MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA UNVEILS FAR-REACHING 20-YEAR WATER STRATEGY FOR LA

To meet 100% of new water demand by 2030, unprecedented plan calls for 6-fold increase in water recycling and ramped up enforcement of water restrictions

LOS ANGELES - Unveiling a plan to ensure water continues to flow in Los Angeles despite a worsening outlook, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa laid out a long-term strategy for the City to meet an expected growth in water demand over the next 20 years with aggressive conservation and an unprecedented water recycling program.

“LA’s future depends on our willingness to adopt an ethic of sustainability. If we don’t commit ourselves to conserving and recycling water, we will tap ourselves out,” said Mayor Villaraigosa.

“This plan makes a basic promise to our kids: We are going to recycle and conserve enough water to meet 100% of new demand.”

By 2030, the population of Los Angeles is expected to jump by 500,000 people, according to the Southern California Association of Governments, pushing up water demand in the City by 100,000 acre-feet per year, or 15 percent.

The plan calls for the first real enforcement of City water restrictions since the early 1990s, dishing penalties to residents who water lawns during prohibited hours and restaurants that serve water to customers who have not requested it. more