited during different stages of drought—and a new proposal could lead to steep fines for water wasters in the future.

After an exceptionally wet winter, most of the state, including Long Beach, is out of drought-like conditions. With water agencies projected to get 100% of their requested water supplies from the state, many are looking to rescind some restrictions.

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Long Beach May Look for Ways to Hold Upriver Areas Accountable When Sewage Spoils Beaches

/in , /by /Long Beach Post by Jason Ruiz

As temperatures reached the 80s and people flocked to the shore for beach cleanups on Earth Day last month, an order to stay out of the water dampened what could have been a very busy beach weekend after months of wet weather in Long Beach.

The beach closure was prompted by the second sewage spill of 2023 that resulted in 250,000 gallons of raw sewage entering the Los Angeles River near Downey and making its way toward Long Beach where the river’s mouth dumps its contents into the ocean.

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Long Beach Looks to Invest More in Groundwater as Colorado River Shrinks

/in , , /by /Long Beach Post Newsby Jason Ruiz

With the future of the Colorado River and the amount of water it will be able to deliver to Southern California in question, the Long Beach Utilities Department is looking at investing $157 million into its groundwater system, which could reduce the city’s reliance on expensive and diminishing imported water.

Groundwater accounts for about 60% of the water that Long Beach residents use each year, and the Colorado provides about 25% of the city’s supply, with the rest coming from the State Water Project, both of which can fluctuate with precipitation patterns.

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Long Beach Stormwater Treatment Plant Moves Ahead With $4 Million Grant

/in , /by /Press Telegramby Harry Saltzgaver

The City Council accepted nearly $4 million from the State Water Resources Control Board on Tuesday night, June 5, to push Long Beach’s new stormwater treatment plant into full production.

The plant, called LB-MUST (Municipal Urban Stormwater Treatment), has been in the design phase for a few years. It is designed to take low-flow stormwater from the Los Angeles River drainage area, treat it and use it to create a new wetlands nearby. Eventually, the plant may also provide recycled water for irrigation.

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Long Beach Injection Well Designed to Increase Groundwater Supply

/in , , /by /Press Telegramby Harry Saltzgaver

Construction recently began on a well designed to inject water back into the groundwater basin beneath Long Beach.

The groundbreaking last week took place at the Water Replenishment District’s advanced water treatment facility, on the southeastern border of Long Beach, next to the San Gabriel River. The plant further treats sewer effluent from the Los Angeles County Sanitation District to create purified recycled water.

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