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| Southern California Water Coalition | |
|---|---|
| Name | Southern California Water Coalition |
| Formation | 21st century |
| Type | Coalition |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
| Region served | Southern California |
Southern California Water Coalition is a regional coalition focused on water supply, infrastructure, and resource management in the Southern California metropolitan area. The organization engages utilities, municipalities, counties, water districts, and private stakeholders to coordinate responses to drought, conveyance, and regulatory change. The Coalition participates in planning processes, advocacy, and public outreach across Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego County, Riverside County, and San Bernardino County.
The Coalition emerged amid debates following the California State Water Project, the Central Valley Project, and recurring droughts in the early 21st century that affected Los Angeles, San Diego, and the Imperial Valley. Its formation drew on experience from entities such as the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and the Orange County Water District after policy shifts like the Sierra Nevada snowpack declines and the 2012–2016 California drought. Early alliances included representatives from the Santa Ana River Watershed Project Authority, the San Diego County Water Authority, and municipal agencies influenced by rulings from the California State Water Resources Control Board and federal decisions related to the Endangered Species Act involving the Delta smelt and steelhead trout.
The Coalition's stated mission centers on securing reliable water supplies for urban, industrial, and agricultural users across Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego County, Riverside County, and San Bernardino County while addressing environmental mandates from the California Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Objectives typically include advocating for diversified supplies such as recycled water projects exemplified by the Orange County Groundwater Replenishment System, seawater desalination proposals like those at Carlsbad, and stormwater capture initiatives modeled after programs in San Diego. The Coalition often frames its goals in relation to state-level planning instruments including the California Water Plan, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, and regional efforts under the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan.
Membership spans municipal utilities (for example, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power), regional wholesalers (for example, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California), special districts (for example, the West Basin Municipal Water District), county agencies (for example, Orange County Water District), and private-sector partners such as engineering firms involved with CH2M Hill and construction firms contracted on projects associated with Bechtel or AECOM. Governance typically features a board drawn from member agency executives, technical advisory committees populated by personnel from the United States Bureau of Reclamation, the California Department of Water Resources, and academic partners including University of California, Los Angeles and University of California, Irvine. Meetings may coordinate with regional planning bodies such as the Southern California Association of Governments.
Initiatives often address supply augmentation, demand management, and infrastructure resilience. Examples include collaboration on potable reuse pilots inspired by the Orange County Groundwater Replenishment System, partnerships to study seawater desalination akin to the Carlsbad Desalination Plant, stormwater capture programs informed by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, and groundwater recharge projects leveraging best practices from the Antelope Valley and San Gabriel Valley. The Coalition has hosted conferences with participants from Stanford University water researchers, the Public Policy Institute of California, and consultants from Black & Veatch to explore technologies such as advanced treatment, conveyance improvements tied to the California Aqueduct, and urban water-efficiency retrofits modeled on EPA WaterSense-type programs.
Policy activity includes advocacy before the California Legislature, engagement with rulemaking at the California State Water Resources Control Board, and comments on policy proposals from the United States Bureau of Reclamation. Positions often emphasize expanding managed aquifer recharge under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, supporting infrastructure financing mechanisms similar to propositions advanced through the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank, and promoting regulatory certainty in light of listings under the Endangered Species Act that affect operations of the Delta and southern California diversions. The Coalition has submitted recommendations aligning with regional plans such as the Integrated Regional Water Management approach and has weighed in during federal deliberations about Outer Continental Shelf impacts and coastal infrastructure.
Funding streams include member dues from agencies like the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and grant-supported projects from state programs such as the Department of Water Resources (California) Integrated Regional Water Management Grants and federal grants from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Partnerships extend to academic institutions (for example, University of California, Los Angeles), nonprofit organizations such as the Nature Conservancy and the Environmental Defense Fund when collaborating on habitat-friendly projects, and private contractors including firms like AECOM and Black & Veatch for engineering services. The Coalition also coordinates with funding bodies such as the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank and regional bond measures that involve counties like Los Angeles County.
Critics have argued the Coalition sometimes prioritizes large infrastructure projects—such as desalination plants similar to Carlsbad Desalination Plant proposals—over decentralized conservation promoted by groups including the Sierra Club and Heal the Bay. Environmental organizations such as the Natural Resources Defense Council and academic critics from University of California, Davis have challenged some advocacy positions on impacts to the California Delta ecosystem and on compliance with the Endangered Species Act. Debates have arisen over allocation of public funds, engagement with private contractors like Bechtel or CH2M Hill, and transparency in decision-making when interfacing with state agencies like the California State Water Resources Control Board and federal entities such as the United States Bureau of Reclamation.
Category:Water management organizations in California