City of Manhattan Beach
Home Menu
Ocean Protection
The City of Manhattan Beach is committed to safeguarding our oceans by undertaking comprehensive and meticulously planned stormwater and urban runoff initiatives to address pollutants of concern such as bacteria and trash and to manager stormwater resources in a more sustainable way. The City's stormwater projects and programs are designed to intercept and manage runoff and debris, to prevent harmful impacts to our precious marine ecosystems and coastline along the Santa Monica Bay. Through diligent and purposeful efforts, Manhattan Beach is taking proactive measures to ensure that our ocean remains pristine and free from the detrimental effects of pollution and waste. These projects not only protect our ocean, they are critical elements of the City’s plan to achieve compliance with State and Federal water quality regulations, protect human health, and ensure the resiliency of coastal infrastructure in the face of climate change.
Ocean Protection Video Series
Journey with the City of Manhattan Beach through this educational video series.
THE CITY'S STORMWATER AND URBAN RUNOFF INITIATIVES
The City of Manhattan Beach has effectively eliminated dry weather urban runoff to the Santa Monica Bay by diverting this flow from the storm drain system to the sanitary sewer system for recycling and eventual reuse. On average, the City prevents over 8M gallons of urban runoff from reaching the ocean each year through completed dry weather diversion projects which has markedly improved beach water quality during dry weather. While this progress is noteworthy, there is still work to be done to protect our coastline during wet weather. Managing runoff during a storm requires robustly engineered systems. The storm drain system that we rely on today was built decades ago and was not designed to prevent stormwater pollution or to capture stormwater for beneficial use. The City is working hard to meet these challenges, and has secured over $30M in external funding to supplement its Storm Drain fee investments to complete important stormwater projects designed to achieve ambitious goals for ocean protection and coastal resiliency:
- Zero trash discharged to the ocean from the City's storm drains;
- 54% reduction in wet weather bacterial pollution loading to Santa Monica Bay;
- 1.7 million gallons of water treated per day to remove copper and zinc in stormwater flowing to Dominguez Channel;
- Completion of nine (9) high-priority Capital Improvement Projects over 20 years to reduce localized flooding, improve water quality and enhance water supply.
- Restoration of over 3 acres of dune habitat to create a living shoreline, extending the City's total restored dune habitat to over half the length of the City’s 2.1-mile shoreline.
Select an 'Ocean Protection' Initiative to Learn More
TAKE ACTION
Voice Your Support
Submit a quick survey response that voices your support of Manhattan Beach's local ocean protection initiatives using the link below!
Continued Learning from the 'Ocean Protection' Video Series
Volunteer
Local organizations to support that are working vigilantly to protect our Santa Monica Bay:
Sign Up for the Sustainability Newsletter
Vitality City Focus Groups
Attend a Vitality City Focus Group to Share Your Ideas
- Date: 01/12/2011 8:30 AM - 8:30 PM
- Location: Joslyn Center Auditorium
1601 North Valley Drive
Manhattan Beach, California 90266
The Healthways | Blue Zones Vitality City team is making plans for numerous programs, workshops and events that will happen Spring 2011, and they need your input to make them the best they can be. (Read about all the programs on the Vitality City website.)
To help plan for these upcoming programs, the Vitality City team would like your help during this series of focus groups, with several taking place in Manhattan Beach on Wednesday, January 12th. See below for more information and visit the registration website to RSVP.
Manhattan Beach Focus Groups will be held on Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at the Joslyn Center Auditorium:
- Volunteer Coordinators and Clearinghouses 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
- Community Gardens 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
- Walking School Bus and School Nutrition/Movement 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Further, the Vitality City team is partnering with the South Bay Bicycle Coalition to host a Community Workshop and Open House that will be held on January 19th at the Joslyn Center. You can RSVP for this workshop by visiting the Registration website and scrolling down to the January 19th event. (Two other focus groups will be held in Manhattan Beach on January 26th, and information on those sessions can be found on the registration website as well.)
For those that cannot attend the focus groups in Manhattan Beach, additional sessions are being organized in the other beach cities on various days--so please do attend and offer your input. Examples of focus groups being offered include:
- January 11, 2011 - Purpose and Downshift: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM, North Redondo Library Community Room
- January 13, 2011 - Cooking Classes: 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM, Hermosa Beach Clark Building
- January 25, 2011 - Employers and Businesses: 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM, Beach Cities Health District, Beach Cities Room
Please refer to the Registration website and RSVP for any focus groups that you may be interested in.
You can learn more about the City's involvement in the Vitality City initiative by visiting the Going Green website. If you have any questions, please contact Sona Kalapura at (310) 802-5058.