Water

Every day brings reports of urgent water shortages around the world; there’s no time to lose in the search for solutions. In 2008, Time Magazine named Gidon Bromberg, Nader Al-Khateeb, and Munqeth Mehyar “Heroes of the Environment” for their work as co-directors of EcoPeace Middle East, a unique organization that brings together Jordanians, Palestinians, and Israelis to cooperate on protecting and restoring their shared environmental heritage. Bromberg joins VX News to share EcoPeace’s success on watershed restoration in the Jordan River Valley, and its vision of sustainable regional development leading to lasting peace.

With extreme rain forecasted this winter, after years of record-setting drought, Southern California must prepare both to take advantage of the precipitation and to ensure it does not cause harm. Deputy Director of Los Angeles County’s Department of Public Works Gary Hildebrand spoke with VX News about preparation measures targeted to this year’s El Niño, noting that the agency remains prepared, even in the absence of this storm, for major precipitation events. He highlights storm-water capture, reuse, and infiltration operations that take place year-round, as well as the challenges brought by California’s ongoing drought. Finally, he offers his perspective on the much-contested LA River—explaining his agency’s role in its management, considering its flood-control capabilities, and evaluating proposed changes to its function in the city.

Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Founding Executive Director Joe Edmiston is among the original champions of the LA River, who long understood it as an opportunity for green space rather than simply a concretized channel. Now, Edmiston expresses his support for Frank Gehry joining these ongoing efforts. Edmiston also comments on the California drought and its impacts on parkland.

Jeff Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, updates VX News readers on a new initiative through MWD and the LA County Sanitation Districts: a demonstration project that could lead to one of the largest recycled-water projects on the West Coast. Kightlinger notes that, despite this endeavor and other efforts to utilize local water, Southern California will continue to rely on imported water. He touches on progress at the Delta to increase reliability of that supply.

City of LA Bureau of Sanitation Assistant Director Adel Hagekhalil recently became president of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies. VX News presents remarks he made in Rhode Island as he assumed the new position, expressing thanks and outlining his main objectives for NACWA going forward.

Los Angeles Times Publisher Austin Beutner and California Governor Jerry Brown engaged this month in a dialogue about the state's drought and climate-change challenges to come during "Water in the West," held at USC. Brown delves into an explanation of the Bay Delta tunnels and the challenges of water governance in California. VX News offers edited selections from the event, beginning with an introduction by USC President Dr. C.L. Max Nikias.

As state and local bodies scramble to accommodate the California drought by regulating use and reconsidering traditional sources of water, suppliers must adjust to changing conditions. In this interview, VX News asks Jeff Kightlinger, General Manager for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, about the implications for the region. Kightlinger comments on options for meeting supply needs, including desalination and stormwater capture. He also notes that despite potential conflict over water sources between urban and rural areas, ultimately collaboration—and an agreement to share the burden of behavioral change—will be necessary to get to goal.