You may be pleased to hear about several infrastructure improvement initiatives I have led since I was first elected to the City Council. Large scale infrastructure projects, across multiple states, to import water are likely to take years and large sums of money. Alternatively, local projects using advances in technology are likely more cost effective and feasible to create in the short-term. In 2014, I introduced and passed a motion which created the LA-Israel Task Force with the express purpose of fostering mutually beneficial technology development and collaboration as we share similar ecosystems and water and power issues. One issue where the Task Force found benefits for Los Angeles is the remediation of the San Fernando Valley groundwater aquifer. Israel has technology that can allow us to clean more water for less money. This is critical, especially as we are to meet our goal of reducing purchased imported water by 50% by 2025. You can read the full report from the LADWP with this link.
Also, because so much of the San Fernando Valley has been paved over, most of our rainwater goes directly into the Los Angeles River and flows directly to the ocean. The passage of Measure W in November 2018 means an infusion of money for storm water projects that are aimed at increasing the amount of storm water that is captured in our local groundwater aquifers. Also, much of the water we use ends up in the sanitary system, where it is treated to near drinking water standards, and then dumped into the LA River or directly into the ocean. We are exploring ways to use that water to recharge our aquifers. Reusing locally-generated water is less costly and more sustainable than costly infrastructure projects. As you may know, the State of California is considering a tunnel project to bring water from Northern California through the San Francisco Bay Delta to Central and Southern California. While there are many political, technical, fiscal and environmental challenges before this WaterFix project can come to fruition, the City is on record as supporting a version of this project that is fiscally prudent for LADWP ratepayers.