Supported by $44.5 million in state funding, the North Hollywood West Groundwater Treatment Project is a key component of Mayor Garcetti’s goal to source 50% of its water locally by 2035
LOS ANGELES (January 17, 2018) — Mayor Eric Garcetti broke ground today on the North Hollywood West Groundwater Treatment Project, a $92 million project to clean up and restore the use of groundwater as a safe, high-quality source of drinking water in the San Fernando Valley. He was joined by Councilmembers Nury Martinez and Paul Krekorian as well as officials from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) and the California State Water Resources Control Board.
The North Hollywood West site, the first of four planned remediation projects in the San Fernando Valley, is expected to be completed by early 2020. The remediation of the San Fernando Valley Groundwater Basin advances two key goals of the Mayor’s Sustainable City pLAn — reducing the purchase of imported water by 50% by 2025, and producing 50% of L.A.’s water supply locally by 2035.
“Water is our most precious resource — and creating a more resilient, self-reliant Los Angeles means increasing the amount of water we source locally,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “The decontamination of this historic groundwater basin is a critical step in achieving our goals to reduce our dependence on imported water, so Angelenos will always have access to healthy, clean drinking water.”
If clean, the San Fernando Valley Groundwater Basin is an aquifer that can provide drinking water to more than 800,000 Angelenos. Currently, parts of the Basin are contaminated by industrial pollution dating back to the 1940s.
“A local, clean and reliable water supply for the San Fernando Valley is long overdue,” said Councilmember Nury Martinez. “For too long, Valley residents have borne the environmental burdens of the city’s progress. Decades of development have contaminated the Valley’s groundwater, forcing families to rely on more costly sources from outside the city. We need to do right by our families, and by the environment. The North Hollywood West Groundwater Treatment Project will finally allow residents to access the water under their own feet, and help ensure a clean and reliable water supply for the Valley well into the future.”
Today’s groundbreaking takes place on the 24th anniversary of the Northridge earthquake, further highlighting the importance of investing in a reliable local water supply that will increase water availability in the case of natural disasters.
“This is such a high-value project for the people across the City of Los Angeles,” said Councilmember Paul Krekorian, District 2. “For too long, we haven’t been able to utilize the San Fernando Groundwater Basin because of contamination and pollution. With the North Hollywood West Groundwater Treatment Project, Los Angeles will finally be able to take full advantage of this groundwater resource.”
LADWP was recently awarded a $44.5 million Prop.1 grant from the State Water Quality Control Board to help fund construction for the North Hollywood site and is applying for nearly $200 million more to construct three additional remediation projects in the San Fernando Valley. All four remediation projects are expected to be operational by 2022.
“By cleaning up the San Fernando Valley Aquifer through projects like this, we are remediating years of pollution by heavy industry in the Valley to restore our ability as your water utility to use water from the vast and valuable San Fernando Valley Aquifer. The Prop 1 funding for this project will be matched by our own funds, entrusted to us by our ratepayers, to accelerate major infrastructure projects. With this project we are demonstrating how we are putting their ratepayer dollars to work, while also keeping their rates low,” said LADWP General Manager David H. Wright.
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