Past Water System Investments Pay Big Dividends During This Drought

by Gary Toebben

Water is one of those resources we often take for granted. The worsening drought this year is a reminder of how precious water is to our state economy. The full scope of the damage caused by this drought is still unknown as we wait for what nature will bring California the rest of this winter and spring in terms of snow and rain. But now is a good time to look back on the investments here in Southern California that are tempering the impact of this drought and look ahead at what still needs to be done to assure reliability in the future.  

Our region learned a hard lesson about the overreliance on imported water supplies during the drought that ended in the early 1990s. Back then, water districts relied more heavily on imported water each and every year and in 1991, it became necessary to ration water throughout the Southland. Water leaders rolled up their sleeves and a whole new water management strategy began to evolve.

Conservation — the lowering of demand — became the front and center strategy of water management. Plumbing code reforms led to millions of new low-flow toilets. The Los Angeles Department of Water & Power began to invest millions of dollars in conservation and the regional importer of water supplies, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), started investing in rebate incentives, recycling programs and other local efforts — about $1 billion in investments in all. MWD also dramatically expanded its network of groundwater banks and reservoirs (a more than 14-fold increase) in order to store water in wet years and rely on those reserves in dry ones. As a result of those investments, residents of Los Angeles now consume less water per capita than any other large American city.

The Southland is not in the middle of a full-blown water crisis right now because of MWD’s prudent investment in conservation and storage. But our investments in our water infrastructure are far from over and more lie ahead. The water system that brings supplies from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta needs modernizing. New intakes and a tunnel conveyance system will improve our state's drought resiliency, protect water supplies from earthquakes and avoid conflicts with migrating fish species. More recycling and local supplies are needed here in the Southland to meet the needs of an increasing population and a growing economy.

Southland water management is a job that is never over. The investments of past generations are paying big dividends today. Now is the time for our generation to invest so that future generations are just as fortunate.

And that's The Business Perspective.