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By Rob Katherman, WRD Board Vice President

For nearly 20 years, I’ve had the honor of serving the Water Replenishment District (WRD) in its mission to keep water rates low while ensuring the safe and sustainable supply of groundwater for Southern Los Angeles County. Groundwater accounts for almost half the drinking water for 4 million residents in the region. As water scarcity and climate change continue to threaten our water security, I’m committed to focusing on three key priorities that will protect and enhance our water resources:

1. Keep Water Rates Low While Providing Clean, Safe, and Sustainable Groundwater

Access to affordable and reliable groundwater is essential for the people of Southern Los Angeles County. Over the years, WRD has maintained low water rates while keeping our groundwater clean and sustainable. Through innovative projects and strategic partnerships, we’ve built a water management system independent of costly imported water and resilient to drought conditions.

In 2019, WRD completed a cutting-edge Water Purification Plant in Pico Rivera, which produces over 10 million gallons of purified water daily. This facility ensures that our groundwater basins remain independent of imported water, saving local families more than $500 billion and eliminating the need for 400 billion gallons of imported water. By collaborating with federal and state agencies, WRD also secured grants, saving residents an additional $10 million annually on water costs.

Triple the Capacity of the Torrance Desalter to Clean Up 60 billion Gallons of Salty Groundwater

One of our region’s biggest untapped resources is the South Bay groundwater aquifer, which contains over 60 billion gallons of salty, undrinkable water. WRD is tackling this issue by tripling the capacity of the Torrance Groundwater Desalter to purify this water.

This project, partially funded by a $25 million WaterSMART grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation, will allow us to purify 10 million gallons of water daily from the salty groundwater plume. This will increase our supply of drinking water and create additional groundwater storage capacity, ensuring that we have local freshwater reserves during future droughts.

2. WIN 4 All: Expand Partnerships to Eliminate Dependence on Imported Water

The impacts of climate change have significantly diminished the reliability of imported water from Northern California and the Colorado River. In response, WRD launched the WIN 4 All initiative, a regional partnership with neighboring water agencies to utilize our groundwater aquifers and recycle up to 300 million gallons of purified wastewater and stormwater each day.

WIN 4 All is a collection of projects to maximize available groundwater storage space in Southern Los Angeles County. By leveraging the capacity of our aquifers, we can store more recycled water and stormwater, creating a sustainable and locally sourced water supply for the entire Los Angeles Basin. This will reduce our reliance on imported water, making our region more resilient to drought and climate change challenges.

Through WIN 4 All, we are scaling up wastewater recycling and purification to eliminate the need for expensive imported water. By using existing resources and infrastructure, we are building a water supply that is both sustainable and climate-proof. WRD is at the forefront of this effort, leading Southern LA County toward a future where we depend solely on local, drought-resistant water sources.

3. A Commitment to Water Security

Our success would not be possible without the strong support of our partners. As I’ve said, “We are excited to continue our collaboration with federal, state, and local partners to deliver innovative drought-proof solutions that meet the needs of our residents and safeguard our precious groundwater resources.” These partnerships have allowed us to pursue groundbreaking solutions such as recycled water purification, stormwater capture, and desalination, ensuring long-term water security for the region.

Projects like the Torrance Desalter expansion and the WIN 4 All initiative demonstrate WRD’s leadership in preparing Southern Los Angeles County for a more sustainable, climate-resilient future. I pledge to continue fighting climate change by investing in locally sustainable water sources, keeping our groundwater safe, and ensuring that water remains affordable for every household. Together, we can secure a water future that protects our community and preserves this vital resource for future generations.

About WRD

The Water Replenishment District is the regional groundwater management agency that protects and preserves the quantity and quality of groundwater for two of California’s most utilized urban basins. The service area is home to over ten percent of California’s population, who reside in 43 cities in southern Los Angeles County. WRD is governed by a publicly elected Board of Directors that includes Joy Langford, Rob Katherman, John D. S. Allen, Sergio Calderon, and Vera Robles-DeWitt. For more information, go to https://www.wrd.org.