Committee adopts FY25–26 Measure W watershed plan, staff warns of $7–9 billion gap and growing O&M needs

The committee adopted the Measure W Administrative Oversight Committee's Fiscal Year 2025'26 Watershed Investment Strategic Plan, advancing the city's stormwater capital priorities while flagging significant funding and operations challenges.

LA Sanitation Program Manager Michael Scaduto presented the WISP, saying the city is responsible for complying with 22 total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) across four watersheds and that achieving wet‑weather compliance will require roughly 8,900 acre‑feet of stormwater capture at an estimated cost between $7 billion and $9 billion. He said the Regional Water Board has issued enforcement actions tied to overdue TMDLs and that future TMDLs are likely to be more restrictive.

Scaduto outlined Measure W's program structure (municipal, regional and district programs), noted six LA projects completed in the last year and a large regional project nearing completion, and said the city has 26 active third‑party projects with community‑based organizations and NGOs. He warned that third‑party projects often require city staff time for environmental permitting and coordination, which strains Bureau of Engineering and other resources.

The presentation also described funding to date: about $534 million in municipal and regional Measure W funding secured citywide, roughly $120 million in leveraged external funds, and about $407 million directed toward disadvantaged communities. Scaduto said rising construction costs, additional project requirements and phased funding processes have increased delivery timelines compared with prior Prop O projects.

Scaduto said operations and maintenance (O&M) obligations are growing as projects are completed and turned over, and he recommended increasing the Stormwater Pollution Abatement Fund (unchanged since 1992) to address ongoing O&M needs. "We can't build our way out of it," he said, warning that the city's staffing and project management capacity limit how many projects can be delivered even when funds are available.

Council members asked about collaboration with the Los Angeles Unified School District on school‑site projects; Scaduto said earlier engagements had stalled largely over liability concerns and leadership changes at LAUSD, and that a small Prop O allocation for a Rosa Parks School pilot remains available but LAUSD has not engaged. On modeling and compliance timelines, he said the $7.4 billion estimate is a modeling exercise presented to the Regional Board and emphasized the tension between limited delivery capacity and escalating enforcement.

After discussion and public comment from community groups emphasizing the importance of Measure W funding for neighborhood projects, the committee moved to adopt the WISP. Roll call recorded Council member Nazarian as aye; a member noted Council member Yaroslavsky was absent; Council member Gerardo voted yes; Council members Raman and Padilla abstained. The motion carried.

The committee directed continued interdepartmental coordination, pursuit of leveraged funding, and further attention to O&M financing and staffing needs as the city moves to implement the WISP and respond to pending TMDL requirements.