How Capturing Stormwater Reduces Greenhouse Gases
California’s Fragmented Water Problem and Climate Change
We move enormous volumes of water from the mountains to our cities – while capturing all our stormwater (and dry weather runoff) and moving it as quickly as possible to the ocean. Moving water over long distances is energy-intensive and creates greenhouse gases that cause climate change.
Use nature-based approaches to transform stormwater and dry weather runoff into new water supplies. “Smart” natural habitat and parks integrates state-of-the-art engineering to divert, treat and store runoff from existing stormdrains. Soils and plants naturally convert runoff into clean water for re-use for irrigation and groundwater recharge.
This helps avoid harmful greenhouse gases created by importing water over long distances, stores carbon – and creates new, green open space to improve the quality of life in communities with the greatest needs.
How Does Capturing Stormwater Also Help Tackle Climate Change?
- Replaces energy-intensive imported water that creates greenhouse gases and uses the captured runoff for irrigation and recharging groundwater
- Maximizes carbon storage – a key component of greenhouse gases – by planting native habitat, which combines trees, shrubs and other plants, creating a permanent ecosystem that is adapted to Southern California’s unique climate
Using Habitat Tiles to Capture Carbon
CCS created a scalable, 5,000 square foot ‘Habitat Tile’, which contains up to 250 native plants that can store up to 100 tons CO2e over 20 years, equal to 237,000 vehicle miles. One acre of restored habitat stores carbon equal to over 2 billion vehicle miles.