Adaptive Management: Building Regional Resilience with the Safe, Clean Water Program

Melanie Morita-Hu; Justin Jones

Los Angeles County’s Safe, Clean Water Program (SCW Program)—launched in 2018 and investing approximately $280 million annually—is a powerful model for resilient watershed management. As one of the nation’s most ambitious multi-benefit stormwater initiatives, the SCW Program integrates nature-based solutions, pollution reduction, flood mitigation, water conservation, and community-driven outcomes, with over $1.5 billion invested to date and more than 130 projects funded. This presentation will explore how the SCW Program’s adaptive management approach, which includes data-informed strategic investments, provides a real-world framework for improving water resources and community resiliency in the Los Angeles region through optimized planning, design, and implementation of resilient infrastructure.

Attendees will learn how the Initial Watershed Plans and new online planning tools, developed as part of adaptive management, support data-driven decision-making by identifying regional opportunities where future projects can address the highest cumulative needs, particularly in disadvantaged and climate-vulnerable communities. These tools translate complex datasets into actionable insights, supporting climate-adaptive engineering practices while advancing equity, sustainability, and long-term watershed resilience.

The proposed presentation will demonstrate how the largest public agency in the nation is integrating technical analysis, community engagement, and interdisciplinary problem-solving to address the region’s water resiliency issues. Key takeaways include: (1) how adaptive management can improve stormwater infrastructure performance; (2) how strategies, actions, and opportunities can be leveraged to prioritize high-impact, multi-benefit projects; and (3) how ongoing adaptive management will continue to advance the benefits of the Program for improved community and water resiliency.

Leveraging Web-based Watershed Planning Platforms for Public Engagement and Communication of Municipal Stormwater Program Benefits

Dustin Bambic

It is critical for municipal stormwater programs to communicate their benefits and progress toward goals, in order for the public to understand the critical importance of these programs and their return on investment.  In this current era of widespread use of technology by the public, web-based systems can offer interactive and intuitive platforms for the public to explore and digest program information while also providing transparency to regulatory programs.  By coupling interactive dashboards and dynamic maps with stormwater program information, complex program data can be stored, conveyed and communicated in a readily understandable manner.  At the same time, the web-based systems can facilitate and streamline regulatory reporting such as annual reports, watershed-based progress reports, and other reports related to the effectiveness of minimum control measures. This presentation will describe high level approaches to stormwater program communication and visualization, using specific case studies with signature web-based systems including the following:

• Los Angeles County Safe Clean Water Portal, 
   
• Los Angeles County Watershed Reporting and Adaptive Management System,
   
• San Mateo County Green Infrastructure Tracking Tool, and
   
• Nashville Watershed Improvement & Evaluation System

Live demonstrations in a browser will illustrate how these systems - which each are customized to the program rather than using a licensed software - integrate geospatial data, performance metrics, and real-time updates to provide transparency and accountability while promoting educational outreach.  The audience will learn how web-based systems can leverage intuitive dashboards and planning interfaces to transform raw engineering data into actionable insights for policymakers, practitioners, and the public. By leveraging dynamic maps, customizable filters, and clear benefit summaries, these tools enable users to explore how stormwater projects improve water quality, enhance local supply, and deliver community co-benefits. The case studies will illustrate how interactive platforms can significantly increase stakeholder engagement and comprehension, supporting informed decision-making and long-term program success. At the same time, web-based systems can serve as educational instruments that advance engineering literacy and community stewardship in water resources management by making progress visible, benefits tangible, and participation inclusive.

Theory and Practice: Case Studies of American Water's Watershed Protection Efforts

Michael Chirico

American Water is among the largest water and wastewater utilities in the country serving customers across a geographically diverse 14-state footprint that encompasses a variety of watersheds. Each day, we source, deliver, and treat over one billion gallons of water for our 14 million water and wastewater customers. At the core of our operations is American Water’s Source Water Protection Program, which provides a structured framework for assessing risks, engaging stakeholders, and implementing proactive measures to safeguard drinking water supplies. Through this program, we integrate risk reduction planning with community partnerships to reduce vulnerabilities and enhance drinking water resilience across our watersheds.

This presentation will focus on how American Water operationalized the Program in the communities we serve along the Ohio River and Mississippi River. These case studies will highlight our work developing and deploying useful tools and pragmatic strategies to address water loss, cyanotoxin risks, and related issues in the Ohio River and Mississippi River watersheds. American Water has spearheaded numerous treatment approaches and monitoring techniques to address cyanotoxins, including ultrasonic treatment and the use of spectral imaging as an early warning system. These and other techniques are grounded in rigorous scientific theory and deployed in myriad real-world situations, making American Water a leading hub for the investment in and development of practical tools that help to assure the reliable delivery of affordable drinking water and wastewater services.

Integrated Hydrological - Biogeochemical Modeling of LNAPL Biostimulation in Soil-Groundwater Environment

Akanksha Srivasta; Eldo T.I.

Groundwater pollution caused by light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) hydrocarbons persists to pose a serious global issue for public health and environment resulting from its persistent nature, mobility, and toxicity in the subsurface. The present work proposes an integrated hydrological-biogeochemical simulation strategy for evaluating the effectiveness of biostimulation for promoting LNAPL decomposition in soil-groundwater environments. This simulation study adopts a novel technique that integrates variable saturated flow along with multi-species reactive transport, including sequential degradation in the subsurface. Time-dependent microbial kinetics with electron acceptor dynamics are employed to capture the temporal and spatial shifts of subsurface redox gradients which regulate LNAPL biological degradation.

The key results of this integrated hydrological-biogeochemical modelling approach indicate a clear impact of biostimulation on LNAPL mobility and decomposition in soil-groundwater system. Biostimulation substantially stimulated the growth of bacteria by governing electron acceptor which led to faster decomposition rates as well as an apparent decrease in plume dimension and concentration. Furthermore, hydrological conditions emerged to possess substantial effects on dissolution behaviour and mitigation efficacy. These interactions underscore the relevance of site-specific hydrogeological variables in determining the effectiveness and sustainability of biostimulation-driven cleanup strategies.

This integrated hydrological-biogeochemical modeling gives a better understanding of how biostimulation strategies can significantly enhance LNAPL decomposition and assists in groundwater restoration planning and management. This modeling study findings provides a robust decision tool for risk assessments and site-specific cleanup strategies