Programs

LA County’s Safe Clean Water Program

The Safe Clean Water Program provides local, dedicated funding to increase our local water supply, improve water quality, and protect public health. Developed in collaboration with public health, environmental groups, cities, business, labor, and community-based organizations, the Safe Clean Water Program will:

• Implement a new plan for L.A.’s water system to capture the billions of gallons of water we lose each year.
• Help protect our coastal waters and beaches from the trash and contaminants in stormwater that make people sick and threaten marine life.
• Modernize our 100 year-old water system infrastructure, using a combination of nature, science, and new technology.
• Help protect public health, ensuring safer, greener, healthier, and more livable spaces for all.
• Prepare our region for the effects of a changing climate — including recurring cycles of drought, wildfire, and flooding.
• Require strict community oversight and independent auditing which would ensure local monies raised would stay local.

The Safe Clean Water Program will generate approximately $300 million per year from a special parcel tax of 2.5 cents per square foot of impermeable surface area — paved/built areas where rainfall cannot be absorbed into the ground and instead runs off as stormwater — on private property in the L.A. County Flood Control District (about $83 per year for the median home). Publicly owned parcels, including schools, are exempt under state law. Credits for property owners who have installed stormwater-capture improvements are available. Qualifying low-income seniors and non-profit organizations are eligible for exemption.

LA County Water Plan

The County Water Plan will establish a framework for a shared, inclusive, and regional path forward to address critical water needs in LA County, including water supply resilience, drinking water equity, healthy watersheds, and other identified priorities. This planning effort is being facilitated by Los Angeles County Public Works and is being developed in close coordination with local water agencies, partners, and community stakeholders.

The County is supported by a complex network of natural and engineered water systems that work collectively to meet the needs of our communities and environment. With over 200 water supply, wastewater treatment, flood control, and land management agencies, collaboration on a regional scale is critical to ensuring the resilience and sustainability of our shared resource. The County Water planning effort is an opportunity to think collectively and plan regionally—building upon our combined knowledge to facilitate the development and implementation of integrated solutions. The County Water Plan is being developed to leverage existing planning initiatives and facilitate broad and ongoing participation. The County Water Plan is focusing on key water management issues that have been identified through outreach efforts to-date, building upon other planning efforts throughout the region. Based on preliminary gap analyses, the key issues the County Water Plan will address include:

1. Water supply resilience: Climate change, earthquakes, increasing demand, and groundwater quality are among many challenges to LA County’s water supply. Coordinated efforts to increase resilience are needed in all water sectors – stormwater, potable water, and wastewater.
2. Drinking Water Equity: Drinking water quality and cost are not equitable across the county.
3. Healthy Watersheds and Livable Communities: Surface water quality, mitigating flood risk, healthy habitats, and recreational opportunities are not consistently provided to support livable communities.
4. Public Education and Engagement: Enhanced communication on regional water resources and systems is needed to improve public and decision-maker understanding of water issues and facilitate community engagement.
5. Small Water System Infrastructure: Some small water distribution systems lack the infrastructure and management systems to be resilient in the face of disruptions to supply and aging assets.
6. Regional Collaboration and Integration: There are over 200 agencies with separate water management responsibilities and infrastructure. Improved cross-sector collaboration and infrastructure integration could improve water resources management and help meet regional water goals.

Residential and Commercial Rebates

Local water providers and the county offer a variety of residential and commercial rebates that will help you save water and money.

Below are several sites to explore with information on rebates for water efficient devices such as toilets, sprinklers, and clothes washers; cash for grass programs; and other lawn- and irrigation-related rebates for your home or business.

• Los Angeles County Waterworks Districts Rebate Program
• Metropolitan Water District Portal for Water Conservation Information & Rebates
• Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Rebate Program
• Long Beach Water Rebates