The City of Los Angeles has been conducting an ambitious outreach program that is closely linked with Recycled Water Master Planning (RWMP) activities, milestones, and decision points. The objectives of that outreach are:
- Build trust and confidence in the City and its departments as a provider of high quality, safe, and reliable water;
- Achieve public understanding of recycled water and groundwater replenishment (GWR) as safe, beneficial sources of water;
- Receive stakeholder feedback on the RWMP documents;
- Be inclusive and transparent in information sharing; and
- Support the media with responsive, accurate, and timely information.
Outreach activities led by the City during the development of the RWMP have included: presenting to and receiving feedback from the Recycled Water Advisory Group (RWAG); briefings for City Council and other elected officials; one-on-one briefings with key stakeholders; presentations to neighborhood councils, community organizations, non-government organizations (NGOs), and business groups; conducting Recycled Water Forums through the City; holding Urban Water Management Plan Workshops; informing the LADWP and City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, Bureau of Sanitation (BOS) employees; gathering written support; and maintaining a stakeholder database.
Recycled Water Advisory Group (RWAG)
RWAG, a group of approximately 70 key stakeholders, was formed to provide input and ideas related to increasing the amount of recycled water beneficially used in Los Angeles. The group has attended a series of half-day workshops, facility tours, and update sessions; listened to concepts and studies integral to the RWMP process; and provided insightful feedback. RWAG participants reflect a wide diversity of interests and are well informed about recycled water and related issues. The figure below shows participation in the RWAG by category of interests.
RWAG Consensus Statement
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In 2014, a Consensus Statement was independently developed by a sub-group of RWAG participants to support the expanded use of recycled water, including the Groundwater Replenishment Project. The statement has been signed by 31 RWAG participants as of September 1, 2015. The statement and list of these signatories can be found in the links below.
Letters of Support for the Groundwater Replenishment Project
As of May 1, 2015, a total of 14 support letters for the City’s Groundwater Replenishment Project have been submitted by individual stakeholders and organizations. The following list shows the organizations that support the City’s Groundwater Replenishment Project:
ASCE, Metropolitan Los Angeles Branch
Bernard C. Parks
Council for Watershed Health
David Freeman
David Nahai Consulting Services
Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce
GreenLA Coalition
Herb J. Wesson, Jr.
LA Cedars Rotary eClub
Lake Balboa Neighborhood Council
Sierra Club Water Committee
Southern California Water Committee
Tarzana Neighborhood Council
Valley Economic Alliance
If you would like to see the support letters, please send us an email request via our Contact Us form.
Neighborhood Councils
Outreach to neighborhood councils is a critical part of the recycled water implementation strategy. All neighborhood councils were invited to participate in the RWAG when it was launched in late 2009 and a number of them have been participating and providing input to the City team since. Recycled Water Group staff presented an update on the Recycled Water Master Planning process to the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition (LANCC) in January 2012, to request input prior to finalizing the master planning documents in 2012. Additional briefings to the LANCC and to individual neighborhood councils will continue on an ongoing basis.
Independent Advisory Panel (IAP)
In 2010, the LADWP worked with the National Water Research Institute to establish an IAP. This panel of leading experts is providing an independent, credible, third party scientific and technical review of the City’s recycled water master planning efforts. The IAP for the GWR Project includes experts in engineering, chemistry, microbiology, toxicology, soil chemistry, operations, regulatory criteria and public health, public outreach, water utilities, and economics/social sciences.
Recycled Water Forums
LADWP conducted Recycled Water Forums throughout Los Angeles in 2011. These forums engaged stakeholders in a discussion about helping to secure the City’s future water supply through expanded use of recycled water, among other key initiatives. The forums also provided an opportunity for the LADWP to discuss other safe methods to reuse water, including GWR that utilizes purified wastewater to recharge underground aquifers.
2010 Webinar – Advanced Treatment and Water Quality
On May 26, 2010, the LADWP’s water quality director, Dr. Pankaj Parekh, presented a webinar broadcast on advanced treatment and water quality. Click on the two links below to download the PowerPoint presentation and video of the webinar.
Water Integrated Resources Plan (Water IRP)
LADWP, together with the Los Angeles Department of Public Works, developed a Water IRP by incorporating wastewater, stormwater and runoff, and recycled water management into a single strategy. The plan reflects the reality that all water services are independent and recognizes the complex, intertwined relationships of the city’s varied water resource departments and functions. Elements of the Water IRP, completed in 2006, continue to be implemented and an annual review is conducted with stakeholders in June of each year.
Forum on Sustainable Water Supplies for Los Angeles
LADWP hosted a public forum on September 19, 2008 and unveiled a blueprint for developing sustainable water supplies for Los Angeles, “Securing L.A.’s Water Supply” that identified six key strategies including increased use of recycled water. This forum represented the launch of a multi-year outreach initiative to inform the public and raise awareness about the need for recycled water and groundwater replenishment to create a locally sustainable water supply in Los Angeles.
More than 250 people, including representatives of neighborhood councils, community groups, environmental groups and members of Los Angeles, Orange County and state water agencies, gathered at the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant to discuss recycled water, including groundwater replenishment, from both a policy and health standpoint. Groundwater replenishment involves taking highly treated wastewater which is then purified through state-of-the-art processes including reverse osmosis, and sending it to spreading basins to replenish groundwater.
To address health and safety concerns, the forum featured a panel discussion on water purification from technical, regulatory, and health perspectives. LADWP presented the forum in collaboration with Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils, the BOS, VICA, Heal the Bay, and TreePeople.