Metropolitan Water District board votes unanimously to support ongoing planning for groundbreaking wastewater recycling project
Environmental groups applaud important step to move toward local water supplies; vote allocates $150M for Pure Water So. Cal. over next two years
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2026
Los Angeles – Today the board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California voted to allocate $150M over two years to continue planning for its Pure Water Southern California wastewater recycling project. When fully built out, the project is expected to provide enough local water to meet the daily needs of at least 1.5 million Southern California residents.
“Anyone watching the dire state of the Colorado River and its major reservoirs, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, as well as the snowpacks in California and throughout the west, knows how critical it is to invest in sustainable local water supplies. Pure Water Southern California is a prime example of the type of resilient water project our leaders should be investing in,” noted Bruce Reznik, executive director of Los Angeles Waterkeeper.
The $150M allocated today as part of Metropolitan’s budget will allow the agency to continue planning for Pure Water Southern California over the next two years. This funding allocation will help Metropolitan answer questions about potential phasing of the project, finalize likely pipeline routes, and address other questions related to this massive infrastructure project. Importantly, over half of the budget allocation is actually coming from state and federal grants received for the project, meaning that Metropolitan’s allocation provides critical match funding. The remaining allocation is coming from Metropolitan’s reserves to minimize impacts on ratepayers.
“While today’s action may seem like a minor budget vote, this decision is much more than that,” added Reznik. “This vote sends a critical message to the many local, state and federal partners that the agency takes this project seriously, and this vote could mark an important step that helps transition Metropolitan away from its historic role as a water importer to an agency that builds local partnerships to invest in resilient local water projects that safeguard our communities and our environment.”
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For more than three decades, Los Angeles Waterkeeper has served as LA’s water watchdog, safeguarding inland and coastal waters using the law, science and community action. The group works to eliminate pollution, achieve ecosystem health for local waterways, and secure a resilient, multi-benefit, low-carbon water supply to the region.