Bassett Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Alex J. Rojas led discussions on Bassett High School’s storm water initiatives with a crowd of more than 100 during the SoCal Storm Water Forum held by U.S. Rep. Grace F. Napolitano on Nov. 18 in San Dimas.

Panel discussions included drought solutions, sustainability concepts and collaborations with local school districts, California universities and labor organizations.

“This was a great opportunity to show how school districts and cities can collaborate with each other to achieve the same goals,” Rojas said. “We were able to show how Bassett Unified is collaborating with our community and surrounding cities to provide a solution to storm water initiatives.”

Cities and counties across California are required to construct systems that capture and clean storm water, including rain, landscape runoff and industrial plant residuals. This runoff can collect oil, pesticides and other pollutants that could drain into local bodies of water. School districts will also be responsible for constructing storm water systems in the future.

Bassett Unified partnered with the City of La Puente and Los Angeles County Public Works to fulfill the storm water requirements. The project will also provide opportunities for students to participate in hands-on activities relating to their science classes.

The SoCal Storm Water Forum offered open discussions with local residents and leaders in education, government and industry organizations to learn about issues and solutions to water sustainability in Southern California.

“Southern California residents, cities and water agencies have made extraordinary efforts to tackle our current drought by conserving water and implementing alternative water supply projects, such as water recycling, storm water capture, and groundwater management,” Napolitano said. “Congress must act to provide a sustainable water supply for our future and create good paying jobs in water construction and operations.”

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BASSETTUSD_STORMWATER: Bassett Unified School District Superintendent Alex J. Rojas led discussions on Bassett High School’s storm water initiatives to a crowd of more than 100 during the SoCal Storm Water Forum held by U.S. Rep. Grace F. Napolitano on Nov. 18 in San Dimas.