Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, alongside city and water officials, celebrated the completion of the North Hollywood Central and North Hollywood West Groundwater Treatment Facilities, marking a significant step in remediating the San Fernando Basin and bolstering the city's climate resilience. These new facilities are capable of restoring up to 43 million gallons of contaminated groundwater daily, transforming it into safe drinking water for hundreds of thousands of homes.
The completion directly advances Mayor Bass’ Climate Action Plan, which aims for Los Angeles to achieve a 70% local water supply by 2035. Councilmember Adrin Nazarian, Chair of the Council’s Energy and Environment Committee, emphasized the shift from current reliance, saying, "Right now we’re importing more than 70 percent of our water. We’re going to turn that around and produce 70% of our water locally."
These facilities are part of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s (LADWP) San Fernando Valley Groundwater Remediation Program, a major investment in local water infrastructure. The program will eventually include a third facility, Tujunga, by 2027. Collectively, the three facilities will have the capacity to extract and treat approximately 92 million gallons of water per day, sufficient to supply up to 400,000 L.A. homes annually. David W. Hanson, Interim LADWP General Manager, said, "These facilities mark a major milestone in our commitment to clean up long standing groundwater contamination and bring this aquifer back to full health."
The San Fernando Groundwater Basin, a vital local resource, has been impacted by decades of industrial pollution, leading to its designation as a federal high priority cleanup site. The new facilities utilize advanced treatment technology to remove contaminants, integrating the treated water into LADWP’s distribution system. State Water Board Chair Joaquin Esquivel noted the importance of such projects, stating, "As climate change makes imported water less reliable and more expensive, projects like these are essential to putting contaminated groundwater back to use."
LADWP received approximately $308 million in Proposition 1 grant funding from the State Water Resources Control Board, significantly easing the financial burden on ratepayers. The project also demonstrated a strong commitment to local workers, surpassing workforce goals with 77% minority workers, 37% local residents, 51% local apprentices, and 11% transitional workers performing construction hours. This initiative is crucial for diversifying the city’s water portfolio and reducing reliance on uncertain imported supplies amidst increasing droughts and climate change impacts.