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!

Complete Survey

Volunteer

Local organizations to support that are working vigilantly to protect our Santa Monica Bay:

Surfrider Foundation

Heal the Bay

The Bay Foundation

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