Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment
May 16, 2008
1. Top Item -
The New York Times – 5/16/08
Press Release:
Mayor Villaraigosa, LADWP unveil far-reaching 20-year water strategy for LA: To meet 100% of new water demand by 2030, unprecedented plan calls for 6-fold increase in water recycling and ramped up enforcement of water restrictions
LADWP News- 5/15/08
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The New York Times – 5/16/08
By Randal C. Archibold
LOS ANGELES — Faced with a persistent drought and the threat of tighter water supplies,
Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, who opposed such a plan a decade ago over safety concerns, announced the proposal on Thursday as part of a package of initiatives to put the city, the nation’s second largest, on a stricter water budget. The other plans include increasing fines for watering lawns during restricted times, tapping into and cleaning more groundwater, and encouraging businesses and residents to use more efficient sprinklers and plumbing fixtures.
The move comes as
Snowfall in the Sierra Nevada, which supplies about a third of
Worsening the problem,
The city, pushed by legal claims, is already paying millions to restore dried-up portions of the river, the Owens.
“There simply are no more holes or straws to pitch,” Mr. Villaraigosa said at a news conference at a water plant.
Many cities and towns across the country, including
But the idea of using recycled wastewater, after intense filtering and chemical treatment, to replenish aquifers and reservoirs has gotten more notice lately because of technological advances that, industry leaders say, can make the water purer than tap water.
San Diego and South Florida are also considering or planning to test the idea, and Orange County, Calif., opened a $481 million plant in January, without much community resistance, that is believed to be the world’s largest such facility.
None of the proposals or recycling projects already under way send the treated water directly into taps; most often the water is injected into the ground and gradually filters down into aquifers.
That is what
Fran Reichenbach, a founder of the Beachwood Canyon Neighborhood Association, one of the groups that opposed the plan, said she remained unconvinced the water would be safe.
“I appreciate them trying to save us in a time of water shortage, but the fact remains the kind of toxins and chemicals that are created on daily basis cannot be tested for,” Ms. Reichenbach said, disputing industry claims to the contrary. She said the group would push for independent testing and analysis of the treated water.
But Mr. Villaraigosa and H. David Nahai, the general manager of the Department of Water and Power, said they would push forward.
It will cost about $1 billion to retool the water works to treat the sewage, capture more rainfall and make other improvements. The money, city officials said, will come in part from state grants and fees on polluters, though they have not ruled out increases in water bills as well. The City Council must approve some of the changes.#
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/16/us/16water.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin
Press Release:
Mayor Villaraigosa, LADWP unveil far-reaching 20-year water strategy for LA: To meet 100% of new water demand by 2030, unprecedented plan calls for 6-fold increase in water recycling and ramped up enforcement of water restrictions
LADWP News- 5/15/08
Joseph Ramallo
LOS ANGELES - Unveiling a plan to ensure water continues to flow in Los Angeles despite a worsening outlook, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today laid out a long-term strategy for the City to meet an expected growth in water demand over the next 20 years with aggressive conservation and an unprecedented water recycling program.
"LA's future depends on our willingness to adopt an ethic of sustainability. If we don't commit ourselves to conserving and recycling water, we will tap ourselves out," said Mayor Villaraigosa.
"This plan makes a basic promise to our kids: We are going to recycle and conserve enough water to meet 100% of new demand."
By 2030, the population of
The plan calls for the first real enforcement of City water restrictions since the early 1990s, dishing penalties to residents who water lawns during prohibited hours and restaurants that serve water to customers who have not requested it.
On the technology side, the plan - "Securing LA's Water Supply" - shifts the City's focus from promoting efficient indoor plumbing to the outdoors, where Angeleno families use 30-40 percent of their water.
Laying out a series of incentives for businesses and families to reduce water use, the plan introduces a new program to distribute free "smart sprinklers" to every home in
Together, these steps to conserve water will balance out half of the expected 15 percent jump in water demand by 2030. The remaining 50 percent of water demand will be met by the City's first wide-scale plan for water recycling.
Raising the amount of water it purifies for recycling by six-fold by 2019, LADWP will expand its existing "purple pipe" system (distributing water for irrigation and industrial uses) and will flesh out a "groundwater replenishment" water-recycling program.
"I salute Mayor Villaraigosa for his bold leadership in announcing the ‘Securing L.A.'s Water Supply,'" said David Nahai, LADWP CEO and General Manager. "This is a bold and visionary strategy for securing
"We are already seeing the effects of global warming, and as a City we need a comprehensive plan to address rising temperatures and a shrinking water supply," said Councilwoman Wendy Greuel. "I applaud the Mayor for proposing this bold strategy to ensure our children and grandchildren have an ample water supply. It's incumbent upon all Angelenos to do their part or we will face severe long-term consequences."
Representing a more than $1.5 billion investment in infrastructure and conservation programs, the plan will be funded by a combination of fees on industrial polluters, grants and LADWP funds already budgeted for the plan. In total, the City will conserve or recycle enough water to fill 100,000 football fields - or the entire
"Outreach is essential if we truly want to make an impact and this water plan highlights the importance of engaging our community in this goal," said Councilwoman Jan Perry, who chairs the City's Energy and the Environment Committee. "I am also confident that with new technologies we will be able to better conserve water by reclaiming and reusing our captured stormwater. This along with consumer conservation efforts will help us reach our goal."
"Water is a precious commodity in
http://www.ladwpnews.com/go/doc/1475/203045/
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