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Los Angeles Board of Water and Power Commissioners Applauded for Accomplishments

Los Angeles Board of Water and Power Commissioners

Applauded for Accomplishments

Leading LA’s Transition to Clean Energy Future

and Sustainable Local Water Supplies
LOS ANGELES — The Board of Water and Power Commissioners, which oversees the policies and operations of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), was recognized today for two and one half years of volunteer service and dedication to the City of Los Angeles and its Department of Water and Power.  The decisions and actions of the five Commissioners, their dedication and forward-moving actions have guided LADWP through the biggest water and power transformation in its history.

Today, LADWP General Manager Ronald O. Nichols thanked the Board members for making the complex —and sometimes unpopular—decisions that are required to provide reliable and competitively-priced water and power to Los Angeles.

“Working together with the City’s elected leaders, this Board has put the Department of Water and Power on a path toward creating a new clean energy future for Los Angeles, and planning a water future that reduces the City’s reliance on expensive, imported purchased water and increases local and sustainable water supplies,” Nichols said.  “On behalf of the entire Department, thank you for your leadership.”

The Board of Water and Power Commissioners honored today are: Board President Thomas S. Sayles, Vice President Eric Holoman, Jonathan Parfrey, Christina E. Noonan, and Richard F. Moss.

The Board’s accomplishments are detailed in a recently completed report entitled:  Board of Water and Power Commissioners Accomplishments 2011 – 2013.   The following are some of the key accomplishments described in the report:

Power

  • The Board took steps to eliminate the use of coal power by 2025. Under its Power Integrated Resource Plan, LADWP will replace coal power by expanding renewable energy and energy efficiency, as well as using clean and efficient natural gas as a bridge fuel.
  • The Board increased energy from renewable sources from 20% – achieved in 2010 – and has laid a path to achieve 25% renewable energy by 2016 and 33% by 2020.
  • Over the past year, the Board doubled investments in energy efficiency programs, saving overall long-term power costs and lowering customer bills.
  • This year, the Board approved a new 150 MW Feed-in Tariff program , which is  the largest offered by any U.S. city, increasing local solar power and stimulating economic growth in Los Angeles.
  • To spur more LA drivers to embrace electric vehicles, LADWP provided $1 million in rebates for EV home chargers to 540 residential customers, and upgraded 350 existing public charging stations on City property and at publicly accessible locations.
  • The Board supported deployment of 60 Power System employees and three dozen support vehicles as part of the national utility mutual assistance effort following Hurricane Sandy.

Water

  • The Board supported strategies and took actions toward reducing reliance on expensive purchased water by encouraging development of more local water supplies and moving forward with an effort to accelerate reaching the prior Urban Water Management Plan 2035 local water supply plan goals.
  • Facing ongoing water shortages, LADWP spearheaded record-low water use in Los Angeles, the lowest per capita of any U.S. city with over 1 million people.
  • The Board moved forward with projects that expand the use of recycled water, and approved a Recycled Water Master Plan.
  • The Board approved an EIR to expand storage capacity at the Tujunga Spreading Grounds, doubling the volume of recharged water.
  • The Board oversaw several major water quality projects that ensure clean water that meets all drinking water standards. Projects include construction of a major new ultraviolet (UV) water treatment plant that will be the largest west of the Mississippi River and second largest in the U.S.
  • Negotiated and approved a milestone settlement agreement on Owens Lake dust control to reduce the future use of water for dust control, and protect important cultural resources.
  • The Board has supported and advocated for the efforts to definitively establish  the Owens Lake Master Project that will control dust while conserving water and protecting the Owens Valley environment.
  • A challenging infrastructure project—replacing the 99-year-old City trunk line that runs under Coldwater Canyon Avenue—was completed without a hitch and ahead of schedule.

To view the report on these and more of the Board’s accomplishments, click here or visit www.ladwpnews.com.