Global Courant
Los Angeles has a unique opportunity to restore one of California’s ecological treasures and begin to reverse an age-old habit of relying on water from afar to quench our thirst.
State regulators are considering a pause on water imports from the eastern Sierra Nevadas Mono more watershed to allow the fragile ecosystem to recover after decades of diversions into the LA Basin. Local leaders must seize the opportunity to do the right thing for the environment and the indigenous people who have managed this resource since time immemorial.
LA’s water managers should also take this step for the sake of the region, as importing water from faraway places is currently a gamble. As we live through longer and more intense droughts, depending on tap water, we are at the mercy of forces beyond our control. Instead of improving our water security, imports make us vulnerable to increasingly erratic precipitation.
The best way to ensure that every Angeleno continues to have access to clean water is to significantly expand the local, resilient water supply through better planning, education, and the best available science and technology. Local water resistance depends on the “four Rs”: reduce water wastage, recycling of treated waste water, recovery of contaminated groundwater And reuse of city and storm runoff.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has made tremendous progress on all these fronts over the past few decades. Thanks to public education and a community-wide commitment to making the most of this limited resource, LA residents have reduced water use by 29% between 2003 and 2020. We can continue this trend with rebates and other policies that help residents replace lawns with drought-resistant landscaping.
The DWP and other local water agencies have also recognized the need to dramatically increase investment in water recycling, which has been growing for decades all over the world. The DWP, in conjunction with LA Sanitation and Environment, expects up to 217 million gallons more reclaimed water every day by 2035. That’s more than 243,000 acres of additional local water each year, which is about half of the city’s annual water use. The California legislature can help accelerate that effort by moving forward with a proposed water resistance bond.
Addressing contaminated groundwater is another important part of strengthening LA’s local supply. The DWP is nearly done with a $600 million effort to clean up San Fernando Valley’s heavily polluted groundwater basin. When completed, the basin will be able to cover one-fifth of the city’s water needs.
The region also finally recognizes that rainwater and other runoff is an essential source of local water. Approved by the voter Program for safe clean water, LA County invests $280 million a year to clean and collect rainwater. The DWP quickly took advantage of the program, using the money to support projects that will add 1,700 acre-feet per year to the San Fernando Valley’s groundwater basin — enough for nearly 19,000 Angelenos.
But a truly safe, resilient and equitable water future requires more than strengthening local water resources. We also have to get used to imported water.
The easiest place to start is Mono Lake, an internationally critical refuge for millions of migratory and breeding birds, as well as a scenic recreational destination for Angelenos and other Californians. The DWP made promises three decades ago to help restore this natural treasure, but has yet to deliver on them.
After excessive diversions, the LA Aqueduct led to the infamous near collapse of Mono Lake’s fragile ecosystem in the 1970s, a comprehensive review led by the State Water Resources Control Board urged regulators to limit DWP diversions from the watershed. The board’s order was designed to ensure that the lake could reach and maintain a minimum surface level of 2,000 meters above sea level. It is generally accepted that this is the minimum to keep the ecosystem healthy.
In 1994, the DWP and city leaders agreed to the state’s plan to save Mono Lake. State officials demanded more water flow to the lake but allowed continued diversions of up to 16,000 acre-feet per year, which is expected to allow the lake to recover to target levels by 2014. However, despite the reduced diversions, the lake continues to languish. far below the required level. Mono Lake’s return to health is now a decade overdue.
With the lake benefiting from a wildly wet winter, advocates have approached the State Water Resources Control Board again with a request to pause DWP import of the area until the target level is reached. The Kutzadika’a tribe, the traditional custodian of Mono Lake and surrounding lands, supports the effort as a means of protecting its cultural heritage and its future.
The harm of continuing to export water from the Mono Lake watershed far outweighs the small benefit to the DWP’s customers. Water diverted from the lake only accounts for about 1% to 3% of LA’s water. Keeping it in Mono Lake protects the ecosystem and, more importantly, LA’s promise to do so.
The LA region needs a radical new approach to water. Importing from distant river basins is expensive, energy intensive and unsustainable. We have the water we need, provided we make the most of every drop.
On bringing the waters of the eastern Sierra to LA, William Mulholland declared famous“There it is. Take it.” A more modern, responsible and ethical approach to water management calls for a new motto: “Here it is! Use it wisely.”
Bruce Reznik is the executive director of Los Angeles Waterkeeper.
