WATER FOR LOS ANGELES

[Music] mars ii is mostly a desert and the other planets in our solar system all seem too hot or too cold for liquid water or life to exist all except one earth those deep blue oceans and spiraling clouds of vapor mean water and that makes life as we know it possible water the life giver with man's careful guidance it turns prairie into paradise and desert in the garden as it has here in southern california [Music] every day each of us uses 10 times our own weight and water directly or indirectly nowhere else on earth do so many people depend so completely on water brought in from other places where does it come from and how does it reach us this water of life this water for los angeles [Music] [Applause] when the tiny pueblo of los angeles was incorporated as a city in 1849 it had just sixteen hundred inhabitants most water came from the los angeles river diverted through open ditches called zanas [Music] [Music] some 50 years later and a hundred thousand people strong there was a growing demand for water so in 1902 the city of los angeles bought the existing privately owned water system william mulholland who was a young man had worked on the early ditches was picked as the first superintendent of the new municipal water department it was mulholland who looked beyond the horizon and saw the sierra nevada mountains harvesting abundant water from the clouds [Music] do do [Music] now the small pueblo of los angeles has grown to become the nation's third largest city and the city water system has grown as well the los angeles department of water and power now the largest municipal utility in the country provides a half billion gallons daily to nearly three million people where does all the water come from some starts as rain falling in the mountains and in the san fernando valley think of the valley as a large natural basin much of the water that falls there eventually filters down some 200 feet to the underground water table this natural storage area containing enough water to supply 400 000 people is tapped by wells they pump 70 million gallons a day into a collection system and from there the water joins the distribution system also storm runoff is collected behind several flood control dams released to river channels and diverted the spreading grounds there it filters down into the same natural basin with local rain water to be pumped out and used later the colorado river was recognized as another source of water for los angeles by mulholland back in the 1920s additional water comes from the colorado river aqueduct supplied by the metropolitan water district of southern california and even more waters available from the state water project through the california aqueduct [Music] north of los angeles castaic lake receives as much as a billion gallons a day from the california aqueduct these sources provide most of the supply for the rest of southern california but only a small part of the water for los angeles most of our water comes from the eastern slopes of the sierra nevada mountains flowing by gravity through the city's own aqueducts the snow-covered mountains that william mulholland first recognized as a major water source early in the century provide recreation for thousands of visitors [Music] when the snow they ski on melts the water runs downhill some 300 miles to help fill the needs of los angeles the city of los angeles owns some 300 000 acres of valley floor in the owens valley and mono basin [Music] this huge watershed is managed by the department of water and power much land is leased out some for growing alfalfa some for grazing [Music] leases provide that at least 75 of the land be kept open for recreation [Music] advertising signs and billboards are prohibited from most city land heavy industry and commercial development are restricted but scientific research is encouraged [Music] much of the land is left untouched [Music] wildlife ponds are protected to encourage natural growth of birds and fish near bishop a sanctuary has been established for the owens valley pupfish a tiny rare fish once nearly extinct [Music] hatcheries managed by the california department of fish and game produce millions of fish to be caught later by sportsmen in the upper reservoirs and streams of the los angeles water system crowley lake largest reservoir in the area holds roughly half the total storage capacity of the dwp reservoir system and on some days it seems to hold half the fishermen in the state too school and youth groups are encouraged to use the valley as part of the continuing multiple land use program careful land management assures that this scenic valley will always remain unspoiled and accessible to all [Music] water for los angeles starts as melting ice and snow 300 miles away above the owens valley let's trace its journey from tioga pass and levine [Music] its first resting place is grant lake reservoir next the water moves through a tunnel under the mono craters joins other runoff in the mammoth area then it rests a while in crowley lake the owens river carries it past bishop and big pine into the tinamaha reservoir [Music] just south of tinamaha is the point where mulholland rerouted the river to form the original aqueduct in the shadow of mount whitney highest point in the sierras are the haywee reservoirs a resting place for water at the end of its turbulent churning trip down the owens river from here to los angeles the water is fully protected from human contact fishing and water sports later in its journey it will be chlorinated to further ensure wholesomeness from haywee los angeles water can continue in two ways through a new aqueduct completed in 1970 or through mulholland's original aqueduct the water travels to los angeles without pumping it takes a roller coaster ride all the way south passing through deep canyons like jawbone the ups and downs of the waters had dropped six thousand feet on route to los angeles provide another plus dwp hydroelectric generating stations along the way produce enough electricity to supply about 275 000 people just north of los angeles the water may rest in reservoirs like bouquet before bursting into the san fernando valley in a rushing cascade there it's joined by water from the other aqueduct some of this water is set aside in large reservoirs for emergency uses additional water for day-to-day use is stored locally often in residential areas in nearly 100 reservoirs and tanks here what appears to be another home is really a pumping station through careful monitoring the water distribution system is balanced hour by hour recorders chart changes in flow at key points and pressure drops can be detected easily half a billion gallons a day that's a lot of water and it takes a lot of people to manage it well water system employees build and operate nearly 7 000 miles of water main crisscrossing the city others are at work modernizing dams and reservoirs some dwp employees like meter readers work close to home and others work high in the sierras this hydrographer checks the snow packs to determine how much water will be available for tomorrow meanwhile today's water is sampled continuously at checkpoints around the city and every week over a thousand tests are made in the dwp lab to ensure the wholesomeness of our water [Music] [Music] but what about the future at the department of water and power we're continually looking for ways to improve the quality of our water careful planning management and use of modern water treatment technology will ensure good quality water for tomorrow [Music] water the lifeblood of our city for industry business and homes starts here we must use it wisely drop by drop to ensure an adequate supply of water for los angeles [Music] so you