Water for the people who live in the desert we know as Los Angeles is serious business. Water is scarce here--we import the vast majority we use. Making sure there is no shortage requires a long-term view and creative solutions.
Ten years ago, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, at the urging of an unlikely partner, the Mono Lake Committee, introduced a significant water recycling program, the East Valley Water Reclamation Project, as a safe, reliable water supply for Los Angeles. The program was offered for consideration to policymakers and the public with the intent of assuring a plentiful supply of water, while taking important steps to address the environmental damage caused in the eastern Sierra by the diversion of that region's water to Los Angeles.
The program received broad-based support from a coalition including the Mono Lake Committee, the Sierra Club and the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. It is among the largest water recycling programs in the country. State and political leaders, including former Gov. Pete Wilson, called press conferences in 1993 and 1994 to hail this project as an example of good government.
What's happened so far? In 1995, EVRP was approved by the city of Los Angeles, California Department of Health Services and the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board. It was developed as a firm supply that is not diminished under drought conditions, ensuring a safe, reliable water supply for this desert region that has and will experience serious drought conditions. State and federal funds provided more than $37 million to build the landmark project. Today it is nearly complete.
Now more than ever we must stretch our water. Wise policy decisions by the mayor and City Council have made Los Angeles a water conservation model. We use about the same amount of water today as we did 10 years ago despite a population increase of more than 1 million people. That is the good news. The bad news is that water use is starting to increase again, just as we prepare for 6 million new residents and a substantial increase in new industries in the next 20 years. The conservation efforts started in the last drought must continue.
What has happened since then? Los Angeles has had five years of plentiful water due to an abundant snowpack in the eastern Sierra, our primary water source. And although a drought is not driving water policy today, local leaders have the responsibility to plan for the future and cannot be blinded by the last several years of plentiful water.
