During Record Drought, LADWP Works with Huizar to Tighten Operations to Capture and Reuse Water Drained During Maintenance and Operations

During Record Drought, LADWP Works with Huizar to Tighten Operations to Capture and Reuse Water Drained During Maintenance and Operations

 Additional measures come after thousands of gallons of reservoir water were lost in Eagle Rock when it was released into storm drains – new policy aims to improve already low water losses from the City’s water system

Councilmember Huizar’s motion was in response to concerns over the draining of approximately 70,000 gallons of water from a corroded pipe in Eagle Rock into the storm drain system in March.  LADWP was draining the pipe as part of ongoing work on the Eagle Rock Reservoir.

“If the City of Los Angeles is asking residents to go the extra mile and conserve even more water than they already are then our water agency, the LADWP, should lead by example,” said Councilmember José Huizar. “This new water policy will conserve and reuse potentially millions of gallons of water in a time where every drop is needed. I applaud LADWP for this and other efforts to conserve water and I thank the Eagle Rock residents who alerted my office to this issue. Their outcry led to action.”

“During this time of extreme drought, it is imperative we do not waste a single drop of water,” said Councilmember Felipe Fuentes, Chair of the Council’s Energy and Environment Committee. “Thank you to Councilmember Jose Huizar for taking immediate action and continuing to make water conservation a top priority.”

LADWP’s Water System staff will take the following actions while draining water mainlines, trunklines, tanks and reservoirs for planned repairs, improvements, connections and relining, barring unforeseen conditions such as leaks and breaks.

•             Discharge water to the sewer where it can be beneficially reclaimed and reused as recycled water.

•             Collect water in water tankers and discharge it at sites where it can be beneficially reused, including ground water recharge basins, parks and other landscapes, sewers, water tanks and reservoirs (subject to the rules of the State Department  of Drinking Water), and other city uses.

•             The Department will also perform inspections using submersible, remotely operated tools to minimize the need to drain pipes,  reservoirs and tanks.

•             Discharge to the storm drain system only as a last resort.

Marty Adams, Senior General Manager for the Water System said, “We at LADWP appreciate Councilmember Huizar and the community for raising their concerns and challenging our Department to find better ways to handle our water discharge operations.” He added, “We are committed to doing better and will ensure we capture and reuse as much water as possible, doing every bit that we can to help conserve water. We will do this whether we are in a drought or not.”

According to a third party independent study, Los Angeles’ overall water system is efficient with low levels of water losses compared to the national average. In the Infrastructure Leakage Index, LADWP’s water system scored 1.2, less than half of Santa Monica’s 3.34; Washington DC Water and Sewer scored 8.2, and Philadelphia, 10.76.

The City’s water system includes 7,200 miles of pipe, 114 tanks and reservoirs, and many other elements to ensure that 191 billion gallons of reliable and clean water is served to 4 million customers annually.

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Media Contacts:

Councilmember José Huizar: Rick Coca rick.coca@lacity.org 213 200-9974

LADWP: Michelle Figueroa michelle.figueroa@ladwp.com 213 367-1368