Water Replenishment District supports Governor's Executive order

Board calls Governor Brown's bold decision "necessary"

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Water Replenishment District of Southern California

Apr 02, 2015, 07:18 ET

LAKEWOOD, Calif., April 2, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Water Replenishment District of Southern California announced its support for an executive order signed Wednesday by Governor Jerry Brown imposing mandatory water restrictions throughout California.

"Yesterday, Governor Brown took a bold and necessary step toward protecting the state's dwindling water resources by ordering the first mandatory water restrictions in California's history," said WRD Board President Sergio Calderon. "WRD stands in complete support of Governor Brown's decisive action amid this fourth straight year of brutal drought conditions."

WRD is the largest groundwater agency in California which serves over four million residents across 43 cities in the southern half of Los Angeles County – a region that makes up over 10% of the state's population. Groundwater provides for 40% of the region's water demands, in contrast with the City of Los Angeles, for example, comparable in population, but one where groundwater comprises only about 10% of the citywide water demand.

"Governor Brown's executive order marks a critical juncture for all Californians as we must bear down and devise concrete ways to significantly reduce our 'water use' footprint throughout the state," said WRD Board Treasurer Albert Robles. "For our part, WRD will continue to move forward essential sustainability programs, like our Groundwater Reliability Improvement Program [GRIP], the last in a series of projects to enable us to replenish our groundwater basins with 100% locally sustainable sources by 2018, making us completely independent of imported water from Northern California."

In addition to the executive order which calls on cities and towns to reduce water use by 25%, the Governor unveiled an emergency $1 billion spending plan last week to accelerate Prop. 1 funding to advance projects that tackle the drought.

"There is no question that Governor Brown is serious about the drought. His executive order and his efforts to expedite voter approved Prop. 1 funding reflect his intent to stabilize California's water problems," added President Calderon. "We believe mandated conservation and accelerated funding for sustainable projects, like GRIP, are the catalysts necessary to get everyone working toward that shared goal."

The Water Replenishment District of Southern California is the regional groundwater management agency that protects and preserves the quantity and quality of groundwater for two of the most utilized urban basins in the State of California. The service area is home to nearly half of Los Angeles County's population residing in 43 cities in southern Los Angeles County. WRD is governed by a publicly elected Board of Directors which includes Willard H. Murray, Jr., Robert Katherman, John Allen, Sergio Calderon, and Albert Robles.

SOURCE Water Replenishment District of Southern California