May 7, 2008
LOS ANGELES (May 7, 2008) — The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) began the process of refilling the Silver Lake Reservoir this morning. At a brief ceremony, Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti and City Councilmember Tom La Bonge joined LADWP CEO & General Manager David Nahai on-site for the opening of the valves and the initial rush of fresh water from the facility’s tower.
Said Council President Garcetti, “Today the jewel of Silver Lake is reborn as we turn on the spigot and begin to refill the reservoir. As we see the water flow back in, we’re reminded of what a precious resource it is and I encourage every Los Angeles resident and business to do their part to conserve it.”
“While we are refilling this reservoir in time to meet the increased consumer demand of the hot summer months, conservation of water is now more important than ever,” added Mr. Nahai. “We strongly encourage all our consumers to conserve water.”
The reservoir is being refilled with highest-quality water from the Los Angeles Aqueduct, which originates in the Owens River Valley as snowpack.
“Water quality is extremely important for all of Los Angeles. The Department has assured me that the quality of the water going into the Silver Lake Reservoir is up to the standards of the rest of the system. The precautions they took paid off and now the reservoir will be back in service,” said Councilmember LaBonge.
Refilling the Silver Lake Reservoir is estimated to take between 15-20 days, with much of the process taking place at night, as Water System operations allow. When the process is finished, the reservoir will resume serving safe, clean drinking water to approximately 600,000 LADWP consumers in Downtown, Central and South Los Angeles. At full capacity, the Silver Lake Reservoir holds 795-million gallons of water.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the nation’s largest municipal utility, provides reliable, low-cost water and power services to Los Angeles residents and businesses in an environmentally responsible manner. LADWP services about 1.4 million electric customers and 680,000 water customers in Los Angeles.
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Brooks Baker, LADWP Public Affairs
(213) 367-8722
e-mail: Brooks.Baker@ladwp.com
