Smart urban water agencies haven’t been waiting for transfer supplies to dry up before they started planning for local alternatives.
The prime example is Orange County, which has been relying on recycled water for years.
Senator John Garamendi has pointed out that the fifth biggest river on the west coast of the Western hemisphere is the water that flows out of the sanitation plants in southern California and is dumped into the Pacific Ocean.
Last month, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) announced publication of a plan by five Southern California water agencies to reduce their dependence on water from the Bay Delta and the Colorado River.
According to NRDC, “The top five agencies, the City of Santa Monica, the City of Camarillo, Ventura County Water District No. 1, the Long Beach Water Department and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, are collectively cutting water imports by 40 billion gallons per year by 2035, which is more than the annual water use of Sacramento.”
“They will achieve these reductions through proven and more sustainable techniques such as urban rainwater and stormwater harvesting, better groundwater management, and water conservation, recycling and efficiency.”