DWP Virtual Urban Water Management Plan Meeting
There will be a UWMP meeting on Saturday at 9 AM.
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One of the major goals of the 2021 Urban Water Management plan is to develop a strategy to have local sources supply over 70% of the City’s needs. This will require ambitious programs involving stormwater capture, recycled water, conservation, the cleanup of polluted ground basins, and groundwater replenishment. Taken together, it is a costly undertaking. And like the Power System, Water is also highly leveraged which means a considerable portion of the capital expenditures will be financed directly through increased rates.
Not included in the upcoming UWMP is the plan for the $8 billion Hyperion wastewater treatment plant that will convert wastewater into almost 200,000 acre feet of potable water suitable for drinking, otherwise known as “toilet to tap.” This represents about 35% of the City’s annual consumption. But this 16 year project has the potential to double or triple our real rates when adjusted for inflation and needs to be an integral part of the UWMP.
Our Department of Water and Power must be open and transparent about the impact of these ambitious plans on our water and power rates, even if they are rough estimates.
Over the last decade, DWP, its management, and the Ratepayers Advocate have made considerable progress in earning our trust and confidence. Don’t blow it.
