Jacques Leslie writes of the drastic improvements Los Angeles has made to its water distribution system in the New York Times article, “Los Angeles, City of Water,” published on December 6, 2014. To illustrate the process, Leslie writes, “The house’s roof was lined with gutters that fed rainwater into two 1,800-gallon cisterns, and the lawns in the front yards and backyards were lowered six inches to form a wetland.” During a test, houses outfitted in this manner were able to absorb 4,000 gallons of water, which was then, naturally, cleaned of pollutants and was able to be redistributed for consumption. “These projects will treat polluted and even sewage water, capture rainwater, store water in aquifers, and use (or reuse) all of it, often while mimicking or supporting natural processes.”
By replacing concrete with green space, Los Angeles has been able to reduce its reliance on outside sources of water as well as consume less water than it did in 1970, even though its population has grown about a third since that time. I see this as an example the rest of the country, and even the rest of the world, should follow. I think this could be particularly useful in Red Hook, New York where there are many concrete lots used for parking which could be converted into wetlands that would absorb and naturally purify water.
