City Recognized for Stormwater Management

The California Stormwater Quality Association has selected Hermosa Beach to receive this year’s award for Outstanding Stormwater Best Management Practice for a targeted local project.

The association announced in a statement Monday that it will present the award in a ceremony in Monterey on Tuesday.

The award recognizes the city’s , which was built to capture urban runoff, stormwater, and debris before it reaches the ocean.

The drain system redirects the captured water to a 1,000-foot long infiltration trench where it then is filtered through a system that removes trash, sediment, hydrocarbons and other forms of pollution. The system uses local sand to remove bacteria.

The association said that the pilot project was the first of its kind in California.

"The results of this pilot study indicate that there is a potential for application in coastal communities throughout California to improve shoreline water quality by reducing the pollutant load from storm drain systems to the shoreline through infiltration," said Frank Senteno, director of Hermosa Beach Public Works, in the statement.

The storm drain system was awarded the 's 2010 "Project of the Year" and recognized by the last year.