The State of California is about to invest a very large amount in its water infrastructure assets. Drought is a recurring problem in the region and the State is looking ahead to manage Stormwater more effectively in years to come.
The funds will go towards new reservoirs, underground storage, and proposals to clean up dirty aquifers amongst other things.
Circle of Blue reports that:
“…on Thursday, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) will hold the first of two public meetings to unveil a multi-decade plan for turning the region’s rain storms into a water asset. The Stormwater Capture Master Plan will outline ways to retain the rain rather than channeling it out to sea. The goal is to create local sources of water for the department’s 4 million customers and reduce the need for water imported from northern California, an energy-intensive, expensive source that is unreliable in dry years.”
Los Angeles is taking its own initiatives to conserve Stormwater, encouraging residents to take personal measures such as home rain barrels and neighborhood rain gardens.
The City hopes to minimize expensive imports and make things better for ratepayers as well as more cost-efficient for L.A.
This type of planning falls into infrastructure asset management’s future demand planning.
What LADWP are consulting on is another great example of looking holistically at the problem and issues.
By looking at future demand, at potential sources to meet that demand, and then proposing long-term capital expenditure to meet the demand in an optimal way, LADWP is on the journey to long-term sustainable infrastructure management.
Ultimately municipalities and utility authorities will look to manage the entire water cycle, and achieve required service levels for communities that take into consideration economic, social, cultural and environmental requirements.
The LADWP proposals are a good example of steps toward this type of infrastructure asset management.
PHOTO CREDIT: “Kluft-Photo-Aerial-I205-California-Aqueduct-Img 0038” by Ikluft – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
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