search menu language expand_more Local Water Agency Director Login print mail Think Regional, Act Local Metropolitan’s role in the region has evolved over time. We are builders and planners. We brought water to Southern California, and we look today at the possibilities of local supply development to complement our imported supply investments. Our support of conservation and diverse local resource programs like water recycling, desalination, groundwater recovery and storage have provided over 7 million acre-feet to the region’s resource mix and increased our resiliency and reliability. Local resources are regional resources because they offset regional imported water demands. It’s not an either-or situation: we’re developing local resources while shoring up our imported supplies. Each piece of our supply portfolio depends on the other. One is insurance against the other’s vulnerabilities. When imports are challenged by drought cycles or natural disasters, local resources and conservation programs can ease the burdens of import demands. In turn, high quality imported supplies are necessary for recycling and groundwater replenishment programs. Working together, these sources provide Southern California with reliable water. Having a mix of water resources to draw from has protected the region from the impact of drought cycles and climate change. Local Supplies for Regional Reliability When a local supply is developed, whether it is in Ventura, San Diego, or any community in between, all Southern California benefits. Our regional cooperation and interdependence mean one community’s recycling or groundwater cleanup project decreases the burden on Metropolitan’s system as a whole. That reduces operating costs, frees up conveyance capacity to benefit all system users and helps the region adapt to climate change. That is why Metropolitan supports and incentivizes several beneficial programs and initiatives that help the region act locally. We have invested $1.5 billion in these programs to date. For a rundown of achievements, click here and for the full Achievement Report click here. The numbers tell a success story. In the 1990s, nearly 60 percent of Metropolitan’s supply portfolio was made up of imported resources from the Colorado River and our contract with the State Water Project. The balance was from local resources. A shift in the supply paradigm shows a 2035 mix of about 36 percent imported supply and 64 percent local resources. Encouraging Local Development Metropolitan’s Local Resources Program provides incentives for member and local agencies to develop new local water supply projects, such as water recycling and groundwater recovery, to reduce demand on imported water and increase water supply reliability throughout Southern California. Since the inception of the LRP in 1982, Metropolitan has provided financial assistance to more than 100 projects across Southern California, to produce over 1.3 trillion gallons of recycled water and recovered groundwater. By providing direct funding based on how much water the projects produce, the program has significantly increased their economic viability. Ensuring reliable water for Southern California requires investing in local water supplies from diverse sources and widespread conservation. Recycled Water Water is too precious a resource to use just once. Recycled water provides a drought-proof and climate-resilient supply from water that would otherwise be sent to the ocean. Wastewater is treated and cleaned and then further purified using a variety of techniques, including reverse osmosis, before it is used for groundwater replenishment, landscape irrigation or industrial purposes. Recycled water use in Southern California has grown rapidly over the past five decades. And it is about to grow even more. While Metropolitan has historically supported recycled water projects developed by others through our Local Resources Program, for the first time, we’re pursuing the development of our own recycled water supply in partnership with Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts. If fully realized, the Regional Recycled Water Program would produce up to 150 million gallons of water daily – the amount used by more than 500,000 homes – by taking cleaned wastewater and purifying it using innovative treatment processes. It would be one of the largest advanced water treatment plants in the world. The program is currently operating a 500,000-gallon-per-day demonstration facility to verify its innovative processes, which could significantly improve efficiencies and reduce costs in water recycling. The testing and other analyses being done there will help determine whether to grow the facility to a full-scale plant. The purified water would initially be used for groundwater replenishment and storage, and by industrial facilities. After additional treatment, it may later be delivered directly to Metropolitan’s existing water treatment plants and used for drinking water, after the state develops regulations for direct potable reuse. Read More Desalination Metropolitan has explored seawater desalination as a potential new supply since the 1960s, and we even developed and piloted our own thermal distillation technology. While desalination technology has been used to treat and recover brackish groundwater for decades, the cost of treating seawater was not historically competitive with other resources. In the past 10 years, rapid improvements in membrane performance, energy recovery technology and process design have lowered seawater desalination costs, making it, in some cases, competitive with other new supply options. Since 2001, Metropolitan has provided financial incentives for our member agencies to develop local seawater desalination projects, and seawater desalination became part of of our Local Resources Program in 2014. Read More Groundwater Recovery Groundwater provides more than 35 percent of Southern California's drinking water, making groundwater replenishment and storage programs critically important. Groundwater wells sometime become unusable because of contamination or increased salinity. This leaves water agencies with a choice – they can rely more heavily on imported supplies as a replacement or they can recover the groundwater by building treatment facilities to remove contaminants or salt. Although Metropolitan does not own or manage groundwater basins in Southern California, we play a critical role as the region's supplemental water supplier. We help replenish the basins and financially support groundwater recovery projects that treat groundwater. Metropolitan also works with local agencies to store imported surface water in groundwater basins for use in times of shortage under conjunctive-use agreements. These agreements create flexible ways to manage water resources. Other management tools include water exchanges and transfer programs that help ensure future water supplies for the region. Read More Stormwater In 2020, Metropolitan launched two pilot programs to better understand the costs and benefits of stormwater capture, yield and use. One program looks at opportunities to capture stormwater for direct use. The other explores stormwater capture for groundwater recharge. Together, Metropolitan invested $12.5 million in these programs. The data collected will help Metropolitan evaluate the water supply benefits of stormwater capture and provide guidelines for future funding strategies. Read More Conservation A growing slice of Metropolitan’s reliability equation is water conservation. Through myriad initiatives — including financial incentives and partnerships with member agencies, local communities, schools, businesses and diverse organizations — conservation has become a way of life in Southern California. Over the past 40 years, Metropolitan has driven innovation, evolved markets and influenced consumer decision-making to increase water-use efficiency. Catalysts such as direct rebates, outreach and education, new technology support, advocacy for new building codes and standards, and development of strategic alliances have contributed to positive lasting change. Visit bewaterwise.com and SoCalWater$mart to learn more about Metropolitan’s residential and commercial rebate programs and incentives and other conservation programs. Read More Future Supply Actions Metropolitan is also investing in research to develop future local water supplies through innovative approaches. Through the Future Supply Actions Funding Program, Metropolitan funds member agency pilot projects and technical studies aimed at increasing the potential of recycled water, stormwater, groundwater and seawater desalination. Metropolitan has so far invested $6.5 million in more than two dozen studies. BE INFORMED, BE INVOLVED Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn YouTube @mwdh2o Media Newsroom Press Releases Blog Fact Sheets & Publications Videos Doing Business With Us Professional Services Construction Services/Equipment Procurement Projects in Your Community Business Outreach Program Real Property Assets Public Notices Join Our Team Careers Apprenticeships & Internships Job Descriptions External Jobs Internal Jobs Salary Chart Resources Director Login Employee Login MWD Federal Credit Union Bewaterwise.com MWD Innovates Accessibility Transparency Privacy Policy