Water

California’s four-year drought has brought a tangle of interests, conflicts, and questions regarding state water practices to the fore. At the intersection of these issues, and perhaps uniquely equipped to address them, is Delta Watermaster Michael George. Here, George delivers a comprehensive overview of the matters he oversees in the Delta: the adjudication of water rights, urban versus agricultural water interests, the environmental challenges of water distribution, and the pros, cons, and future of Governor Brown’s tunnel plan. Finally, in light of so many recent local and state initiatives regarding water use, George considers which goals are actually achievable.

In the Southland, the Water Replenishment District of Southern California has an important ongoing task: to monitor and replenish the region’s supply of groundwater. Robert Katherman has served on the WRD Board for more than 10 years, overseeing the regulation of groundwater pumping and the collection of water for replenishment—which now requires increasing recycling and storm-water capture in order to decrease importation. He updates VX News on the strides made with WRD’s Water Independence Now Plan, as well as what still needs to be done.

Jeff Kightlinger, General Manager for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, oversees the the nation’s largest water wholesaler in a period of severe drought. VerdeXchange News presents an edited version of Kightlinger’s speech “Water is Serious Business,” given to Town Hall Los Angeles on September 22 and reprinted courtesy of Town Hall Los Angeles. He covers MWD’s responsibilities, as well as its strategy in light of the state’s high temperatures and lack of precipitation. Kightlinger touches on California’s water bond and the Bay Delta Conservation Plan—both issues of vital concern to customers and constituents.

California Governor Jerry Brown may have declared a drought emergency this Spring, but for many in Southern California water conservation is never ending—in great measure the result of the foresight and investments of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. In the following VXNews interview, Jeff Kightlinger, General Manager of MWD, specifically details the ongoing preparation and response his regional water agency has championed in the face of the driest calendar year in California’s history. Kightlinger additionally addresses recent adjustments to the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), planning for a water bond for the November ballot, and meeting the goals of California’s AB32.

VX2013 featured the panel “California’s Water Supply: Demand & Quality”, moderated by the State Water Resources Control Board’s Felicia Marcus. In the discussion, Paul Helliker (Deputy Director of the California Department of Water Resources), Phil Isenberg (Chair, Delta Stewardship Council), and Jeff Kightlinger (General Manager, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California) focus on the challenges of bringing water from Northern California to Southern California as that supply becomes less dependable with climate change. Coupled with vulnerable Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta infrastructure, Californians are due for serious capital investments to ensure the continued existence of a reliable water supply.

On September 23, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti welcomed visitors and participants to the One Water Leadership Summit, hosted by the US Water Alliance in Downtown Los Angeles. The One Water approach to water management aims to eliminate the departmental silos that discourage recycling of properly treated waste, storm, and potable water worldwide. It is a holistic approach to managing the resource. Mayor Garcetti highlights the progress LA and other California jurisdictions have made through investment in waste and stormwater infrastructure and green streets as his emphasis on the need for further action. VerdeXchange News presents the following edited transcript of the mayor’s summit remarks.