Storm Drainage System. Rain water empties from Storm Pipes into Ballona Creek, a nine-mile waterway that drains the Los Angeles basin. Urban runoff carries an assortment of trash and debris from catch basins where a network of pipes and open channels create a pathway to the Ocean at Santa Monica Bay. Ballona Creek is designed to discharge to Santa Monica Bay approximately 71,400 cubic feet per second from a 50-year frequency storm event. Culver City, Los Angeles, California, USA