Cleaner Beaches Ahead for Venice and Its Visitors

Venice Beach is one of Southern California’s most popular tourist destinations, second only to Disneyland. It has been a film set to more than 60 movies, and annually, almost eight million tourists stroll along its board walk, enjoy its eclectic vibe, and watch surfers navigate its thundering waves.

A City of Los Angeles Proposition O Clean Water Bond-funded project upstream from Venice will soon make this iconic beach even cleaner for visitors. The $14-million Penmar Water Quality Improvement Project, set to begin construction this month, will reduce the pollutant levels in runoff from the existing Rose Avenue storm drain that now empties directly into the ocean at Venice Beach. As a direct result, there will be reduced trash and bacterial levels in Venice’s surf zone and fewer beach closures, as mandated by state and federal laws.  Santa Monica Bay’s waters will be a safer and healthier environment for the beachgoers and marine life alike.

The Penmar Water Quality Improvement Project, located in and around the Penmar Recreation Center’s grounds, will include the construction of a sewer pipe, a stormwater flow diversion structure, a pump station, a trash filter, and a 2.75-million gallon underground detention tank beneath the Penmar Recreation Center’s ball field. Together, these elements known as “stormwater best management practices,” will intercept dry- and wet-weather stormwater flows and divert them into the sanitary sewer system where they will flow to the Hyperion Wastewater Plant for treatment. The project will also include the rehabilitation of three aging sewer lines along Oakwood Avenue, Rialto Court and Crescent Place.  

Venice Beach will continue to work its magic on visitors, attracting everyone from weather-weary mid-westerners to eager young actors looking for their big break. Only now, with the completion of the Penmar Water Quality Improvement Project in late 2012, Venice will do it as a more verdant and healthier locale for veteran residents and visitors alike.

Additional information about the Penmar Water Quality Improvement Project can be found here.