Before hurricane Katrina devastated the levees that kept New Orleans dry, experts were warning about the poor state of the northern California levees, the failure of which could cut us off from critical water supplies. There is no excuse if we fail to develop a “back-up plan” in southern California. During a six-month long strategic planning process, the WRD Board of Directors made it clear that we must do everything possible to make the most of our local resources as a contingency against disaster and drought. The result of our strategic planning efforts is what we call a Water Independence Network (WIN). WIN is a network of local facilities and education efforts that could help the quality of life and economy of southern Los Angeles County if the water we depend upon becomes unavailable.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) has created a series of programs that local agencies such as WRD can leverage to offset costs and provide true independence from imported water during disruptions or droughts. MWD has created incentive and credit programs for groundwater storage, water conservation and water recycling that are available through its member agencies such as the cities of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Compton, and the Central and West Basin Municipal Water Districts, all of which are within the WRD service area.
We have several opportunities to maximize the storage of water underground to provide multiple benefits to our area. For example, levels in groundwater basins across Los Angeles County are not the same. Some areas of the 105 Freeway have water so close to the surface that it must be pumped away to avoid damage to foundations of buildings and roads. In other areas closer to the coastline, water levels are lower, threatening ocean water contamination of our underground fresh water supplies.
Currently, we prevent saltwater intrusion by buying water that is piped from northern California and allowed to seep underground in strategic locations near the Los Angeles County coastline. WRD is finalizing plans to build a $75 million pipeline to move water from zones in Los Angeles County with too much water to areas with dwindling groundwater. In the event of a catastrophe in northern California, the value of protecting our groundwater from ocean salt contamination will dwarf the expense we take upon ourselves today.
In addition to strategies designed to reduce our reliance on imported water, we have also uncovered the potential to use our groundwater basins to store massive quantities of water for dry years – almost equivalent to what is stored in Lake Havasu. But, with dubious conditions in northern California and the Colorado River, combined with the uncertainty of rain, where will we get the water to store?
The answer is as near as Orange County. Essentially, the Orange County Groundwater Water Replenishment System takes water released from sewage treatment plants and purifies it through use of advanced-technology for storage underground. Given the advanced state of purification technology available, we have no excuse for letting water in Los Angeles County flow out to sea when we should be storing it for use in dry years and during disasters.
All this technology means little if we cannot control the pollution that runs from our homes and streets into storm drains leading to the San Gabriel and Los Angeles Rivers. These rivers are the means of getting water to critical areas called “spreading basins” where sediments allow the water to seep underground. In short, the cleaner the water is when it flows during a storm, the more of that water we can store.
Keeping run-off from contaminating storm or dry season run-off is the duty of every resident. WRD is dedicated to providing tools that best fit our individual circumstances. For businesses that must hose-down food areas and parking lots, we will be providing rebates for high pressure brooms that do a better job than water hose sprayers, thus, eliminating polluted run-off. For residents, we are providing tools to find landscape options that require less water and promote conservation. For professional and maintenance gardeners, WRD is facilitating classes that will help them help their customers conserve water, have healthier plants, and prevent pollution from flowing into our rivers and beaches.
We all have a part to play in our quest to prevent drought or catastrophe from devastating Los Angeles County. Making the most of water conservation, preventing pollution and appreciating the long-term benefits of stored supplies are key to WRD’s strategic plan of water independence during dry times. |
