“Forever Water” — What happens in L.A., stays in L.A.

(From left to right) Jesus Gonzalez, manager of recycled water and groundwater at LADWP, Frani Halperin, executive producer at H2O Radio, and Ryan Thiha, project director for the L.A. Groundwater Replenishment Program at the new Tillman Advanced Water Purification Facility under construction. (H2O Radio)

“Forever Water” — What happens in L.A., stays in L.A. KGNU News

This story was produced by H2O Radio. Read the full story on h2oradio.org.

If you live in the U.S. Southwest, the meager snowpack in the Rockies is hard to ignore. For good reason, it’s the source of drinking water for millions and vital for agriculture. The question weighing on many people’s minds is whether the current “snow drought” could be our new normal.

According to Peter Goble, assistant state climatologist with the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University, climate models do suggest that snow droughts are likely to become more common in the future.

In large part, he says, that’s because as we heat up the atmosphere with greenhouse gases, precipitation will more likely fall as rain rather than snow, which will either evaporate or be taken up by plants before it can flow into waterways, like the Colorado River. Even though we’re not done having cold, snowy winters just yet, he says, “Based on what we’re seeing, both in our climate observations and some of our climate models, it makes sense to really prepare to do more with less.”

But less could be more. At least, that’s the plan in Los Angeles. If less water is going to fall from the sky or come through aqueducts, the city will just “make” their own. “When we’re done in the next two years,” says Jesus Gonzalez, with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), we will “have a new water supply for the city of L.A., producing enough water for almost half a million people.”

H2O radio’s Frani Halperin met with Gonzalez, the manager of recycled water and groundwater at LADWP along with Ryan Thiha with LA Sanitation & Environment (LASAN), who is the project director for the L.A. Groundwater Replenishment Program at the Donald C. Tillman Advanced Water Purification Facility in the San Fernando Valley northwest of downtown L.A. Continue reading here.

This story aired on the Morning Magazine, KGNU’s weekday morning show featuring in-depth discussions on local news issues. Click here to listen to other episodes of the Morning Magazine.