From Resiliency, Page 7
neighboring states. “Any entity or any area that’s using water from the Colorado River and State Water Project will benefit from Pure Water Southern California, because, as the saying goes, a rising tide lifts all boats,” said Ferrante. “That’s what happens here. We’re increasing the overall supply to Southern California. So even though, for example, the main San Gabriel Basin will have water in its aquifer, that benefits the adjacent areas that are served because now the main San Gabriel Basin can rely more on that water and not imported water.”
Golden Mussels and its Impact to the San Gabriel Valley
A similar coalition was unable to convince the California legislature to speed up the planning schedule for the DCP, but many are optimistic the project will move ahead. “We have this existing infrastructure already in place, it just needs modernization, it needs adaptation to continue providing the benefits: this backbone, this most reliable, affordable source of water throughout the state. The Delta Conveyance is the most effective way to modernize this system,” said John Yarbrough, California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Deputy Director of the SWP. “We had a wide range of folks advocating for this project. The Governor’s trailer bill would have reduced the schedule and cost, but we are still continuing with the schedule put forth.” Three Valleys Municipal Water District Chief Engineer and General Manager Matt Litchfield and Upper San Gabriel MWD General Manager Tom Love emphasized that both local and DCP investment is necessary. “We’ve tapped out our local supply in the San Gabriel Valley. All the captured water goes to beneficial use and to recycle water we need imported water,” Love said. Litchfield explained, “If you don’t have imported water, the source of recycled water will dry up. It’s important to have a diverse
Golden mussels are small freshwater mussels that pose a significant threat to California’s water systems and ecosystems. First detected in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in October 2024, their presence raised immediate concern among state and local agencies. In response, the California Fish and Game Commission took emergency action in late 2024 to list golden mussels as a restricted species, making it illegal to possess, transport, or import them in the state. This action aimed to prevent further spread of the invasive species, prompting many agencies to close lakes and reservoirs to boating and recreation. Beyond impacts to recreation, urban water agencies now face costly control and maintenance measures to protect water conveyance systems, ensure the continued delivery of critical water supplies, and avoid disruptions to imported water from the State Water Project.
At full scale, the Pure Water Southern California will produce 150 million gallons of water each day – enough to meet the demands of 500,000 homes. Pure Water Los Angeles aims to produce up to 230 million gallons of purified recycled water per day. “Put these two reuse programs together, it is by far the largest in the nation,” said Anselmo Collins, LA Department of Water and Power Senior Assistant General Manager - Water System. “The more we can work together as agencies to integrate our projects and make these regional projects, that’s going to increase the value of these programs.” Water agencies have been joined by the business community to advocate for water infrastructure. “Last year, for the first time since 1927, a strong segment of California’s water suppliers united with business advocates and a new generation of community supporters to salvage, modernize and improve our state’s water reliability,” Ortega Jr. said. Most notably, he said that at the Metropolitan meeting where the board ultimately voted to approve $140 million additional funds for the DCP, proponents for the first time outnumbered the opponents.
MONITORING AND MANAGING
Golden mussels were more recently discovered in other parts of California’s State Water Project system, including Silverwood Lake in San Bernardino County. This finding confirmed that the mussels have the ability to spread through interconnected waterways, raising concern about their potential to move farther south through major water conveyance systems. Since their detection, state and local agencies have worked together to survey affected areas, assess the extent of their presence, and implement early control and monitoring measures to reduce the risk of further spread. These efforts include increased inspections, water sampling, and coordination among water agencies that depend on the State Water Project for imported supplies. For the San Gabriel Valley, the situation reinforces the importance of proactive water management and regional collaboration. The San Gabriel Valley depends on imported water to supplement local groundwater and sustain reliable water service for homes, businesses, and essential services. The detections of golden mussels in the State Water Project have prompted state and local partners to take additional precautions to protect steady water deliveries to the San Gabriel Valley. Ongoing prevention and response efforts by water agencies will help ensure the long-term reliability of water deliveries to the region and protect the health of the local water system that more than one million residents rely on.
portfolio. It’s like your 401k plan, you want to diversify as much as possible. You can’t put all your eggs in one basket.” Ortega Jr. closed the BizFed Institute forum by suggesting not just regional investment but a “Hoover Dam” level of federal involvement and investment. Without this, he said, we are just one crisis away from “Day Zero” when water doesn’t simply flow from our faucets. “I am not recommending big dams, just big thinking about what it will take to secure adequate and affordable water supplies for the next century,” he said, “because we are going in the opposite direction – very expensive scarcity.”
Photo Source: California Department of Water Resources
California Assembly Bill 149, signed by Governor Newsom on September 17, 2025, strengthens California’s defense against invasive mussels by updating the Fish and Game Code to officially classify the golden mussel as an invasive species. The San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District thanks our local elected officials for supporting this important legislation and recognizing its significance to protecting California’s water systems and ensuring the reliability of imported water for our region. The District continues to work closely with local water agencies and regional partners to maintain the reliability of imported water supplies into the San Gabriel Valley and is actively preparing a control plan to help mitigate the spread and impacts of the golden mussel. SECURING THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY’S WATER FUTURE
The San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District was formed in 1959, following a vote of the residents of Alhambra, Azusa, Monterey Park, and Sierra Madre. The District is a State Water Contractor that provides the cities with supplemental water from the State Water Project. Since its founding, the District has continued to expand to serve the needs of its four member agencies and ensure a reliable supply of groundwater in the Main San Gabriel Basin.
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