Inyo County Board of Supervisors hears Great Basin’s side of the Owens Lake saga
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 22, 2008 at 6:25 am
From the Inyo Register:
Top county officials dove into the details of dust mitigation at Owens Lake this week in response to concerns by local citizens, elected officials and business owners that water is possibly being over-used to control air pollution at the site.
A presentation to the Inyo County Board of Supervisors was scheduled for Tuesday at the request of the local Agriculture Resources Control Board to provide leaders with facts and figures related to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s dust mitigation project. Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District Officer Ted Schade delivered the presentation.
Specific concerns about the project’s use of ponds to keep the dry lake bed wet enough to control dust had been brought to the forefront by Inyo County Agricultural Commissioner George Milovich at the urging of the Agriculture Resource Advisory Board, which recently toured the Owens Lake as part of its interest in ensuring more water than necessary is not diverted from agricultural purposes.
Schade told the supervisors that it is not the responsibility of his agency to tell LADWP how to fix the problem, but to tell them where to mitigate and what measures work effectively. Schade added that since LADWP is in the water business, it has preferred to use water for much of the mitigation project, and it is also the most cost effective for LADWP, compared to managed vegetation or blanketing problem areas with gravel.
This article gives lots of interesting details on the Owens Lake dust mitigation project. Check it out from the Inyo Register by clicking here.
Head of DWP spotlights city’s greener policies at Eastern California climate change conference
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 11, 2008 at 5:53 amFrom the Inyo Register:
The man in charge of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power explained to an audience in Bishop his and his company’s position on energy and water conservation and its dedication to limiting further greehouse gas emissions.
David Nahai, CEO and general manager for LADWP, was one of the keynote speakers for this week’s conference on climate change, “Climate. Ecosystems and Resources in Eastern California” or CEREC.
Prior to addressing the near-capacity crowd at the Methodist Church Fellowship Hall Thursday night, Nahai noted that “no other energy company in the world is doing more to redirect their approach toward utilizing Renewable Power Sources (RPS).” He also said that climate change and global warming from man-made greenhouse gases is obvious and something any rational person would admit to as real.Nahai was invited to the CEREC to present LADWP’s visions for dealing with climate change in a talk titled, “Looking to the Future: A Climate Strategy for LADWP.”
Nahai was introduced by Geoff McQuilken, executive director for the Mono Lake Committee. McQuilken began by expressing his relief that someone in Nahai’s position has such proactive views on climate change and looked forward to working with him. He said Nahai was also asked to speak because “climate change plays such a big role in water supplies.”
McQuilken also spoke of Nahai’s impressive resume that included a Master’s degree in Economics from UC Berkeley and his stint as a senior member of the L.A. Water Quality Control Board. He added that Nahai had only been in the driver’s seat of one of the largest power companies in the world for a year, then McQuilken shook Nahai’s hand and gazed out into the audience, some of whom have openly expressed their discontent with DWP policy, and said to Nahai, “Welcome, and good luck.”
Read more from the Inyo Register by clicking here.
Water conservation and environmental stewardship earn LADWP Platinum Award from the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 27, 2008 at 5:57 amAssociation of Metropolitan Water Agencies honor Los Angeles Department of Water and Power for water conservation, 20-year water strategy and Lower Owens River Project
From the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, this press release:
Water conservation achievements, the development of a 20-year water strategy for Los Angeles and the restoration of the Lower Owens River in the Eastern Sierra — three major water inititatives of the Department of Water and Power — earned it the 2008 Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) Platinum Award for 2008, AMWA announced today at its annual convention in New Orleans.
The award stated: “Through an effective water conservation program, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has maintained the same level of city water use provided 25 years ago despite a propulation increase of one million people. It also developed a blueprint for meeting the city’s future water needs solely through water recycling and conservation. The utility exercises environmental stewardship through implementation of the Lower Owens River Project, one of the world’s largest river ecosystem restoration projects.”
“We could not be more pleased with this award as it validates the visionary thinking, hard work and dedication that defines water resource management at the LADWP,” said CEO and General Manager David Nahai. “L.A.’s water future depends on our ability to adopt an ethic of sustainability and we are making every effort to achieve this goal. This award is a testament to the dedicated staff of our water system who work day and night year-round to provide the highest quality tap water to four million Angelenos.”
LADWP floats hydro-electric plant idea for Tinnemaha Reservoir
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on August 26, 2008 at 7:42 am
From Bishop’s Inyo Register:
“Going green” seems to be a way of life for many, and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has jumped on the band wagon, hoping to use its water resources here in the Owens Valley to begin producing cleaner, renewable energy.
The LADWP is taking the first steps towards a greener future by considering construction of a new hydro-electric plant on Tinnemaha Reservoir. Though these first steps are small ones, and the end result is more than a few years off, the Southern California utility is hoping to rely more on renewable energy in coming years. According to a federal notice seeking comment on the proposed project, the new renewable energy facility will include a 215-foot-long, eight-footwide steel penstock, a powerhouse containing one 1.2 megawatt generating unit, a one-mile long transmission line connecting to an existing power line and four related facilities.
If the hydro-electric plant is constructed as proposed, it will generate approximately five GWh of energy. The daily output of 1.2 megawatts is enough energy to power approximately 212 average homes.
That power would be sold to local utility companies.“This is not like anything imminent,” said LADWP Public Information Officer Chris Plakos. “There has been a filing to get the project on record, but it will be maybe 10 years before anything physical gets moving out there.”
Read more from the Inyo Register by clicking here.
Stricter limits placed on Los Angeles water usage
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on August 15, 2008 at 7:50 amFrom Fox News LA:
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today signed into law a revised city ordinance that limits how and when Angelenos can use water outdoors and imposes water restrictions on restaurants and hotels.
Residents are now prohibited from watering their lawns between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., and from watering more than 15 minutes a day.
The previous ordinance, passed in 1990, banned outdoor watering between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. from April 1 to Sept. 30 and between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. from Oct. 1 to March 31.
“L.A.’s future depends on our willingness to adopt an ethic of conservation. These first steps represent the beginning of our march toward sustainability and success,” Villaraigosa said.
Read more from Fox 11 News LA by clicking here.
Los Angeles doubles fines for residents who waste water
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on August 14, 2008 at 4:18 pmFrom the Los Angeles Times:
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signed an ordinance today that doubles fines for residents who repeatedly violate the city’s “drought buster” rules, including a reworked ban on watering lawns between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The measure will bar restaurants from serving water to customers unless it is specifically requested. And it will quadruple fines for large customers of the Department of Water and Power, mainly businesses, that break the city’s water-waster law.
“L.A.’s future depends on our citizens to adopt an ethic of conservation,” said Villaraigosa, standing at a news conference outside California Pizza Kitchen in downtown Los Angeles.
The mayor’s anti-drought initiative comes as he tries to keep his top appointee at the utility, DWP Commission President Nick Patsaouras, from quitting his post.
Patsaouras, perhaps the utility’s most aggressive watchdog on spending issues, could not immediately be reached for comment. But Villaraigosa said his appointee had repeatedly talked about leaving the DWP — and the fact that he is “overworked.”
Read more from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.
Los Angeles water restrictions in effect today
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on August 14, 2008 at 8:18 amFrom KABC-7:
One of toughest water restrictions in the nation is about to become the law of the land in Los Angeles. The penalty is stiff if you violate it. It’s called the “Drought-Buster” plan.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is expected to sign this new water-usage ordinance into law Thursday, which means more than a million DWP customers in Los Angeles will soon have to change their habits when it comes to watering their lawns, washing their cars, and even ordering water to drink at restaurants.
At Paty’s Restaurant in Toluca Lake, workers are not looking forward to the new water usage law, which says give a customer a glass of water without asking — face a fine.
“We have enough things to worry about keeping business going and making sure we give good service, and now we have to worry about asking people if they want water,” said Bob Greene, manager of Paty’s Restaurant.
The Department of Water and Power says the new requirement is part of a 20-year water conservation plan introduced by the city of Los Angeles. In 10 days, restaurants will no longer be able to serve water without a customer requesting it.
Get the rest of the story from KABC Channel 7 by clicking here.
Aqua Blog Maven rant (stepping up to the soap box): This story was posted this morning, and already there is one commenter whining that this another “nanny law”. I don’t know why these regulations aren’t permanent, and haven’t been permanent for years. For instance, out of my family of four, I am the only one who drinks the water brought to me by the restaurant. And it’s not just the water in the glass; it’s also the water used to wash the glass. Most people I eat with don’t drink the water, either. The restaurant owner has the wrong attitude: think of the power and water saved by not having to wash the glasses that nobody drank out of, and the labor of not having to deliver water to the table upon arrival.
Heck, he could make MORE money if he sends the cocktail waitress out first! When I walk into a restaurant, she’s the first one I want to see anyway.
Anyone who washes their car with an open hose deserves a bonehead award, in my opinion. And why does anyone water their lawn during the middle of the day? And would we all die if, when staying in a hotel room for more than a day, we actually used the same towel for two days in a row? Does anyone at home change their sheets every day? I’ll bet you’ll hear no complaints from the hotel owners on this one - I’m sure they have longed since figured out that less dirty linens means less power, water, and labor costs. (Note to hotel owners: please install more towel racks in your bathrooms!)
There’s algae growing in my gutter and in gutters all over town, and I think it’s shameful.
Why aren’t these water restrictions in effect all the time?
My parents live in Reno. They have dealt with water restrictions for at least ten years. They can only water two days a week, depending upon the last digit of the address. Residents water Wednesdays and Saturdays, or Tuesdays and Sundays, depending upon whether it’s odd or even. Businesses water on Mondays and Thursdays. Everybody knows it. No algae in the gutters there. Water rates are based on actual usage, and in a city where water bills can be well over $100 a month, evidence of drought-tolerant landscaping is everywhere.
It’s time to smell the double-latte and wake up to the ‘new’ reality that conserving water needs to become a way of life.
OK, off my soapbox, there’s more posting to do.
Water talks surface for Inyo County & L.A. DWP
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on August 12, 2008 at 6:24 amFrom Bishop’s Inyo Register, news that the Inyo County and Los Angeles DWP officials will be meeting to discuss DWP’s plans for groundwater pumping and hear updates on ongoing projects:
The Standing Committee will discuss the 2008-2009 Operations Plan for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in the Owens Valley.
The Inyo-L.A. Long Term Water Agreement provides that the LADWP prepare and present a draft Operations Plan to the county and allow staff to provide comments. From there the Operations Plan is turned over to the technical group, which will attempt to resolve any concerns on the part of the county and return the plan to the LADWP to make the appropriate revisions and implement the plan.
The Inyo County Water Department has already reviewed the draft plan and provided comments to the LADWP. “The department’s analysis found that both the draft and final Operations Plans are consistent with the interim management plan and water agreement,” Inyo County Administrative Officer Kevin Carunchio said in his department report.
This year’s LADWP Operations Plan forecasts that runoff will be 86 percent of normal for the Owens Valley from April 2008 through March 2008. The plan further forecasts that the LADWP will be pumping 66,800 square feet of water during the same time period.
This is the first time in several years that Inyo County has utilized the Drought Recovery Policy that provides for the Standing Committee to establish an annual operations plan. In the past Operations Plans have been approved as described in the Water Agreement,” Carunchio said.
The Standing Committee will also be discussing the possibility of pumping groundwater from beneath Owens Lake bed to mitigate the dust problem.
Read more from the Inyo Register by clicking here.
DWP water waste crackdown plan gets L.A. City Council panel’s OK; Fines would be boosted for residents or businesses repeatedly caught wasting water
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on August 6, 2008 at 8:00 amFrom the Los Angeles Times:
A key committee of the Los Angeles City Council voted today to approve Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s new crackdown on excessive water usage, doubling fines for residents and quadrupling them for businesses.
The “drought busters” plan crafted by the Department of Water and Power seeks to punish residents who water their lawns between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., car owners who wash their cars without “shut-off devices” on their hoses and restaurants that serve water without being asked.
DWP General Manager H. David Nahai had originally urged the council to approve the plan before the start of summer in June. Because of questions from the council’s Energy and the Environment Committee over the last few weeks, the plan won’t likely go into effect until September.
Read more from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.
L.A. fiddles around while Long Beach breaks records for water conservation
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on July 9, 2008 at 7:46 amFrom Ron Kaye LA Blog:
Did you hear the one about the top L.A. water official who wants you to drink toilet water and personally uses twice as much as the average guy?
Not funny? How’s this: The head of the Long Beach water agency uses one-sixth as much water for his family of five as David Nahai, the head of L.A.’s DWP, does for his family of five.
I’m dying out here trying to get a laugh.
So not only does Long Beach water chief Kevin Wattier conserve himself but he’s got the whole town doing it. Water consumption in Long Beach in June was at a 10-year-low for that month. It was 5.7 percent lower than any in June in a decade, 10.5 percent below the 10-year average and for that last 12 months Long Beach is using 7 percent less water than the average of the last 10 years.
Now that’s funny, you got to admit. Especially when you know L.A.’s water use is just about at the average of recent years — 2.4 percent lower than last year but 20.5 percent higher than two years ago.
So next time you hear the mayor, your City Council member or David Nahai talk about how “green” they are, you can laugh in their face certain in the knowledge that they are hypocrites and deceivers.
It’s Long Beach that’s green and every water official knows why. Kevin Wattier didn’t talk about conserving water, he did something about it — last September — when he figured out that California is facing a water crisis. Demand exceeds supply and it’s not a temporary problem. “We’re really in trouble,” Wattier told me. “We need to make permanent lifestyle changes. Everybody in Southern California needs to permanently reduce their water use. We’re at the tipping point and we need to face reality.”
Read the rest of Ron Kaye’s article by clicking here.
Confessions and manipulations of Nahai, the water-waster
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 27, 2008 at 6:51 amFrom the Los Angeles Daily News, this editorial:
Auditors of the spacious spread owned by H. David Nahai on Beverly Hills-adjacent Deep Canyon Drive found that the general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is one of those very water-wasters that the city is, under his own leadership, cracking down on.
In fact, Nahai’s lawn is so overwatered by sprinklers that it’s sitting in a foot of subsurface moisture.
Those were the revelations that Nahai made to the Daily News in a story this week. In that story, Nahai acted contrite - and seemed ready to take action to trim his average $232 monthly water bill.
It was embarrassing for Nahai, to be sure. And it reinforced the belief by many that Los Angeles’ leaders regularly engage in hypocrisy. Here was the man scolding Angelenos for using too much water caught in the wasteful act himself.
But shouldn’t Nahai be forgiven for generously opening his home and his water usage to the public - a commitment to model good conservationist behavior? Certainly, if that were the whole story.
Yes, apparently annoyed by a reporter (Alan Mittelstaedt) who was pestering him to release his water bills, pursuant to legal requirements, Nahai decided to take his water bills to another reporter instead. It also tends to show that Nahai only did the right thing only after being exposed as a water waster. But that’s not the only issue, says this editorial:
Besides, the real problem is not so much that Nahai runs a wasteful home, but that he runs a wasteful utility. If Nahai is willing to sidestep legitimate requests for information and manipulate the public on a simple question of his water bill, imagine what he might do to sidestep legitimate requests on the DWP’s proposed expansion, future rate increases and capital improvement construction.
Read the full text of this editorial from the Los Angeles Daily News by clicking here.
David over at Westchester Kids charts Nahai’s use against other city council members:
The average per person water consumption of LADWP customers is 56,576 gallons per year or 163,000 gallons for the average 3 person household.
* H. David Nahai (DWP General Manager) - 434,220
(a staggering 310% times more than my household!!)
* Rocky Delgadillo (City attorney) - 423,368 gallons
* Mayor Villaraigosa - 386,716 gallons
* Jack Weiss - 254,320 gallons
* Bill Rosendahl - 230,384 gallons
* Tony Cardenas - 219,912 gallons
* Greig Smith - 219,164 gallons
* Dennis Zine - 194,480 gallons
* Wendy Gruel - 190,740 gallons
* Jose Huizar - 142,120 gallons
* Eric Garcetti - 88,264 gallons
* Janice Hahn - 83,776 gallons
* Bernard Parks - 35,156 gallons
Mayor Villaraigosa should be happy to hear that once Nahai goes through the twelve step program gets his water use under control, the mayor and his planning commissioners will be able to entitle that water to downtown developers for another 8 housing units and keep us trapped in a cycle of perpetual water shortages.
More from Westchester Kids blog by clicking here.
Los Angeles DWP suit alleges Colorado firm overbilled for Owens Lake work
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 25, 2008 at 7:07 am
From the Los Angeles Times:
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against a Colorado-based construction and engineering firm, accusing it of overbilling the utility over a seven-year period.
The lawsuit alleged that the Englewood-based company conspired to defraud the DWP by preparing and approving numerous invoices that “artificially inflated the value of the work performed by CH2M Hill and its subcontractors.”
The lawsuit comes one year after an audit commissioned by the DWP concluded that CH2M Hill had overbilled the municipal utility by as much as $4.5 million.
Although the lawsuit does not say how much the city believes it is owed by CH2M Hill, DWP General Manager H. David Nahai said his agency would seek at least $13.5 million, plus punitive damages and $10,000 for each allegedly false claim submitted by the company. “This lawsuit doesn’t specify a number because it’s possible that by the time that other damages are added, the number could be much larger” than the original amount that was overcharged, Nahai said.
CH2M Hill received contracts worth $106 million since 1998 to control dust on the dry bed of Owens Lake, which is about 200 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
A spokesman for CH2M Hill said he had not seen the lawsuit, but denied the allegations of fraud. “We did what we believe, and what others believe, was good work for the city,” said Martin Nicholson, CH2M Hill’s regional manager for the Southwest region. “We stand behind that work.”
Read the rest of this story from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.
Audit finds DWP chief’s yard to be overflowing
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 24, 2008 at 3:58 pmFrom the Daily News:
As city leaders urge residents to trim energy and water usage amid the sweltering summer months, a home audit of the chief of L.A.’s Department of Water and Power has found that even the champion of conservation is not doing enough to cut back.
Auditors last month found that lawn sprinklers at General Manager H. David Nahai’s 6,000-square-foot Deep Canyon Drive home had come on every single night for more than a year - summer or winter, rain or shine. The watering resulted in about a foot of subsurface moisture and boosted the general manager’s average water consumption - 36,185 gallons a month, or 1,190 gallons a day - higher than most of his neighbors.
And while auditors found some energy-saving efforts at Nahai’s home - and noted that his average bimonthly electric bill of $414 for 1,762 kilowatt hours a month was slightly less than those of his neighbors - they still found plenty of inefficiencies and energy-wasting appliances.
“I’m offering myself up as an example,” said Nahai, who requested the audit of his home in the community north of Beverly Hills. “Yes, I have a house that’s larger than most, and smaller than some. But we all face the same challenges. We can all take a look at where it is in our personal lives and our residences and see where water is being wasted and make a choice whether we want to cut back on that waste or not.”
Nahai - who said he is now on a personal quest to cut energy and water consumption - said that like most people, he didn’t question his average bimonthly $464 water bill and assumed that his gardener had properly adjusted the automatic lawn sprinklers. And he said he and his family - his wife, a 21-year-old and two teenagers - have taken energy-saving steps including using recirculated water in the swimming pool, low-flow toilets and a new high-efficiency washing machine.
Still, the audit’s findings come as new energy and water rate hikes are taking effect, the city is considering fines for water-wasters, and soaring summer temperatures sent energy usage Saturday to a record for weekend utility usage in June. And Nahai’s usage is significantly higher than average ratepayers citywide - who use about 18,092 gallons of water per month and 500 kilowatt hours of electricity every month.
“If he’s going to whack us with higher rates and restrictions, he better do it,” said Mel Flohr, a retired West Hills resident. “The public will cooperate without fines if they get the proper example.”
Read the rest of this story from the Los Angeles Daily News by clicking here.
Ron Kaye responds:
Like Nahai, I have low-flush toilets and I recirculate water in my pool and I have a low-energy, low water consuming washing machiine. Unlike him, I have other low energy appliances as well. You could fit five of my houses inside his so you can bet I don’t have anywhere near the amount of light bulbs or air conditioning use.
Here’s an idea: Instead of gouging the little people with endless rate hikes, what if we determine the average residential use of water and power and start charging people sharply higher rates when they go above that. And for people like Nahai maybe we should charge five to 10 times the average rate.
Read the full text of Ron Kaye’s response by clicking here.
Troubled Waters: the good side and bad side of Nahai
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 24, 2008 at 3:52 pmFrom Los Angeles Magazine:
“Isn’t this beautiful?” Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa asks through his biggest smile, a walking Eddie Bauer ad in blue jeans, a wool scarf, and hiking boots untouched by trail dust. His helicopter has just dropped him in the Owens Valley, next to the sluice gate where snowmelt enters the Los Angeles Aqueduct for the 223-mile trip across the desert. Comet tails of white powder blow off the peaks of the eastern Sierra to provide a dream backdrop. Villaraigosa has come to release water into the Lower Owens River as proof that he is a friend of the environment. It’s a nice gesture, but hardly impressive to Inyo County’s ranchers and fishermen. They’ve heard everything in the eight decades since Los Angeles dried up the Lower Owens. This morning, though, they are laughing easily with a natty figure who is sporting a black turtleneck and an English boarding school accent and hovering at the mayor’s shoulder.
H. David Nahai is the one Angeleno the locals trust—so far. At the podium he quotes Jackson Browne lyrics about repairing history’s excesses and vows to “preserve this Eden we see around us.” He’s been preaching this message across the state. It’s persuasive stuff here because Nahai is the new chief executive of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power—an environmentalist in charge of an agency whose tentacles extend across the West.
Nahai got the job last year despite his lack of the usual credentials. He’s a real estate lawyer, not an engineer or a city hall insider, and managing a firm with a dozen attorneys is not like running a department with 8,500 employees. Nahai is something of a policy wonk about water and the perils of global warming, but that doesn’t necessarily qualify him to lead a $4.2 billion monolith whose storied history begins with aqueduct builder William Mulholland. Lately the DWP’s image has taken some hits. Too many summer blackouts. Threats of water rationing. An unruly union and a scandal over public relations contracts that helped bring down Mayor Jim Hahn.
Read the full text of this story from Los Angeles Magazine by clicking here.
Ron Kaye doesn’t think too much of this article and has posted this response:
Every story needs a villain, and DWP General Manager David Nahai has achieved that status in the political story of L.A. in record time. At least that’s what many members of neighborhood councils, community activists, DWP managers and media mavens who have encountered Nahai’s arrogance and glib glossing over of the truth are saying.
But that’s only the half full glass of water view of the real estate millionaire turned environmentalist.
Every story also needs a hero and David Nahai is definitely that if you read the hagiographic puff piece in L.A. magazine’s July issue by Kevin Roderick, the expert in all things media in L.A., defender of the L.A. Times’ hack pack and public relations consultant.
Normally, I’d hold my nose and look the other way but given my passion for exposing the waste, inefficiency and corruption at the City Hall’s most powerful and insulated institution and Roderick’s holding himself as up the ultimate arbiter of all things journalistic, I cannot let this article headlined “Troubled Waters” go unnoticed.
Let’s start with the fact that the closest there is to a critical voice comes from a group out in Mojave worried about power lines. The rest is quotes that glorify and turns of phrase that befit a man who walks on water.
Read the rest of Ron Kaye’s blog post by clicking here.
Nahai. Good guy or bad guy? You decide.
Los Angeles floats conservation plan - from the Inyo County perspective
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 12, 2008 at 10:23 pmFrom the Inyo County Register:
The City of Los Angeles is heading toward a “greener” approach to water usage, which may help keep the Eastern Sierra a bit greener in the future, too.
Facing continual population increases and the very real possibility that climate change, coupled with a growing thirst, could create significantly less access to traditional water supplies, City of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has announced a “20-year water strategy for L.A.”
“L.A.’s future depends on our willingness to adopt an ethic of sustainability,” Villaraigosa said recently. “If we don’t commit ourselves to conserving and recycling water, we will tap ourselves out.”
Los Angeles depends on four sources for its water needs. The Los Angeles Aqueduct has been among that list of four since its opening nearly a century ago. In addition, L.A. also imports water from the Sacramento Delta water delivery system and the Colorado River. Both of those sources are managed under the aegis of the Metropolitan Water District. The remaining water is collected from the San Fernando Groundwater Basin aquifer that exists beneath a portion of L.A. and contributes 11 percent of the city’s total water supply.
While there may be good reason to take a measure of comfort in this statement from the highly-regarded top executive at LADWP, the Inyo County Water Department, Board of Supervisors and judicial rulings – past and future – will no doubt remain this area’s primary lines of defense to protect water exports in an era of increasing demand and decreasing supplies.
Read the rest of this story from the Inyo County Register by clicking here.
LADWP strengthens water use ordinance to encourage conservation; L.A. “Prohibited Uses” code gets commission approval, moves to council, mayor
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 5, 2008 at 6:15 am
From the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power:
In an effort to deal with a reduction in water supplies, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Commissioners today approved revisions to the existing Water Conservation Ordinance to discourage water waste by expanding prohibited uses of water and increasing the penalties for violations. The changes are designed to ensure that water throughout the City is used wisely. If approved by the City Council and signed by the Mayor, the revised ordinance will go into effect immediately.
The ordinance, first instituted in the drought of 1990, allows officials to cite and fine water wasters for activities such as watering during expanded daytime hours, washing down sidewalks and other pavement, automatically serving drinking water at restaurants without the customer’s request, allowing excess water to flow from lawns and other practices.
“Our action today emphasizes the magnitude of not only our water supply situation, but that of the entire state. It underscores the urgent need for residents to conserve water. We must make changes in the way that we use this valued resource in order to ensure water supplies for future generations,” said Nick Patsaouras, president of the Board of Water and Power Commissioners. “Los Angeles residents have demonstrated in the past a conservation ethic, and I’m confident that together, we can step up this effort.”
“We are in a new water era in the City of Los Angeles and throughout the West. Our water resources are finite and we must leverage every drop to its greatest use,” said David Nahai, LADWP general manager and chief executive officer. “This updated ordinance will help us enforce prohibited uses to that we have more water for the necessities of life.”
The proposed changes include doubling existing monetary fines for residential customers (meters smaller than two inches) from $50 for a first offense to $100 and quadrupling existing monetary fines from $50 to $200 for a first offense for large customers, including businesses (meters two inches and larger).
“It is important that our customers realize that our water supplies have been cut and we have to make conservation a way of life,” said Jim McDaniel, LADWP chief operating officer for water. “Wasting water cannot be tolerated, and there will be consequences for wasteful practices.”
LADWP will also begin enforcement of the Prohibited Use ordinance through its Droughtbuster Team. Over the past year, the Drought Busters patrolled the city to remind customers wasting water of the prohibited uses and provide a tip sheet on simple ways to cut waste. Under the proposed changes the Drought Busters will begin issuing citations to offending property owners or occupant. First time offenders will get a warning, but repeat offenders will be fined on a sliding scale depending upon the rate and magnitude of the waste. The fine will appear as a charge on the customer’s LADWP water bill. Appeals will come directly to the Board of Water and Power Commissioners.
The ordinance takes a phased approach to prohibited uses, allowing the Department to expand prohibited depending on the severity of water supply conditions. Phase I seeks compliance of 14 prohibited uses and will be permanent, enforceable 24 hours a day, 12 months a year. Implementation of Phases II and subsequent phases will occur upon the assessment of the Board of Water and Power Commissioners of the city’s water supply.
Under Phase II as example, the city will institute non watering days leaving Monday, Thursday or Saturday as permissible days to irrigate landscaping. Under Phase III, watering outdoors will be cut back an additional day to Mondays and Thursdays only.
For information and easy tips on how to save water, please visit http://www.ladwp.com/ and click on “WATER CONSERVATION” or go to http://www.bewaterwise.com/.
Link to PDF of amended Emergency Water Conservation Plan Ordinance.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the nation’s largest municipal utility, provides reliable, low-cost water and power services to Los Angeles residents and businesses in an environmentally responsible manner. LADWP services about 1.4 million electric customers and 680,000 water customers in Los Angeles.
DWP to weigh Los Angeles fines, water use rules today
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 4, 2008 at 6:17 amThe DWP commissioners began considering this issue yesterday, as reported in the LA Times that they would be, but voted to continue the matter until later on this afternoon. From the Daily Breeze:
June Melody was already hot and irritated from keeping the air conditioning off in her home to combat a soaring power bill. So the Los Angeles resident was really ticked off to learn she could soon be ticketed $100 for watering her lawn during the daytime - as she was doing Tuesday.
That’s because the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is considering strict new water conservation rules governing everything from lawn watering to car washing. Break the rules and Angelenos could face fines up to $300 for repeat offenders.
“Do you really want me to get started, all the prices on my water and power, all the prices on my gas, I’m tired of paying for it. And they’re going to bother me about my water?” Melody said. “They ought to straighten up their act first. It’s really disgusting.”
The Board of Water and Power commissioners began considering the new rules Tuesday but the volunteer commissioners had too many questions about how the fines would be implemented and postponed a decision to a special meeting at 3:30 p.m. today. “I personally would like to be well aware of what kind of fine I may get if I’m watering my lawn on the wrong day or happen to use the water hose improperly,” Commissioner Forescee Hogan-Rowles said.
Los Angeles already has conservation rules on the books, such as a prohibition on hosing down sidewalks, but they haven’t been enforced since a drought in the early 1990s. But Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and DWP General Manager H. David Nahai said water is again in short supply, and it’s time to crack down on water wasters.
“We don’t believe that any of this is onerous,” Nahai said. “Its thrust is to prohibit wasteful uses of water and many of the uses that it prohibits are in fact abuses - and they really fall into the realm of common sense.”
What, exactly, are the rules that DWP is considering?
The new water conservation rules would:
- Ban hosing down sidewalks, driveways and other paved surfaces.
- Prohibit watering lawns during the day, and make it illegal to over-irrigate and let water run into the street.
- Bar restaurants from serving water unless requested by the customer.
- Ban washing cars unless the hose has a nozzle or other shut-off device.
- Limit irrigation to no more than 15 minutes a day.
- Prohibit any fountain, pond or water feature that does not recirculate water.
- Require hotels to give guests the option of not having towels and linens washed daily.
Fines for residential customers:
- 1st offense: Warning.
- 2nd offense: $100.
- 3rd offense: $200.
- 4th offense: $300.
- 5th offense: DWP may install a device that restricts the flow of water.
If city leaders declare a water emergency, Angelenos would be prohibited from:
- Irrigating on most days of the week.
- Washing their cars.
- Filling their pools.
Read the full text of this article from the Daily Breeze by clicking here.
L.A. DWP to vote on Villaraigosa’s ‘drought busters’ plan
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 3, 2008 at 6:53 am
From the Los Angeles Times:
With hot weather months drawing near, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is scheduled to move ahead Tuesday with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s crackdown on excessive water use, boosting fines for those who violate city water laws and imposing new restrictions on anyone with a garden hose. The proposed “drought busters” law, which comes up for a vote by the five-member DWP commission, would double water usage fines for residential customers and quadruple them for businesses and apartment building owners.
Three DWP commissioners said today that they had not yet read the proposal. But H. David Nahai, the DWP’s general manager, said he wants the Los Angeles City Council to ratify the plan within weeks. “We’re hoping they will deal with this on a much more expedited basis,” Nahai said. “We want this for this summer.”
Although the DWP already has rules limiting excessive water use, the agency has not issued any tickets since the drought of the early 1990s. With roughly a dozen inspectors assigned to impose the fines, utility officials hope to impose new restrictions and enforce those that already exist, such as a ban on the use of hoses to wash down sidewalks and driveways.
“You cannot use water in any fashion to hose down a driveway for mere convenience or to remove dust or dirt,” said DWP spokesman Joe Ramallo. “You have to sweep it now.”
Other restrictions include limiting irrigation of landscapes during the day, banning car washing unless a shut-off device is used, and banning residents from water lawns when it rains. Those violating the restrictions would face fines. However, not everyone is on board:
The proposed new rules were greeted with scorn by one homeowner activist, who said the cutbacks are being pursued to give Los Angeles enough water to supply new residential development projects.
“Instead of shifting those costs to the new development, what they’re proposing to do is distribute the cost evenly to all the ratepayers. That’s patently unfair and wrongheaded,” said Gerald A. Silver, president of the Homeowners of Encino, who said he plans to continue instructing his gardener to hose off his driveway and sidewalk.
Read the full text of this article from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.
LA DWP is the recipient of the “2008 Green California Leadership Award for Climate Change”
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on April 16, 2008 at 5:23 amFrom the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, this press release:
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) was recognized last week at the Green California Summit in Sacramento, as winner of the 2008 Green California Leadership Award for Climate Change
The LADWP was recognized as the winner in the Climate Change category for the Low Income Refrigerator Exchange Program through which the LADWP has distributed over 29,000 free energy-saving refrigerators to low-income customers across the City of Los Angeles. Other award categories included: Energy Innovation, Green Building, Purchasing, Waste Management, Transportation, Water Management and Green Culture.
The LADWP’s winning program, the Low Income Refrigerator Exchange Program provides free energy efficient refrigerators to LADWP customers who are on the Low Income Discount Rate or Lifeline discount rate program. These customers often have older, inefficient refrigerators that not only waste energy, but cost much more to operate than newer, energy efficient refrigerators.
LA City Council approves DWP rate increase
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on April 11, 2008 at 6:53 amFrom the Los Angeles Daily News:
Despite last-minute questions over surcharges that will boost customer bills even more, the Los Angeles City Council gave final approval Wednesday to raise residents’ water and power rates beginning this summer. Money from the controversial rate hikes will help pay for upgrades to the city’s aging water and electrical systems.
Under the approved plan, water rates will increase 3.1percent July 1 and another 3.1percent July 1, 2009. Power bills will increase 2.9percent in June, another 2.9percent July 1 and an additional 2.7percent July 1, 2009. When fully implemented in July 2009, the rates will increase average customer bills by $87 per year.
But factoring in surcharges for the high price of natural gas, environmentally friendly power projects and imported water, the average customer’s bill will increase by roughly $146 a year. The rate increases “are a modest amount, but that’s not where it ends,” said Soledad Garcia, who heads the Neighborhood Council/DWP oversight committee.
Some council members said they were disappointed that the Department of Water and Power did not highlight the effect of surcharges on customer bills when the City Council tentatively approved the rates last week. “A lot of people didn’t have their calculators out last week,” Councilwoman Janice Hahn told DWP General Manager H. David Nahai.
Read the full text of this story from the Daily News by clicking here.
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