New Construction in Sylmar, Drawn for Stormwater Review
A new Sylmar house drawn for the stormwater review, with roof water routed to lined planters, a cistern, porous paving or an infiltration pit.
Plan review for a new Sylmar house includes a stormwater check, and LADBS holds the permit until it clears. The reviewer traces each downspout on the site plan and asks where that water goes. Los Angeles expects new homes to keep part of their runoff on the lot, through a filtering planter, a cistern, porous paving or an infiltration pit. We settle that route early, while the footprint can still move.
Sizing the devices
Each device is sized against the roof and paved area that drains into it. Infiltration only works where the ground accepts water, so the soils engineer can run a percolation test in the same borings drilled for the foundation design. Tight clay or a high water table points toward lined planters, which hold runoff in a soil bed and send the overflow to the street through a pipe. Where the ground drains well, an infiltration pit is placed a set distance from the footings so soaked soil never weakens them. Porous pavers on the driveway shrink the area the other devices have to handle.
Inspection, upkeep and the fire map
Liners, gravel, overflow pipes and cleanouts are inspected while they are still open, since nothing can be checked once soil and plants cover them. At final, the inspector confirms every downspout lands where the plan says. The city may also ask for a recorded covenant that keeps the devices working for later owners. Parts of Sylmar are mapped as fire hazard areas, where ember-resistant roofing, vent screens and enclosed eaves can be required, so we confirm the mapping before anyone draws the planting plan. At handover you get a short sheet on what to clear out after a storm.
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A boundary survey, the zoning limits for height and lot coverage, and soil borings form the base. Ask the soils engineer for a percolation test while the rig is on site, since it shows whether rain can soak in or has to be held in lined planters. We also look up the parcel on the state and city hazard maps.
Our opening agreement takes in design coordination, the engineers, the stormwater plan and the LADBS permit. After approval the build is priced from the stamped set in the order it goes up, foundation through finishes. Each stormwater device carries its own named line, so a lined planter and a pit can be compared side by side.
Whether you bring your own surveyor or want us to hire one, the schedule runs through our office. The percolation test is timed to the foundation borings so the drill rig comes out once. If the site needs a civil engineer for the drainage design, we bring one in and hand over the survey file. We track each review comment until it is closed.
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