September 5, 2023

This blog is the final installment of a five-part series. You can read part one here, part two here, part three here, and part four here.

Our State of the Water blog series has explored how LA’s water sources fared after one of the wettest wet seasons the region has ever experienced. Here we explore how we can take advantage of future rains to ensure a secure water future.  

After a particularly rainy winter, Mother Nature had more surprises for us, with the unprecedented Hurricane Hilary dumping even more rain. Between Hilary and the unprecedented series of atmospheric rivers, water levels in Lake Mead and (to a much lesser degree) Lake Powell, two of the major reservoirs serving the Western United States, have temporarily recovered somewhat. But even with this historic rainy season, most of our water sources remain near all-time lows. While the weather is unpredictable, it’s likely LA will be back in crisis mode within the next few years.  

With climate change upon us, we need to expect (and plan for) the unexpected. And we can’t expect even historic rains to solve our water problems, which stem back to our over-reliance on imported water.   

Making Strides on the 4R Approach to Water Management 

LA Waterkeeper has long advocated for a 4R approach to more sustainable and equitable water management for the region: Reduce water waste through conservation and efficiency; Reuse our existing water supplies like urban and stormwater runoff through capture and treatment; use advanced purification technologies to Recycle the hundreds of millions of gallons of wastewater we dump into the ocean daily; and Restore contaminated groundwater basins.  

Luckily, we are making strides on all these fronts. Our elected and agency officials are now focusing on a more resilient local water future. But after a century of under-investment in local water supplies, combined with a race against time as climate change takes hold, there’s more work to do.

Truly Making Conservation a California Way of Life  

The State Water Resources Control Board just released a draft rulemaking report, Making Conservation a California Way of Life, which will establish urban water use standards statewide. Conservation is the most cost-effective and climate-friendly way to enhance local water supplies, so it is critically important to set ambitious standards. The LA region has – with some notable exceptions – done well with conservation over the past two decades (especially compared with most major metropolitan areas in the country). If we were to further reduce water usage by just 12 gallons per person per day, we would have almost 120 million gallons a day of ‘new’ water!  

We encourage our supporters to track what’s going on and let Water Board officials know that you want to see the strongest possible water use standards. We will provide information on additional ways to engage as we get closer to the October rulemaking adoption hearing. 

 Local Progress 

Of course, our local water agencies don’t have to wait for state standards to continue to expand conservation efforts. The Metropolitan Water District (MWD) recently added a tree rebate program to their existing turf replacement program. One of the greatest barriers to more widespread adoption of turf replacement and other conservation programs is the ‘rebate’ nature of such programs: Customers need to pay up front and then wait to be reimbursed. This model excludes a tremendous number of residents who are simply not able to lay out these funds in advance.  

The good news is that the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP), MWD and smaller water agencies are finally moving forward with ‘prebate’ programs (providing customers with funding in advance of their purchases) or even ‘direct install’ programs (where the agencies themselves install the water saving devices) after years of resisting such efforts, but progress is slow. We urge these agencies to expedite the adoption of prebate and direct install programs. 

Squeezing Even More Water Out of Urban and Stormwater Runoff  

Boosted by decades of investment in stormwater capture projects, the past year’s historic rains helped recharge the region’s groundwater basis with enough water to serve more than 5.5 million residents for a year (and that was pre-Hilary!). This success demonstrates the massive potential of urban and stormwater capture as a local water source. This water capture was also critical in reducing flooding in the LA region.  

Safe Clean Water Program 

The $280 million per year voter-approved Safe Clean Water Program (SCWP) is designed to accelerate stormwater capture projects throughout LA County. To date, more than $1 billion has been allocated to multi-benefit stormwater projects. After four rounds of funding allocations, the SCWP is undergoing its first-ever audit, led by the Regional Oversight Committee (ROC). The audit will help the program meet its goals as effectively as possible. LA Waterkeeper hopes the audit will move us even closer to maximizing stormwater capture to augment local water supplies. We are also advocating for investment in smaller parcel-based efforts to make it easier for residents to convert landscaping, and for more investment in greening local schools and park-poor communities. 

A Coordinated Regional Approach to Wastewater Recycling   

The LA region is on the verge of a historic transformation of our wastewater system to a water purification and reuse system. Between Pure Water Southern California, Hyperion 2035, Operation NEXT and smaller projects throughout the region, we could soon reduce the discharge of treated wastewater directly to the ocean by more than 330 million gallons per day. That water will instead be used to meet nearly a third of the region’s water needs. LA Waterkeeper is leading the push to ensure these agencies collaborate to integrate their individual projects. Better integration and smart regulations will help minimize the cost and environmental impacts of these projects that will provide a critical new source of water for the region. 

Fundamentally Changing Our Water Management 

The progress highlighted above just scratches the surface of all the ongoing developments aimed at fundamentally transforming the LA region’s water systems. We are on the verge of a new Mulholland moment, one in which we pivot away from importing water from hundreds of miles away to relying primarily on resilient, multi-benefit, local water supplies.  

 Comments on the long-awaited County Water Plan – which outlines how we can transform the region from importing two thirds of our water to one where 80% of our water comes from local sources by 2045 – are due on September 18. MWD, created to facilitate importing water to Southern California, is embarking on a massive effort to transform its entire business model to prioritize local water resource development, while also negotiating with other states that rely on Colorado River water to decide how water is to be divided while bringing that river back to health.  

 Local cities and agencies are finally starting to collaborate through the Infrastructure LA Initiative to be more coordinated and effective in securing funding through federal programs like the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Initiative, and eventually through the state budget and future state-level resilience bonds.  

 LA Waterkeeper – along with partners like NRDC, Heal the Bay, LAANE and many more – is engaged in all the efforts mentioned here, and more. We welcome your voice and support as we fight to ensure a secure, resilient, and equitable water future for the LA region and for all Angelenos.