July 14, 2008
STATEMENT BY LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF WATER & POWER CEO DAVID NAHAI
URGING IMMEDIATE ACTION ON WATER BILLS
SB1xx and AB 2175 needed to support wise water management and sustainability
LOS ANGELES, CA – “The Los Angeles Department of Water & Power applauds Senator Perata and Assembly Speaker Bass for bringing forward this package of legislation to address California’s critical water needs.”
Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power recently released a new plan, “Securing LA’s Water Future,” that calls for an aggressive, multi-pronged approach to water management aimed at protecting the people and economy of Los Angeles from the impacts of drought and increasing water demand. This plan is a firm commitment by the City to adopt an ethic of sustainability, combining immediate steps to conserve water with long-term investments in water saving technologies, water recycling programs, and major improvements in groundwater and storm water management. Senate Bill 1xx is vital to the timely implementation of this plan. Senate Bill 1xx provides critically needed matching funds for local investments in integrated water management, water conservation, storm water flood management and groundwater cleanup. Senate Bill 1xx sets in motion a sustainable water future for Los Angeles and California.
While Los Angeles moves toward a sustainable approach, like most of urban California, it is still dependent in part on water imported from the Bay-Delta system, a supply that has recently been curtailed and is vulnerable to further cuts. SB 1xx provides urgently needed funding to help improve Delta stability, improving the health of the environment and improving the reliability of Delta water supplies.
Likewise, AB 2175, by Assembly Members Laird and Feuer, would support a responsible water management approach by establishing as state policy a goal of reaching 20% per capita water savings by the year 2020, a target also suggested by Governor Schwarzenegger earlier this year. Dry seasons, climate change and growing population make it imperative that all Californian’s make better use of the water we have. Los Angeles is already on track to achieve the targets established by AB 2175 and strongly support the adoption of this bill as state policy.”
These policy and funding bills are important immediate steps we can take now, but much more remains to be done. We encourage the Legislature and Governor to enact these bills now, and also to continue working together to address California’s long term water challenges.
