“A lot of the decisions we made in the past were based on historic data and that worked for us,” said Liz Crosson, Metropolitan’s first chief sustainability, resiliency and innovation officer. “With the unpredictability of climate change and our hydrology today, we need to incorporate this evolving forward-looking, climate-forecasting science and try to better anticipate what the future will look like as opposed to making decisions based on the past.”

Liz Crosson, MWD’s Chief Sustainability Resiliency and Innovation Officer

Crosson, who joined the district in March 2022, leads Metropolitan’s aggressive agenda and plan to reduce its carbon footprint and strengthen its resiliency to climate change. Metropolitan serves 26 public water agencies — cities, municipal water districts and one county water authority — that then deliver supplies directly or indirectly to people in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties.

“While ensuring a reliable water supply for 19 million Southern Californians is the core of our mission, we can’t achieve that mission without innovation and environmental sustainability,” said Metropolitan General Manager Adel Hagekhalil. “Liz Crosson brings significant leadership experience and knowledge to Metropolitan that will help us confront the many environmental and infrastructure challenges we’re facing due to our rapidly changing climate.”

Before coming to Metropolitan, Crosson represented Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on water and climate issues, most recently as his director of infrastructure. She is also an adjunct instructor in urban sustainability at USC Price School of Public Policy. She spoke recently about her role and Metropolitan’s priorities to ensure water reliability for future generations.

As Metropolitan’s first SRI officer how do you define success in this new role?

Sustainability, resilience and innovation are not new to Metropolitan, but creating this office is really about integrating these initiatives and elevating them in a way that showcases the leadership within Metropolitan. It is an opportunity to provide this connective tissue between all our departments and create this umbrella of sustainability in everything that we do.

Metropolitan supplies water to 19 million Southern Californians and also preserves habitats around reservoirs such as Copper Basin that support wildlife such as this red-tailed hawk.

How does climate change challenge the water agency?

I think water agencies have been very successful in adapting to drought cycles. We’ve worked really hard to build our systems to adapt to dry periods of the past. What we’re seeing now is challenging us in a new way. Not only are those droughts longer and more severe, like the ones we’ve seen in the last decade, but we’re now seeing this whiplash effect between extreme dry and wet years that makes water management much more difficult. We need to adapt to these changing conditions accordingly. We need to also think about the impacts of hotter temperatures on the amount of runoff we can expect and when we can expect that runoff. Wildfires also impact some of our source watersheds and the subsequent runoff of sediment can impact water quality downstream. These cascading impacts are demanding our attention right now. We are taking a holistic look at those climate risks so we can adapt our programs, investments, operations and our infrastructure.

Homeowners can conserve with drought-tolerant landscaping, shown above.

At the request of the Board of Directors, Metropolitan is creating a Climate Adaptation Master Plan. What are the top three goals in this process?

First, we need an inclusive process that builds a common understanding between our board, staff and member agencies. Metropolitan is committed to reliability and equity among our agencies, so it is imperative that we build this system resilience together.

Second, we need to develop objective criteria to evaluate how we’re going to adapt to this changing climate. The criteria will include resilience for our system, affordability for our customers and financial sustainability for the region.

Third, we need near-term, no regrets projects to immediately improve the flexibility and connectivity of our water system and produce additional efficiency as a region. The Climate Adaptation Master Plan is a long-range plan, but we need to come away with some immediate projects, particularly those that help to increase water supply reliability for our State Water Project dependent areas.  These areas were more vulnerable during the recent California drought because, due to limitations in our distribution system, we were only able to deliver them water from the State Water Project, which was in very limited supply. The nearly 7 million people who live in these areas experienced shortages and emergency water conservation measures in 2022 and early 2023. So, connecting that area to other sources of water is a priority so that we don’t have this issue during future dry periods when our SWP supplies are extremely limited.

Another big piece is doing everything we can in terms of conservation and efficiency. That is always going to be our most affordable option to secure our water supplies. The region has already done really well on water conservation and efficiency, so it’s just figuring out any additional opportunities and what the gaps are. We have to embrace conservation as our way of life whether it’s raining or it’s not.

Copper Basin

What’s the role of technology and innovation in climate adaptation?

Innovation is so exciting right now. What we’re facing in terms of climate change is really inspiring a lot of innovators to look for new ways to track and measure our water use, to eliminate waste, to sequester carbon and to track our greenhouse gas emissions. There is also a lot of innovation in the energy sector. As a large water wholesaler, about 90 percent of our emissions are from electricity use alone, so we’re looking at many ways to use renewable energy. There are a lot of unique opportunities around this water-energy nexus and ways we can be more sustainable overall.

As a water provider how do you balance affordability and sustainability?

I really think affordability and sustainability go hand in hand. Sustainability is all about ensuring what we do and use today doesn’t take away from future generations. So, many of the actions that we take under that sustainability umbrella are actually about reducing waste, using resources more efficiently, and considering the full life-cycle costs and benefits of our actions. A sustainable solution can be affordable when you look at its value over the span of its life cycle.

Diamond Valley Lake in Hemet, California

Metropolitan has a long history of habitat preservation. What are some of the initiatives happening now?

Metropolitan has helped preserve over 30,000 acres of habitat. For example, I recently visited the reserve near Diamond Valley Lake in Hemet and the wildflowers are incredible. This kind of wildlife and habitat preservation also provides a great space for local communities, where people can experience nature first hand.

Metropolitan also purchased four islands in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The Delta sits at the hub of the distribution system bringing water from the northern Sierra, south to Southern California and its health is critical to the reliability of our water supply. We’re looking at opportunities to restore these historic wetlands to preserve  habitat and wildlife and also protect the fresh water corridor within the Delta. There is a lot of subsidence in the Delta and we’re seeing some pretty severe sinking of those islands that can impact water quality and cause other issues. We’re protecting both the habitats and the fresh water corridors we rely on.

Learn more about California Water Magazine.

Watch or listen to our What Matters Water TV + Podcast about “What’s Next for Metropolitan Water District” and featuring Liz Crosson.

The post Metropolitan Adapting to Climate Change to Secure Southern California’s Water Supplies appeared first on Southern California Water Coalition.

When Yana Garcia was named Secretary of California’s Environmental Protection Agency in August, the state was in the midst of a historic drought. About nine months later, dry farmland and communities are flooded, reservoirs are nearly full and mountains of snow are starting to melt.

“What we’re seeing is that even our best models don’t quite accurately predict the weather whiplash that we’re experiencing,” said Garcia. “A climate-resilient California is one in which Californians can feel safe in the environment that surrounds them. That means that as we experience intensifying weather extremes, our state and its infrastructure are prepared to manage it so that droughts won’t mean a household is without water and our grid will be prepared for extreme heat, even while transitioning to a carbon neutral future. It also means inherently that neither race nor income should determine relative access to that sense of security and the ability to recover from increasingly frequent disasters.”

Yana Garcia was named CalEPA Secretary in August 2022. Above, she is sworn in by Gov. Gavin Newsom as her father Sergio Garcia holds the California Constitution and looks on. Garcia will lead state efforts to combat climate change, improve air and water quality, regulate toxic substances and more.
Photos courtesy of the State of California.

The post CalEPA Secretary Yana Garcia is Focused on Climate Resiliency appeared first on Southern California Water Coalition.

The District provides recycled and imported water to cities and retail water agencies in southeast Los Angeles. The District’s service area is 227 square miles, encompassing 24 cities and serving nearly 2 million people.

In 1952, the District was formed by a vote of the people to mitigate the over-pumping of underground water resources in the region. In 1954, the District became a member agency of Metropolitan Water District to use imported water to curtail the use of diminishing groundwater supplies. In 2015, the District began supplying recycled water to provide regional water reliability.

Central Basin Municipal Water District’s regional recycled water program, with infrastructure shown above, delivers 4,500 to 5,500 acre-feet of recycled water each year.

“Drought conditions becoming the ‘new normal’ in addition to increasing demands for water and limitations on imported water supplies are a strong reminder of the imminent need to prioritize investments in local, sustainable water supplies,” said the District General Manager Dr. Alejandro Rojas. “The District’s commitment to expanding its recycled water programs, innovation, and focus on equity is critical to promoting a resilient water supply.”

The District has an enduring record of ensuring water demands and supplies stay balanced. The District developed a regional water recycling program that delivers 4,500 to 5,500 acre-feet of recycled water to more than 400 industrial, commercial, and landscape irrigation water connections. Over the next three to five years, the District plans to expand its recycled water use by 2,000 acre-feet to reduce the strain on drinking water supplies. The District hasn’t raised water rates in two years and will uphold the Human Right to Water to ensure that its customers have access to safe, clean, affordable water.

The District is also a proud partner of Pure Water Southern California, a new, large-scale local recycled water project that will turn wastewater into high-quality drinking water. Once completed, it will produce 150 million gallons of water daily, becoming one of the largest advanced water treatment plants in the world.

The District has been providing reliable and effective operations for 70 years and will continue to deliver high-quality water and service to its customers.

Using recycled water for irrigation, as seen in the photo below of the Los Amigos golf course, and planting drought tolerant gardens, as shown to the left, increases resilience by conserving drinking water.

The post Central Basin Municipal Water District Provides Recycled and Imported Supply appeared first on Southern California Water Coalition.

Los Angeles County Waterworks Districts is comprised of five special districts and the Marina del Rey Water System. A division of Los Angeles County Public Works, Waterworks provides an average of 19.5 billion gallons of potable water a year to 280,000 Los Angeles County residents through 70,000 water accounts.

The sources of Waterworks’ water supply include local groundwater, imported water from the State Water Project (SWP) and the Colorado River Aqueduct (CRA). Approximately two-thirds of its supply comes from outside the Los Angeles County Region.

District No. 29 is Waterworks’ retail water provider for the communities of Malibu and Topanga. It serves potable water to approximately 22,300 people through 7,500 metered connections and has both residential and business customers.

One unique feature of District 29 is that it purchases its entire water supply from West Basin Municipal Water District (West Basin). Water supplied to this district is completely dependent on the availability of imported water from West Basin, whose primary sources include the Colorado River and the California State Water Project (SWP). While imported water supplies can vary from year to year, both the Colorado River and SWP have been significantly impacted by the ongoing drought.

As longer and more extreme periods of drought impact the region as a result of climate change, Waterworks is evaluating water supply vulnerability and investigating ways to make water supplies and the distribution system more resilient. Among those efforts is an extensive public outreach campaign to promote water conservation awareness and support its customers in adopting water smart practices.

Water conservation directly impacts Waterworks finances, as water sales are its primary source of revenue. To ensure it is able to operate its infrastructure and maintain an exceptional customer experience, Waterworks is exploring additional financial resources, such as grants, to support ongoing capital projects and operations.

Waterworks continues to coordinate with regional partners to decrease future dependence on imported water and mitigate the effects of current and future drought cycles. Water supply availability continues to be a critical issue for the Los Angeles County Region.  Waterworks will continue to work with its strategic partners to implement the County Water Plan, the plan will articulate a shared, inclusive, regional path forward to sustainably achieve safe, clean, and reliable water resources for Los Angeles County, http://lacountywaterplan.org, and build resilient sources of local water supply.

Waterworks is also continuing to work with regional partners to collaborate on and share consistent water conservation messaging to customers across all Los Angeles County communities.

Los Angeles County Waterworks Districts works with regional partners to lessen dependence on imported water and mitigate drought effects through outreach on conservation. Through social media, newsletters and community meetings, Waterworks helps customers conserve with leak audits, smart irrigation systems and other methods. Waterworks’ programs aim to transform residents from passive water consumers to informed water advocates.

In addition to operational improvements throughout the system, Waterworks has implemented Level 2 of its Water Shortage Contingency Plan, which targets a 20 percent reduction in water use. This is facilitated through a series of customer water use restrictions, including limiting outdoor irrigation to two-days a week, requiring shut-off nozzles on hoses, prohibiting water runoff into streets, and requiring restaurants to serve water only upon request. If drought conditions worsen throughout the state, additional water restrictions may be implemented to reduce demand.

Waterworks is helping lead the way through implementation of several actions and programs to build water resilience and address the largest impacts.

Waterworks deployed targeted social media content, billing inserts, automated phone calls, e-blasts, a newsletter and media relations to encourage customers to conserve. It has also implemented water conservation programs that save customers money, including a rebate program for water saving devices, turf replacement, and rain barrels to help customers capture stormwater. Additionally, Waterworks offers its customers a comprehensive and free water audit program. The audits check irrigation systems, appliances, and fixtures for any leaks or inefficiencies.

Water conservation should be practiced by all Los Angeles County residents, including youth. Waterworks is updating its elementary school water conservation education program with interactive class activities and lessons encouraging students to be mindful of water usage in their homes.

Finally, Waterworks is collaborating with Water for LA (waterforla.com), a regional education program designed to transform residents from passive water consumers to empowered and informed water advocates dedicated to sustainability and health for all.

On top of general information distribution, Waterworks is reaching out to the top five percent of residential water users by phone to alert them of their high usage and educate them on ways to conserve. Waterworks is also reaching out to customers who may be wasting water through behaviors like overwatering their lawns and gardens and letting outdoor irrigation drain into the street.

To promote awareness of Waterworks services, staff regularly attend community meetings, town councils and other public venues to promote water conservation, provide drought updates and keep customers informed of ongoing programs and projects.  Through these meetings and events, Waterworks endeavors to promote within its customer a sense of shared responsibility for regional water resiliency.

Los Angeles County Waterworks Districts works with regional partners to lessen dependence on imported water and mitigate drought effects through outreach on conservation. Through social media, newsletters and community meetings, Waterworks helps customers conserve with leak audits, smart irrigation systems and other methods. Waterworks’ programs aim to transform residents from passive water consumers to informed water advocates.

The post Los Angeles County Waterworks District Puts Forth Efforts to Conserve Water appeared first on Southern California Water Coalition.

SWCP projects improve water quality, increase water supply, and do so in a way that improves the quality of life for LA County communities.

Like other California regions, LA County navigates an array of complex water resilience challenges, including polluted waterways, the impacts of climate change (such as more frequent and severe droughts), limited and aging infrastructure, and a dependence on imported water. Additionally, the County and the 86 municipalities within it are mandated to develop infrastructure projects to improve stormwater quality and reduce pollution as part of the region’s compliance with the Federal Clean Water Act.

These are regional issues requiring a regional approach.

Much of LA County is covered in impermeable area – i.e., surfaces such as rooftops, parking lots, and roads where water cannot soak into the ground.  This can create flooding as well as the loss of potential local water supplies.  Additionally, when water hits these surfaces, it runs off, often collecting trash and pollutants that flow, untreated, into the region’s rivers, lakes, streams, and the Pacific Ocean. Capturing and cleaning up this stormwater is difficult and expensive.

In 2018, LA County residents voted to approve a ballot measure, Measure W, that created the SCWP and allowed for the collection of a special parcel tax of 2.5 cent ($0.025) per square foot of impermeable area. This tax is levied on more than 2.1 million parcels within the District’s boundary and generates a dedicated revenue source to help address the above water resilience challenges. Robust tax relief options were also built into the SCWP for qualifying parcel owners, including low-income senior exemptions, other income-based reductions, and credits.

SAFE CLEAN WATER PROGRAM

SCWP revenue, collected annually, is managed by the District and allocated across three programs: 50 percent for a Regional Program to support regional projects and studies, 40 percent for a Municipal Program that returns funds directly to municipalities in proportion to the taxes collected within their jurisdiction, and 10 percent for a District Program that supports public education and engagement, curriculum for local schools, workforce development, and overall SCWP management and oversight.

The SCWP Regional Program includes governance committees that are composed of a diverse set of participants including subject matter experts in water quality, water supply, community investment, and nature-based solutions.  There are representatives from cities, water agencies, sanitation agencies, parks agencies, environmental groups, environmental justice advocates, community-based organizations, academia, business leaders, and members of the public. Committee members vet each project seeking SCWP funds and recommend those that best support SCWP goals and the priorities of the area.

For the Regional Program to date, 78 multi-benefit infrastructure projects, 38 project concepts, and eight scientific studies have been approved for funding. This represents over $570 million in investments ($385 million benefitting disadvantaged communities) over five years, which, when completed, will capture stormwater runoff from over 207,000 acres. Additionally, these investments leveraged another $480 million from other funding sources to maximize SCWP goals. Further information about the planned and funded projects is available online (https://portal.safecleanwaterla.org/scw-reporting/dashboard).  These numbers will continue to grow with each annual cycle and the next set of investments (bringing the infrastructure project count to 102) is anticipated to be approved in October 2022.

The Municipal Program 40 percent local return is distributed annually to the 86 municipalities within the District boundaries. This funding is utilized by the municipalities for development of their own local multi-benefit stormwater capture projects and programs and may be used to contribute to regional-scale projects.  Annual Plans and Annual Reports are available on the webpage to demonstrate how each municipality is pursuing SCWP goals within their jurisdiction.

WATER RESILIENCE PROJECT EXAMPLE

East LA Median Project: The Los Angeles County Flood Control District’s Safe Clean Water Program, funded by a voter-approved special parcel tax, is designed to capture and clean stormwater to increase water supply. The projects in parks and medians, as illustrated here, are spread across the 86 county municipalities and benefit many disadvantaged communities. In addition to providing more water for residents, the projects create green spaces for recreation and improve the quality of life in the region

The City of Inglewood’s Edward Vincent Junior Park Stormwater Capture Project benefits a Disadvantaged Community and already has strong community support. Located in the park, the proposed project would divert flows from three existing storm drains to a large infiltration chamber, restore a creek, and include a vegetated bioretention area at the low-lying end of the park where nature is used to filter polluted stormwater.  It would also install above-ground park amenities such as enhanced ball field space, seating, shade, walking trails, and educational signage.

This project first received SCWP funding through the Regional Program’s Technical Resources Program, a program intended to assist small municipalities, community-based organizations, non-governmental organizations, and others who may not have the technical resources to develop the Feasibility Study that is required for project proposals.

Following the completion of the Feasibility Study, the City of Inglewood applied for $4.3 million in design funding.  After the proposal was thoroughly reviewed, discussed at public meetings, and ultimately recommended for approval by the governance committees, it is now anticipated for Board approval in October 2022.

This project, like those approved before it and those still to come, will continue to improve the quality of life for LA communities.  It’s a testament to the region’s commitment to achieving water resilience collaboratively and strategically – and an example for others looking to achieve similar goals.  Please visit safecleanwaterla.org to track benefits as they continue to unfold and to learn more about getting involved!

The post Safe Clean Water Program Improves Resilience appeared first on Southern California Water Coalition.

Existing Tehama Colusa Canal Authority Fish Screens

When it comes to water, California continues to break records, and not the kind we like to brag about.

According to a recent study by Nature Climate Change, the West Coast’s drought has worsened so much in one year, that it is now the driest in at least 1,200 years and is a worst-case climate change scenario playing out live. In fact, it’s being labeled as a “megadrought.”

As we close out a brutally dry summer, many water suppliers are leaning more on their stored water supplies.

In many ways, Sites Reservoir is exactly what a state burdened by droughts needs. Sites would capture and store water from the Sacramento River during big, flashy rain storms — after all other water rights and regulatory requirements are met — and is made available to California’s environment, communities, and farms when it’s most needed — especially during times of drought.

Here in Southern California, we are utilizing all the tools in our toolbox —recycling, conservation, desalination, groundwater replenishment, and yes, more water storage. Although Sites is located in Glenn and Colusa counties up north, public water agencies throughout California have the opportunity to invest in Sites to secure more water for the customers they serve.

Sites Reservoir is looking to make a big impact on water supply while keeping its environmental footprint small. The project does not dam any major river. Sites is designed to help the environment, not cause harm. And a large portion of the water saved in Sites is specifically set aside for fisheries and the environment during dry years.  This is a first of its kind and a model for successful future water management.

If Sites had been in place prior to 2021, we could have captured and stored much of the excess prior years flood flows for use in what was a very dry year, and California would have had an additional 1 million acre-feet of water available for use during 2021 when it was badly needed.  And a good portion of that water would have been held over for use in 2022 which is an equally bad or worse water year.

Sites can best be described as an insurance policy. And if the scientific projections are correct about the impacts of climate change, then having Sites Reservoir will mean we will be able to collect even more water in the reservoir for use during future extended droughts.

The Sites Project Authority is advancing Sites Reservoir because our state needs more water during dry years. And we’re proud the project is supported by local water agencies, irrigation districts, and municipalities across California. We’re also proud to have the State and Federal government investing in the project.

It’s critical that we continue to invest in a broad range of solutions to ensure a resilient water future, and Sites Reservoir would increase water storage, help alleviate symptoms, and address the impacts of a megadrought. It’s time to build Sites now.

Listen to our What Matters Water TV and Podcast all about Sites Reservoir.

The post Sites Reservoir Is a Solution to California’s Megadrought appeared first on Southern California Water Coalition.

This is why LADWP offers outdoor water conservation programs and resources to help our residential and business customers make the switch from thirsty grass to a beautiful drought-tolerant landscape to save thousands of gallons of water.

TURF REPLACEMENT PROGRAM
Starting October 1, 2022, the turf replacement rebate will be $5 per square foot to replace your thirsty lawn with drought-friendly landscaping. Available to Residential and Commercial Customers. Learn more here: ladwp.com/landscaping

LANDSCAPE DESIGN SERVICES
Get a free customized, professional design to help you plan your own turf replacement project. Customers receive a planting and irrigation plan, list of low-water use plants, and a rough cost estimate for their project.
Single Family Residential Customers Only. Learn more here: designyourgarden.ladwp.com

LAWN BE GONE HANDS-ON WORKSHOPS
Free workshops where customers can learn how to make their garden drought-tolerant and become waterwise gardeners.
Residential Customers Only. View upcoming classes here: lawnbegone.ladwp.com

CA NATIVE PLANT LANDSCAPER CERTIFICATE
A free program designed for professional gardeners to educate on proper maintenance of a water-efficient, California-friendly or native garden. Held in partnership with the Theodore Payne Foundation.
Learn more here: theodorepayne.org/learn/landscaper-certification

ONLINE RESOURCES & INSPIRATION
From downloadable low water use landscape design templates to searchable plant databases to landscape transformation videos,
LADWP has the help you need for your next water conservation DIY project. Learn more at ladwp.cafriendly/landscaping.com

FREE MATERIALS
Mulch is a great way to save water by keeping the soil around your plants cool and moist. Free mulch is available through our partners at LA Sanitation. Find a location nearest you at: lacitysan.org/freemulch

City Plants distributes free trees to residents for yards and parkways. You may be able to receive up to 7 free trees for use on your project and to help save energy and cool your home. Learn more at CityPlants.org

NOT READY TO MAKE THE SWITCH?
LADWP also offers rebates on efficient irrigation products like efficient sprinkler heads and weather-based irrigation controllers to help reduce the amount of water used on your existing landscape. See all our available rebates at ladwp.com/save

For more information on landscape transformation resources from LADWP, visit ladwp.com/landscaping.

The post Helping to Make Conservation a Lifestyle One Customer at a Time appeared first on Southern California Water Coalition.

This latest issue of California Water magazine takes on this challenge, tackling the causes behind the drought while also highlighting innovative ways that residents, businesses, and water agencies are stretching water supplies through efficient use, recycling, reuse and more during these hard times.

Causes of the Drought?
The drought that has gripped California and the Western United States for the past several years has been caused by a combination of factors. Low precipitation levels are obviously a major contributing factor, but other factors such as high temperatures, increased evaporation, and changes in atmospheric conditions have also played a role. The net result is that reservoirs that California depends on are at dangerously low levels, with some even approaching dryness.

What’s Needed Next
To address the water crisis, we need to change both our individual habits and our state policies. On an individual level, we can all do our part to conserve water by making small changes in our daily lives, such as taking shorter showers, watering our plants during cooler hours of the day, and using a broom instead of a hose to clean our driveways and sidewalks. If everyone does their part, it will make a big difference. On a policy level, state leaders need to prioritize investment in infrastructure projects that will ensure the reliability of our state’s water supply. Only by working together can we hope to bring an end to this crisis.

Please connect with us on Facebook or Instagram, where you’ll find us under the username socalwater. We will love to hear from you!

Charley Wilson
Executive Director
The Southern California Water Coalition, a nonprofit, nonpartisan public education partnership is dedicated to informing Southern Californians about our water needs and our state’s water resources.

The post California’s Drought: What Comes Next? appeared first on Southern California Water Coalition.

The ongoing drought conditions in California have placed the onus on many water agencies to reevaluate their ideas about resiliency and sustainability. At Rancho California Water District (Rancho Water / District), this means a continued focus on innovation, technology, and community partnerships. Rancho Water continues to launch forward-thinking projects that encourage water resiliency, maximize the life cycle of facilities, and empower its customers to monitor their water use.

Water Resiliency: CropSWAP (Sustainable Water for Agricultural Production

CropSWAP provides incentive to replace high water use crops with more lower water use ones.

The benefits of the asset management planning include improved decision making and more cost effective replacements of capital assets. It also allows Rancho Water to work in advance with other governing authorities, ratepayers, and key stakeholders. This approach allows Rancho Water to minimize unplanned repairs providing a savings to the District and its customers of nearly two-thirds the cost.

 

MyWaterTracker lets customers check their real-time water use 24/7.

This article originally appeared in California Water Inland Empire Magazine. Learn more about sponsoring one of our innovative regional publications.

Pipeline replacements are part of Rancho Water’s Asset Management Plan.

The post Rancho Water: Innovation and Technology for the Future appeared first on Southern California Water Coalition.