LA Waterkeeper Calls on Metropolitan Water District to Fulfill Its Commitment to Climate Resilience in Light of Leadership Change
With General Manager Hagekhalil out, advocates for climate-smart policies concerned agency will backtrack on investments in local water resilience
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 29, 2025
Los Angeles, Calif. – Today the board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) voted to dismiss General Manager Adel Hagekhalil without cause. He was placed on administrative leave last year over concerns about his management style. Hagekhalil had been on leave for more than 7 months while a full investigation of his conduct was completed.
“While I have all the respect in the world for new General Manager Upadhyay, I am incredibly disappointed at this decision by the board. Forcing Mr. Hagekhalil out when an exhaustive investigation revealed no significant performance concerns sends a very dangerous message about how this agency operates,” noted Bruce Reznik, executive director of LA Waterkeeper. “The dismissal coming ‘without cause’ affirms our belief that the complaints lodged against him lacked substance.”
“It’s hard to overestimate how consequential this leadership change could be for the future of water resilience in our region,” said Reznik. “Mr. Hagekhalil came into his role with a clear vision to ensure Southern California’s water supplies remain as reliable and affordable as feasible as climate change continues to take hold. He also worked to engage constituencies that have largely been ignored by MWD, such as tribes and other communities impacted by MWD projects. With his removal, we expect and demand that MWD leaders – both staff and board – honor their commitment to continue working with impacted communities and transition the agency to more resilient local water supplies to adapt to climate change.”
The MWD board has long been split over the agency’s direction, and debate over whether to prioritize spending on large infrastructure investments to drive ongoing water imports from places like the Bay-Delta and the Colorado River can be intense among its members. When Mr. Hagekhalil was appointed in 2021, the decision was hailed by groups that have long encouraged MWD to prioritize investments in local water sources rather than continuing to fund expensive, environmentally damaging, and unreliable imported water to meet the region’s needs.
Added Reznik, “While we have been assured that this decision is not about a change in policy, we are worried that is exactly what has been signaled. With climate whiplash becoming more intense, MWD must keep working toward local water independence. Conservation, wastewater recycling, stormwater capture, and groundwater cleanup are all part of a resilient and more affordable water future for Southern California. MWD needs to stop throwing good money after bad and get serious about climate resilience. It’s time to stop sending big checks underwritten by local ratepayer dollars to support expensive and damaging far-away projects like Delta Conveyance and Sites Reservoir.”
Under Hagekhalil’s leadership, MWD took significant steps toward planning for a more resilient future through its Climate Adaptation Master Plan for Water (CAMP4W). It is essential that effort stays at the center of MWD’s work moving forward.
“The entire process that led to Mr. Hagekhalil’s ouster, from putting him on leave prematurely to the long delays and, finally, opening up the agency to costly and time-consuming litigation by not being able to reach an amicable separation, reflects a great deal of dysfunction within the agency that must be addressed,” concluded Reznik. “But a long list of groups that are committed to a resilient future, including LA Waterkeeper, are going to do everything in our power to ensure MWD stays on track despite these maneuverings. There is simply too much at stake.”
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