Strategy 6: Collaborating on water quality needs and treatment technologies

Collaborating on water quality needs and treatment technologies

Improving the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of meeting water quality needs is a key strategy toward enhancing the beneficial use and reliability of regional water supplies. As legacy pollutants and new constituents of concern are regulated, and water supply sources and systems become more integrated, new challenges and innovations in water quality treatment and management processes have emerged and should be leveraged through regional collaboration.

Actions to support this strategy

6.1

Facilitate partnerships and information sharing between agencies within Los

Angeles County looking to improve water treatment efficiency and cost through collaboration on piloting of and training for new technologies, working with drinking water regulators, sharing of information, lab sharing for emerging contaminant sample analysis (e.g., PFAS/PFOA), public outreach, and leveraging of staff and funding resources (same as Action 7.1).

6.2

Collaborate on proactive negotiations with

RWQCB(s) to provide consistent regional voice on NPDES permitting and future water quality regulations.

6.3

Advocate for State emerging contaminants

source control policy and funding.

WATER PLAN On Target

Partnering on treatment initiatives and regulatory collaboration will decrease the overall costs to individual agencies and support the target to improve drinking water equity and affordability so that the cost for water to meet health and safety needs does not exceed 2.5% of the MHI for severely disadvantaged communities.

Why this strategy is needed

The cost of treating and maintaining water quality for potable use is a significant portion of the overall water rate passed along to customers. In many areas within Los Angeles County, the treatment of locally generated, drought-resilient supplies, such as recycled water and groundwater, to a level of potable quality can drive the unit cost above imported water. This can create a disincentive to develop local supply when imported water is cheaper. Many new treatment projects are developed and permitted in isolation of each other, limiting the ability to better leverage knowledge and resources.

Source: City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation

There are many efforts to maximize water recycling throughout LA County including the City of Los Angeles plan to put 100% of water flowing through Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant to beneficial reuse by 2035.