Sustainable water design takes center stage at Earvin “Magic” Johnson Park
By Gary Lai
By 2050, the population in California is expected to increase to 50-million people, while rainfall is projected to decrease by 10 to 15 percent due to climate change. With Californians using the equivalent volume of water of Shasta Lake—the state’s largest reservoir—every 40 days, a new model for urban-water use is being considered at every level of government.
The renovation of Earvin “Magic” Johnson Park in Los Angeles County demonstrates how urban-park design can respond to water-conservation needs by renovating older, water-intensive, man-made lake infrastructure into a renewable water resource and community amenity. The project utilizes and treats storm-water runoff from a 375-acre watershed not only to bring to life the park’s original ecosystem habitat through the creation of wetlands but to clean and use the runoff water as an irrigation source for the entire park.