Tour provided insight into imported water and groundwater supplies
WHITTIER, CA (March 20, 2024) – Seven water districts collaborated on highlighting their facilities for Assemblymember Blanca E. Rubio (D-Baldwin Park), Assemblymember Diane Papan (D-San Mateo), Chair of the Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee, and Senator María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) on February 23, increasing the elected officials’ knowledge of how those plants and pipelines supply and deliver water to the millions of residents in the San Gabriel River Watershed.
The San Gabriel River Watershed encompasses the San Gabriel River, San Gabriel Mountains, the Puente-Chino Hills, and local creeks and streams. The watershed flows into the Pacific Ocean, though local water agencies and the Los Angeles County Flood Control District work together to retain as much water as possible within the Watershed.
The tour included facilities managed by Three Valley Municipal Water District (Three Valleys), San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District (SGVMWD), Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District (Upper District), California Domestic Water Company & Puente Basin Water Agency (a Joint Powers Authority between Rowland Water District and Walnut Valley Water District), including the Three Valleys’ Miramar Treatment Plant and Los Angeles County’s Morris Dam.
“Water is at the heart of a thriving San Gabriel Valley, and we applaud our local legislators for securing a broader awareness of our local successes and challenges,” said Lynda Noriega, General Manager of California Domestic Water Company and Board President of Main San Gabriel Basin Watermaster. “Only through education at the highest levels of government will the water industry be able to ensure reliable water delivery at an affordable rate for the next generation and the generations that follow.”
Providing water in Southern California has long been a test of engineering ingenuity. From the California Aqueduct to Diamond Valley Lake Reservoir, the way in which water providers deliver water to families, businesses and institutions is a complex process involving multiple treatment and storage facilities, thousands of miles of pipelines and millions of valves and connections.
“Illustrating how we get water from Northern California to someone’s home or business allows us and all those relying on the Main San Gabriel Basin to share our mutual story with those with the power, advancing water supply reliability and stabilizing costs for our customers,” said Rowland Water District General Manager Tom Coleman. “We need champions for affordable water and hope Assemblymembers Rubio and Papan, with Senator Durazo are now armed with the information to be those champions.”
About California Domestic Water Company: California Domestic Water Company (Cal Domestic), based in Whittier, California, is a not-for-profit mutual water company that provides potable water for about 222,000 people in portions of the Cities of Whittier and La Mirada through Suburban Water Systems, City of La Habra, and City of Brea. Suburban Water Systems, the City of La Habra, and the City of Brea represent the three major shareholders of Cal Domestic. Cal Domestic owns water rights that date back to the 1850s from the San Gabriel River Watershed, contributing to the development of communities along the south side of the Puente Hills that traverse today’s East Los Angeles County and North Orange County. Cal Domestic’s water rights pre-date today’s county boundaries. Visit www.caldomestic.com for more information.
