The Project will mitigate localized flooding, enhance native habitat, improve the site's aesthetics, and provide space for future passive recreation features. The proposed improvements would reassure the community of any future flooding along Arleta Street. The project would provide future open space project north of Arleta Street as well as bike trails through the spreading grounds.

The proposed project scored fair in the Quality of Life category. The replacement of the open channel north of Arelta Avenue with an open field will provide future park space and create new habitat. The potential to add bike trails crossing the spreading grounds will also encourage alternative modes of transportation and eases traffic congestion. Additionally, educational signage will inform the public about the project and LID features further enhancing the community to the project site.

The project scored fair in the Leadership category. At an organizational level, sustainability is one of the Values in the Department's strategic plan. At a project team level, the team is committed to evaluating sustainability through the Envision rating system; however, there is no clear direction or indication yet on whether funding managers are willing to fund project enhancements to achieve increased sustainability. There is also plenty of opportunity for stakeholder feedback and involvement. Coordination meetings with affected private and public agencies, such as the City of Los Angeles will take place. Additionally, an environmental document will be prepared for public review and community meetings will be held.

The project scored relatively low in the Resource Allocation category mainly due to DPW policy and standard practices for design. Typically, a life cycle energy assessment will not be conducted as part of the project design, so, we were unable to obtain points associated with reducing the net embodied energy of the project. Also, our project specifications typically do not include a requirement for obtaining materials and equipment from suppliers who implement sustainable practices. The use of recycled or regional materials to minimize transportation costs and impacts will also not be strict requirement in the project specifications. However, we were able to obtain points for protecting fresh water availability by increasing the spreading grounds capacity.

The project scored highest in this category because the project involves managing stormwater by increasing the infiltration of the spreading grounds and restoration of species and habitat. The conversion of the open channel to a larger open area will provide additional habitat space. Additionally, the project is preserving greenfields because 100 percent of the project is located within spreading grounds right-of-way.

The project scored fair in the Climate and Risk category. This is mainly due to the fact that the rating system requires certain studies to qualify for the points. These studies include a carbon life cycle analysis to estimate greenhouse gas emissions and a climate impact assessment to assess climate threat. These studies are typically not conducted for a spreading grounds enhancement project. The increase of capacity of the spreading grounds does account for potential climate change and future potential flooding scenarios.

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Libid, Jewel