Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Issues
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, founded in 1928 to build and operate a Colorado River Aqueduct, today provides about half of the drinking water used by 18 million people in six Southern California counties.
Metropolitan’s priority is to maintain the reliability and quality of water supplies for its 26 member agencies and 5,200 square-mile region in the face of static—or decreasing—imported supplies, changes in water quality and environmental regulations, and increases in construction, water treatment, power and other costs.
Maintaining Reliability
By following an Integrated Resources Plan first adopted in 1996 and updated in 2003-04, Metropolitan has diversified its water resource portfolio, increased storage and effectively manages its water supply to remain reliable during drought and dry years, short-term supply interruptions and operational constraints. Areas of emphasis for implementing the IRP include actions (listed below) on both major imported supply sources – Colorado River and California’s State Water Project – as well as conservation and development of local water resources such as recycled water.
Colorado River Aqueduct Reliability Priorities
- Fulfilling California’s historic water-use reduction commitments embodied in the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA), including various transfer agreements and the lining of the All American and Coachella canals.
- Implementing voluntary agreements among the Colorado River Basin States and the Department of Interior for long-term management of the Colorado River. These include an intentionally created surplus water demonstration account within Lake Mead and water shortage rules during dry years.
- Continuing implementation of a model, 35-year water transfer program with the Palo Verde Irrigation District (the Palo Verde Land Management, Crop Rotation and Water Supply Program), which helps California reduce its use of Colorado River water and increases Metropolitan’s water supply flexibility.
- Reducing salinity concentrations in the Colorado River.
- Eliminating threats to water quality, such as removal of a uranium mine tailing pile near Moab, Utah, and removal of perchlorate contamination entering the river near Las Vegas.
State Water Project Reliability Priorities
- Securing federal participation for improvements needed to levees, water quality, habitat conservation, and water reliability in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
- Protecting and expanding water storage and transfer programs with other water districts along the SWP’s California Aqueduct.
- Securing approvals to increase operational flexibility, such as for the Banks Pumping Plant and various Delta conveyance projects.
Conservation
Conservation incentive and rebate programs enable Metropolitan and Southern California water agencies to stretch existing supplies. Metropolitan provides financial incentives on a growing list of water-saving devices for homes and businesses such as high-efficiency toilets and clothes washers, as well as for improvements in commercial and industrial operating systems. Metropolitan also promotes the development of new water-saving technologies.
Metropolitan is expanding its California Friendly® program, an outreach effort that includes branding products, activities, and organizations that use water efficiently. The program promotes water-wise landscaping and “smart” irrigation controllers; California Friendly homes (inside and out); training for landscape professionals and homeowners; retail partnerships; and other programs to encourage efficient water-use behavior by individuals and businesses.
Local Resources
Metropolitan supports its member agencies’ local resource development with financial incentives, and supports federal and state cost-sharing for projects in its region. Local resource programs range from conjunctive-use projects that enable Metropolitan to store water in locally available groundwater basins, to clean up and recovery of local aquifers, to possible construction of seawater desalination plants, to replenishing local storage facilities.