May 4, 2022 (LOS ANGELES)–The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) recently honored both The State of California, the Department of Parks and Recreation, and the production company, The Industry, for the production of “Sweet Land” held at the Los Angeles State Historic Park in Chinatown for their creative, first-of-its-kind use of recycled water.
The State Parks and Recreation and The Industry designed an immersive experience by utilizing the Park’s recycled water irrigation system, instead of potable water, to create a water spray feature that served as a backdrop for the projected images at their outdoor stage. “Sweet Land” was performed at the park from February to March 2020
At an awards ceremony hosted by LADWP and held at the park, LADWP representatives presented The Industry and California State Parks Representatives with the 2021 Recycled Water Customer of the Year award.
The Recycled Water Customer Award is a unique recognition of LADWP’s recycled water customers and their achievements in water conservation and sustainability. The goal of the award is to increase awareness of water recycling best practices and the benefits they can provide to organizational operations, finances, and the overall environment we all share.
This is the ninth year LADWP has recognized a recycled water customer for efforts to increase recycled water use in the City of Los Angeles, but the first time it has recognized a customer for artistic use of recycled water.
Managed by the State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks and Recreation), the Los Angeles State Historic Park has been LADWP’s recycled water customer since 2017, using recycled water for irrigation. Since then, the park has offset enough potable water to serve over 1,400 homes.
But it was the park’s creative use of recycled water that earned special recognition from LADWP this year.
“The 2021 Recycled Water Customer of the Year recipient took historic measures to only use recycled water at the park production of “Sweet Land, overcoming technical hurdles to ensure its production was in full compliance with Public Health regulations for recycled water use,” said Rafael Villegas, Program Manager of Operation NEXT. “This new and different way to reuse water is a true testament to our customer’s commitment to water stewardship and environmental conservation.”
“This production was truly a fabulous, innovative experiment,” said Craig Sap, Interim District Superintendent for the California Department of Parks and Recreation. “We opened this park with the understanding of the need to be sustainable in regards to water usage, and working with LADWP was an amazing experience. We really want to thank LADWP, The Industry, all the performers, and all the people that worked for The Industry.”
“We are very grateful for all the help from LADWP. The production paid respect to the land where we held the performances, and especially the water which flows through the land. Hopefully, the arts community can work together with the City of Los Angeles to come up with more creative solutions to ensure we have a sustainable water supply,” said Yuval Sharon, Director for “Sweet Land”, the Industry.
LADWP remains focused on its goal of promoting the advantages and safety of recycled water for non-potable use through public engagement and stakeholder partnerships.
Looking to the future, LADWP is investing in resilient, sustainable local water supplies through groundwater recharge, stormwater capture, additional conservation, maximizing water recycling, and developing a new local water source using purified recycled water. This includes the bold initiative, Operation NEXT, which aims to provide a new local water supply from recycled water by recycling 100 percent of the City’s wastewater from the City’s wastewater treatment facilities. The program aims to maximize the production of purified recycled water from the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant to replenish our groundwater basins.
More information about LADWP’s Recycled Water can be found at www.ladwp.com/recycledwater.
Past Recycled Water Customer of the Year Recipients:
2013 Gibson Ranch
2014 Campus at Playa Vista
2015 Van Nuys High School
2016 WRD: Dominguez Gap Sea Water Intrusion Barrier
2017 City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks
2018 Griffith Park Los Feliz Golf Course
2019 Woodley Park
2020 Google: Spruce Goose Cooling Towers
2021 Los Angeles State Historic Park: “Sweet Land”
