IRWMP - Integrated Regional Water Management Plan

Los Angeles County, CA

In order to deal with long term water supply and water quality issues in the Greater Los Angeles County Region - an area representing approximately nine million people and over 2,200 square miles - local agencies, organizations, cities, and county government are working together to develop an Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWMP) for the Region.

Duvivier Architects worked as a consultants to the prime, Brown and Caldwell, to produce all the maps for the final document and the workshops. Duvivier Architects also produced the Open Space requirements.

Ballona Watershed Green Map

Santa Monica, CA
2000

The Ballona Watershed Green Map displays ecological and cultural resources found throughout the Ballona Watershed. This includes important waterways, wildlife migration routes, wetlands, public lands, alternative transportation corridors, environmental organizations and green businesses.

WHAT IS A WATERSHED?
and why make a watershed map?

A watershed is an area of land that drains all of the rain that falls within it to a common point. This map identifies environmental features and resources in the Ballona Watershed, which is part of the larger Santa Monica Bay Watershed. The Ballona Watershed drains through Ballona Creek to Santa Monica Bay.

Studying a watershed gives us a unique look at the relationships between water, earth, and people. Watersheds provide habitat for plants and animals and provide important environmental benefits such as water filtration and storage. The hydrologic cycle (precipitation, percolation and evaporation) shapes the earth's topography which affects the plant and animal species found in the area. Humans rely on watersheds by making use of water habitat. However, by channeling streams and paving over the earth, we have drastically altered the original percolation and filtration zones of the watershed. It is our hope that the reader will contemplate these changes, and also dream of how we might restore some of the watershed while continuing to enjoy living an urban life in Southern California.

The Ballona Watershed Green Map shows the entire watershed of La Ballona Creek including the communities of Santa Monica, Culver City, Beverly Hills, Inglewood, West Hollywood, Venice, West Los Angeles, and Los Angeles. It also shows the natural features that run throughout the watershed. These features include:

- Watershed definition and boundaries.

- Existing, as well as former creeks and streams.

- Water sources inventory (the source of local water).

- Fresh water sources such as reservoirs and lakes.

- Storm water pollution sources (which affect water quality in the watershed and Santa Monica Bay)

- Bird migration corridors and species.

- Native plant, butterfly and animal information.

- Endangered species.

- State parks.

- Current greening and habitat restoration projects and opportunity sites.

- Environmental schools (schools that have agreed to unpave a large percentage of asphalt and plant trees).

Click on the map to view full size

Santa Monica Green Map

Santa Monica, CA
2000

The Santa Monica Green Map shows green businesses as well as ecological features. This map has been created to help residents and visitors to the region become aware of the abundance of resources that contribute to the making of a more sustainable community. The map will allow users to visualize the breadth and diversity of the local environmental resources and opportunities. On this map one finds features such as:

- Sustainable Quality Award Winners (businesses which received awards from the City of Santa Monica).

- Stores that sell green building products and green designers.

- Environmental organizations such as schools which have "learning gardens", offer organic salad bars or compost on-site.

- Vegetarian restaurants and natural food stores.

- Location of car oil recycling centers.

- Types and locations of all storm water percolation systems including statistics on the volume of water mitigated.

- Sample catch basin inserts installed to filter out urban run-off before it enters the Bay.

- Location and facts about SMURRF — Santa Monica Urban Runoff Recycling Facility, solar energy and green power sites.

- Bike and blade shops, bus routes, bike paths and walking routes.

- Street trees 60' and up with trunk diameters of 30" and up and trees planted since 1997 by City of Santa Monica as part of their commitment to reducing global warming and improving air quality in LA.

- Storm water percolation sites.

- Green Power Customers.

Development of the Green Map was funded by the City of Santa Monica's Environmental Programs Division (EPD) for use as an environmental education tool for residents, visitors, students and other community stakeholders. With the Green Map, the EPD hopes to stimulate discussion and ultimately inspire and promote a wide variety of sustainable practices such as reductions in energy use, water use and waste generation, use of environmentally friendly transportation options, purchase of environmentally friendly goods and services, and increased consumption of regional and organic foods. In addition, the Map will be used by Santa Monica teachers to help educate students about a variety of ecological issues in the watershed including water quality and conservation, the habitat needs of animals and plants, the impact of non-native species, the consequences of sprawl, the impact of consumer choices on the natural and built environment, and the interconnectedness of our actions and policy decisions.

Development and data collection for the Green Map involved input from a variety of stakeholders throughout the watershed. The map makers worked with the Santa Monica High School Biology Department and Wildlife Club, the West LA chapter of the Audubon Society, the Santa Monica College Geo-Club, and many remarkable naturalists and business leaders. Not only were the encounters educational and fun (bird watching by sea kayak, wild edible plant gathering), they have spurred on new projects (including a new native plant garden at Santa Monica College) and brought different groups together who may not normally meet.

download map (0.6MB)

Click on the map to view full size

Kids' Santa Monica Pier Green Map

Santa Monica, CA
2000

My Watershed, the Ocean and Me - Kid’s Green Map includes downtown Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Pier and adjacent Santa Monica Bay. The purpose of the map is to show the marine aquatic life found under and around the pier and adjacent beaches. It also illustrates the impact of pollution from activities on the pier and downtown.

The habitat communities found under or near the pier include the:

- beach.
- sandy sea bottom.
- breakwater.
- pier pilings.
- open ocean.
- Santa Monica Bay Watersheds.

Information about the creatures which live in the above habitat communities is located on this map such as:

- Arthropoda: crabs, lobster; shrimp.
- Mollusca: mussels, snails, clams and octopus.
- Echinodermata: sea stars, urchins, sea cucumber and sand dollars.
- Cnidaria: sea jellies and anemone.
- Chordata: sharks, rays, bony fish, dolphins, whales, birds and us.
- Protista: sea plants.

These habitats suffer a number of problems including water quality impairments, public health issues and marine life degradation associated with human behavior on land. This Green Map aims to support long-term water quality protection, pollution prevention and marine habitat protection and restoration by addressing a major cause of environmental degradation: lack of public awareness/concern.

The map focuses attention on a variety of critical resource issues including understanding ocean life, coastal water quality and public health, polluted storm-water runoff and illegal dumping, water conservation, the importance and biology of watersheds and a sense of belonging to a larger community with common environmental concerns.

Development of the Green Map was partially funded by the City of Santa Monica's Environmental Programs Division (EPD) for use as an environmental education tool for residents, visitors, students and other community stakeholders. The Map is also used by Santa Monica teachers to help educate students about a variety of ecological issues in the watershed including water quality and conservation, the habitat needs of animals and plants, the impact of consumer choices on the natural and built environment, and the interconnectedness of our actions and policy decisions.

Maps are available free of charge in libraries, bookstores, parks, tourist information offices and farmers’ markets.

download map (3.6 MB)

Click on the map to view full size

Critters
(Click on the images to see the slide show)

Malibu Creek Green Map

Living Lightly in Our Watershed

Duvivier Architects produced the Malibu Creek Green Map for the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountain's Living Lightly in Our Watershed, a guide for residents of the Malibu Creek Watershed and adjoining watersheds including the cities of Malibu, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, Calabasas and portions of unincorporated Los Angeles County such as the communities of Topanga, Malibu Lake and Monte Nido. This guide is designed to provide local residents with information to help make watershed protection and preservation easier by teaching about the natural resources, how to improve their immediate environment while saving money.