‘Water Tomorrow’ plans out 20 years of water in So Cal

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California will host an Oct. 22 workshop to give the public an opportunity to learn about and provide input on ways the region’s water supplies will be developed and managed over the next two decades.

The workshop, scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Metropolitan’s downtown Los Angeles headquarters at 700 N. Alameda Ave., will also be webcast.

Participants will be provided information on “Water Tomorrow,” an update of Metropolitan’s Integrated Water Resources Plan.

Originally adopted in 1996 and updated every five years, the 25-year plan “takes an in-depth look at ways to achieve long-term supply reliability for the region using a range of strategies, including imports from the State Water Project and the Colorado River, conservation, recycling, groundwater storage and cleanup, storm water recharge and desalination,” according to Metropolitan.

“With water and drought issues topping Californians’ list of concerns, we hope the public will take advantage of this opportunity to learn more and participate,” said Metropolitan General Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger. “Water Tomorrow is being updated through a collaborative process, and we know that having more ideas and perspectives will help inform our decisions going forward.”

A microsite for the Water Tomorrow update gives users access to meeting information and presentations, technical analysis and policy documents, as well as the link to the upcoming webcast. The site also includes a comment portal.

Metropolitan is a cooperative of 26 cities and water agencies serving nearly 19 million people in six counties.

— Wire reports