Posts

LA Captured 13.5 Billion Gallons of Water During February Storms

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power captured nearly 14 billion gallons of stormwater last month, an 8.4 billion-gallon increase over the rainwater captured in February of 2023, Mayor Karen Bass announced.

A Class-Action Lawsuit Offers Free Cash to Many L.A. Sanitation Customers. Are You Eligible?

The city of Los Angeles has agreed to pay millions of dollars in refunds for six years’ worth of allegedly inflated sewer charges. And if you’re still a customer of the city’s sewer services, here’s the good news: If you qualify, your refund will come to you automatically.

L.A.’s New Water War: Keeping Supply From Mono Lake Flowing as Critics Want It Cut Off

With its haunting rock spires and salt-crusted shores, Mono Lake is a Hollywood vision of the apocalypse. To the city of Los Angeles, however, this Eastern Sierra basin represents the very source of L.A.’s prosperity — the right to free water.

For decades, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has relied on long-standing water rights to divert from the streams that feed this ancient lake as part of the city’s far-flung water empire. But in the face of global warming, drought and lawsuits from environmentalists, the DWP is now facing the previously unthinkable prospect of ending its diversions there.

New Film Highlights Water Struggle Between Rural High Desert and L.A.

A new film about the transfer of water from the high desert to Los Angeles – called “Without Water” – has just been released on the internet. The film highlights the struggle between the community around Long Valley, which is between Mammoth and Bishop California – and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LA DWP).

L.A. Water Use Plummets During Hot Summer Amid Calls to Conserve During Drought

Amid a record-breaking drought and calls to drastically reduce water use across California, Los Angeles residents saved a staggering 6 billion gallons during the hottest months of the summer, officials announced Monday. From June through September, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers used 6 billion gallons of water less than during the same period last year.

L.A.’s Quest for Water Leaves Costly Bill: Higher Rates for Customers, Choking Air Pollution

Even as worsening drought and aridification force Los Angeles to end its overwhelming dependence on imported water, Angelenos may soon realize that weaning themselves off supplies from the rugged eastern Sierra Nevada doesn’t mean they will stop paying for the city’s long, complicated history there. That’s because, even if the city is able to make good on a pledge by Mayor Eric Garcetti to recycle 100% of its water by 2035 and increase its ability to capture storm water, Los Angeles will still have to pay millions of dollars to control the region’s hazardous dust pollution — an environmental consequence of L.A.’s draining of Owens Lake more than a century ago, as well as recent diversions that have lowered the level of Mono Lake farther north.

Audit: Aging Infrastructure Among Issues Facing LAWPD

Aging infrastructure and lack of implementation plans are among the top issues facing the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, according to an audit released Wednesday, Aug. 31, by city officials.

The report, jointly issued Mayor Eric Garcetti, City Controller Ron Galperin and the city council, analyzed risks and opportunities for improvements at the LADWP.

Amid Water Restrictions, L.A. Residents Can Get Free Recycled Water for Lawns

Angelenos can stock up again on gallons of recycled water to irrigate their trees, plants and lawns — and free of charge through a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power program.

Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the reopening of two recycled water fill stations Thursday at the Los Angeles-Glendale Water Reclamation Plant and the L.A. Zoo parking lot.

Additional Water Restrictions Placed Into Effect as California Drought Continues to Worsen

As the record-breaking drought continues to worsen in California, water districts across the state have issued a series of restrictions in an effort to curb water waste.

Joining the throngs of regions already impacted by these water conservation efforts are Kagel Canyon, Acton, Val Verde, the Antelope Valley and Malibu, which are all provided retail water service by Los Angeles County Waterworks Districts.

Opinion: California’s Water Shortage Requires Updates in Technology, Law — and Mindset

Californians responded to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s request for voluntary water conservation earlier this year by using more, not less. On Monday, Newsom said mandatory cutbacks could be coming.

Already, residents face sharp new outdoor water restrictions June 1, and serious doubts over whether those limits will be enough to cope with a historic water shortage.