Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz, who represents Century City and Westwood, is pushing for for further water conservation efforts.
On June 30 Councilmembers Koretz and Mitch O’Farrell introduced a motion requesting reports from the Department of Water and Power and the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) regarding local water resilience strategies to effectively meet the growing drought crisis. In particular, the motion requests a review about the pending update to the Colorado River Compact to meet the worsening drought conditions, including the implementation of water conservation elements, water recycling, and watershed management approaches like stormwater capture and reuse, groundwater remediation, the use of native plants for landscaping, and turf removal programs.
“Given the enormity of the alarming drought crisis across the Southwest, we need to do everything we can sooner rather than later to protect the future of our great city,” said Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz. “We are at a critical juncture with new leadership at MWD, the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan in place, and rapidly-worsening climate breakdown occurring all around us. Now we must work collaboratively with our partners across the Southwest toward a healthy, resilient tomorrow.”
The Colorado River Compact is a 1922 agreement between states, Native Tribes and jurisdictions in the Southwest which governs the allocation of Colorado River water rights. The Compact has significant implications as to the allocation of water to the City and region. The Compact’s water allocation hasn’t been updated since its inception almost 100 years ago. The Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan was put into force by the seven Colorado River Basin states, local water agencies, Tribes, non-governmental organizations, Mexico and the U.S. Department of the Interior in 2019 to protect the Colorado River.
