Annual water consumption in Los Angeles today is approximately 660,000 AF. (An acre-foot equals 326,000 gallons, and serves the annual water needs of approximately five people in the City.) Although steadily increasing, the rate at which water use has grown over the last ten years has been significantly reduced due to aggressive implementation of demand reduction measures throughout the City.

Water use has been, and will continue to be, strongly influenced by conservation. LADWP efforts have paid big water saving dividends. While the annual demand growth in the pre-conservation period of the 1980’s averaged 2.1 percent, the forecast provided in this Water Plan projects only a 1.3 percent average annual growth rate over the next 20 years.

While conservation reduces water demand, the increasing population within the City fuels its growth. Southern California’s strong economy and ideal location and climate induces a constant influx of new residents, adding to the increasing demand for water. City population is estimated to grow to more than 4.8 million people and water use to increase to 800,000 AF by the year 2020.

In pursuit of alternatives to supplement the City’s local and imported water supplies, a water recycling program is being implemented to provide recycled water for non-potable uses. Recycled water is being used for the irrigation of golf courses, parks, freeway medians, and other large landscaped areas. Recycled water can also be used for various industrial processes such as power plant cooling towers.

We continue our work on maintaining a reliable source of supplemental water supply from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD). MWD has been a reliable supplier of water to the City, and is a critical part of our long-term water resources plan.

The City’s continuing involvement on the Colorado River Board and MWD Board of Directors, as well as other activities on critical water issues, are aimed at providing the highest degree of water supply reliability for the City.

Finally, the City’s environmental efforts in the Eastern Sierra Nevada have been productive. Today, projects are moving forward to address air quality problems at Owens Lake, while the Mono Lake ecosystem is healthier than it’s been in nearly 50 years. Moreover, the Lower Owens River Project is proceeding to establish a warm-water fishery in a 60-mile portion of a previously dried river terrain. Other ongoing enhancement and mitigation projects continue as part of the City’s commitment to the environment of the area from which most of the City’s imported water supplies originate.