Securing L.A.’s Water Future
LADWP has a long history of working to ensure that its customers have enough water. These efforts go back to the early 20th century with the building of the Los Angeles Aqueduct. Investments in water rights, aqueducts, reservoirs, conservation, and more recently recycled water and stormwater capture have allowed Angelinos to enjoy a water supply that they can count on. This is true despite the fact that Southern California is a semi-arid region. Sound planning and timely investments in water have played a critical role in making Los Angeles the vibrant city that it is today.
LADWP’s Commitment to Water Reliability
Despite changes in the availability of our water supplies and the potential impacts of climate change, the LADWP remains committed to ensuring that its customers enjoy the quality of life that comes with a highly reliable, high quality water supply. This includes engaging in long-term planning and advocating for investment in new water resources.
Water Supply Challenges
Los Angeles is facing significant challenges that threaten future water reliability if we do not continue to plan and invest wisely. These challenges include the following:
- Significant reduction in Los Angeles Aqueduct flows due to environmental reallocations of water to Mono Lake and the Owens Lake dust mitigation project
- Uncertainty about the yield of the State Water Project until San Francisco Bay Delta environmental issues are resolved
- Pumping limitations due to San Fernando Valley groundwater contamination
- Changes in precipitation, snow pack, and available water due to the impacts of climate change
- Population growth
Given these threats to future reliability, the LADWP needs to continue to increase water use efficiency, develop new local supplies, and improve its groundwater basin yield and storage capacity. These planning efforts are laid out in the Urban Water Management Plan.
Urban Water Management Plan
The latest LADWP Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) is below.
For more information about the 2020 UMWP, please go to Urban Water Management Plan.
Related Links
California Department of Water Resources Urban Water Management Planning Program