The Los Angeles City Council Friday approved a study aimed at studying the city’s water conservation efforts and provide recommendations for the future as extreme drought and rain become more of a regular occurrence.
The council voted 12-0 on the matter, with council members John Lee, Monica Rodriguez and Imelda Padilla absent during the vote. Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky introduced the motion on Sept. 29, backed by Councilman Bob Blumenfield.
The motion instructed the Department of Building and Safety, Department of Water and Power, among other city departments, to provide a report within 60 days on the city’s existing water conservation efforts, as well as recommendations to enhance that work moving forward for residential, industrial and commercial uses.
Yaroslavsky also called for the report to consider AB 1572, which prohibits the use of potable water for irrigation of “nonfunctional turf.”
According to the motion, the recent extreme drought experienced throughout the state and the heavy winter rains in January highlight the need for the city to take action.
City officials have set a goal of obtaining 70% of its water from local sources by 2035, and the Bureau of Sanitation is proceeding with several projects to ensure its treatment plants can supply recycled water for local use.
However, to reach what the motion called an “ambitious goal,” the city will need to build on its efforts to reduce water consumption. The city’s 2019 Green New Deal, a plan guiding the city to a greener future, set water conservation goals and called for a reduction in potable water use per capita by 22.5% by 2025, 25% by 2035, and maintaining and reducing 2035 per capita water use through 2050.
Previously, the Department of Water and Power conducted a Water Conservation Potential Study that outlined a cost-effective conservation strategy to maximize water savings.
Yet, the motion outlined some opportunities to conserve water that have not been explored such as requiring more efficient toilets in new constructions; imposing limits on the use of non-functional turf on industrial, commercial, institutional and large-scale residential properties; prohibiting the use of potable water at large facilities like golf courses and cemeteries.