Managing Water

Water in California is controlled, stored, delivered, and managed within a complex network of interlocking and cooperating districts and agencies. Unraveling and understanding this system is not easy. This book describes how the current system works (or doesn't work) and discusses the issues that face elected officials, water and resource managers, and the general public. Using the Los Angeles area as a microcosm of the state, environmental activist Dorothy Green gathers detailed information on its water systems and applies the lessons learned from this data statewide. A useful primer on watershed and water policy issues, this book provides reasoned, thoughtful, and insightful arguments about sustainability.

Dorothy Green is founding president of Heal the Bay and among the founders of the Los Angeles & San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council, of which she is also president emeritus. She has chaired the California Water Policy (POWER) conference for the past 17 years and has helped to found the only non-profit in the state, the California Water Impact Network (c-win.org), totally devoted to water supply issues.

Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
A Land and Water Overview 4
Climate 6
Our Rivers Today 9

1. Los Angeles Area Water Supplies 14
Local Surface Water: Rivers, Streams, Lakes,
and Reservoirs 14
Groundwater 22
Imported Water 33
Conclusion 50

2. Water Management: Who’s in Charge? 53
Water Suppliers—Wholesale 55
Water Suppliers—Retail 70
Groundwater Management Agencies 82
Wastewater Management Agencies 92
Stormwater Management Agencies 96
Water Quality Regulatory Agencies 100
Associations of Water Agencies 104
Water Management Accountability 105
The CALFED Process 109
Conclusion 111

3. Water Use Efficiency 113
Conservation—Current Practices 114
Reclamation and Reuse 132
Conjunctive Use 151
Watershed Management 155
Ocean Desalination 164
Conclusion 166

4. Drinking Water Quality 170
Drinking Water Regulatory Overview 171
Drinking Water Standards and Monitoring
Requirements 179
Water Treatment Processes 183
Potential Types of Contaminants in Drinking Water
Sources 188
Water Quality Issues, by Source 191
Coordinated Efforts to Clean Up Drinking Water
in the Los Angeles Area 214
Conclusion 216

5. State Policy and the Los Angeles Area 218
Statewide Uncertainties 219
Projected Shortages at Each Aqueduct System 224
Statewide Efficiencies 228
Water Rights, Costs 237
Water Transfers vs. Water Marketing 239
Planning Processes 249
Political Consensus 263
Conclusion 265

Elements of a Sustainable Statewide Water Policy 269
Glossary 273
Native Plant Resources 285
Websites of Interest 287
Suggested Readings 293
Index 297