Compton Lawmaker: California Water Reservoirs 'Very, Very Low'
EL SEGUNDO (CBSLA.com) — A Southern California state lawmaker issued a dire warning Friday about water supplies and called for public officials to assist local conservation efforts.
KNX 1070's Jon Baird reports California's ongoing water crisis and stalled water deliveries from Northern California have brought renewed focus to the issue.
Compton Lawmaker: Calif. Water Reservoirs 'Very, Very Low'
Assemblyman Isadore Hall III (D- Los Angeles) and El Segundo mayor Bill Fisher were among those officials on hand at the Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility in El Segundo to discuss the status of local water supplies in Southern California, as well as ongoing efforts to ensure continued access of clean, affordable and sustainable water throughout Los Angeles County.
Hall voiced his support for a statewide water bond to be placed on the November ballot following the state's most recent measurement of snow from the Sierra Mountains, which showed California received just 12 percent of its average precipitation levels.
"The state's reservoirs are very, very low," Hall said.
Gov. Jerry Brown declared a statewide drought emergency in January.
RELATED: Gov. Jerry Brown Speaks To KCAL9′s Dave Bryan About State's Drought
Hall - whose 64th District includes the cities of Compton, Carson and Willowbrook - attributed the relative health of the Southland's water supplies compared with cities in Northern California to aggressive conservation efforts.
His warning was echoed Friday by Richard Nagel, general manager of the West Basin Municipal Water District, who said Los Angeles should have enough water to last through 2014, but if the statewide drought persists, water rationing may be needed in the future.
Mayor Fisher said a water recycling plant in El Segundo has made recycled water half of the city's overall supply.
"The net effect in El Segundo has been to reduce the potable water demand by 40 percent," said Fisher.
A light rainstorm earlier this week brought rainfall levels to about 1.2 inches in downtown Los Angeles for the season, but experts say the region should have seen approximately 8 inches of rain to date.
