PLAYA VISTA COMMUNITY BEGINS USING RECYCLED WATER FOR IRRIGATION
LA’s First Outdoor Residential Water Recycling Saves Water for 400 Families
LOS ANGELES — As part of an ongoing effort to expand water recycling in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has begun serving recycled water to the Playa Vista development for landscaping. Playa Vista Phase 1 — now home to over 6,000 residents — will irrigate its outdoor spaces using 100 percent recycled water, representing a savings of about 66 million gallons annually, or enough water for 400 families of four per year.
“At a time when we are faced with severe water shortages, due to a combination of drought and regulatory restrictions, Playa Vista’s recycled water irrigation becomes the new standard to which all new and existing developments can aspire,” said David Nahai, LADWP CEO and General Manager. “Given that more than 30 percent of all water used in Los Angeles is used for landscaping, this is exactly what we need to be doing in order to ensure that we meet the City’s water needs in the future,” Nahai added.
“I applaud Playa Vista for being so environmentally responsible,” said Jim McDaniel, Senior Assistant General Manager, LADWP Water System. “By irrigating their beautiful landscape with recycled water, they are proactively helping create a more sustainable water supply for Los Angeles.”
Phase 1 of the Playa Vista development is the first planned community in Los Angeles to use 100 percent recycled water for landscaping. It is the first outdoor residential use of recycled water within the City of Los Angeles, and includes the first commercial complex where recycled water is used for indoor toilet flushing.
Playa Vista is the latest project to come online with recycled water, which is treated at the Hyperion Treatment Plant and the West Basin Water Treatment Facility, both located in the South Bay area. The Playa Vista sustainable community features residential, commercial, retail and open space; creating a place to live, work, shop and play, nestled below the bluffs of Westchester, adjacent to the newly restored Ballona Freshwater Marsh and within easy reach of Santa Monica, Venice and Century City. There are more than two dozen recreational/park sites in Playa and commercial buildings are dual plumbed for toilet flushing with recycled water.
In May 2008, LADWP announced a Water Supply Action Plan, “Securing L.A.’s Water Supply,” that identified expanding recycled water use as one of several long-term strategies to ensure a sustainable water supply. Other strategies include increasing water conservation, enhancing stormwater capture, accelerating cleanup of the groundwater basin, and expanding groundwater storage. For more information about the Water Supply Action Plan, log on to www.ladwp.com, and select “Future of Water,” then “Securing L.A.’s Water Future” or click here to link directly to the site.
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. For more information, please log on to www.ladwp.com.
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