4 Million LA County residents urged to suspend outdoor watering for 15 days starting Tuesday
More than 4 million residents in Los Angeles County are being urged to suspend outdoor watering for 15 days, starting Tuesday, while the Metropolitan Water District repairs a leak in a major delivery pipeline, as a heat wave continues to sweep through the area, leading to triple-digit temperatures in some area.
The repairs will take place from Tuesday through Sept. 20, and will impact the cities of Beverly Hills, Burbank, Glendale, Long Beach, Pasadena, San Fernando and Torrance.
Residents in the Central Basin Municipal Water District, Foothill Municipal Water District, Three Valleys Municipal Water District and West Basin Municipal Water District will also be affected.
"I have a mastiff and he does drool a lot so his water does need to be changed," said Anya Hancock, a Long Beach resident. "But we do sometimes take the water and put it on the plants and things like that so as to not waste things."
The repairs became necessary after officials earlier this year discovered a leak in the 36-mile Upper Feeder pipeline that delivers water from the Colorado River to Southern California before the water is treated and distributed throughout L.A. County.
The pipeline has been running at a reduced capacity after a temporary repair while officials designed a more permanent solution.
"The temporary fix we have in place has allowed us to operate the pipeline at a reduced capacity over the summer, but it is not intended to last long-term," MWD General Manager Adel Hagekhalil said at a news conference last at Burbank Water and Power's Ron E. Davis Eco Campus.
Residents and businesses throughout the county are being called on to temporarily suspend all outdoor watering, including drip irrigation and hand-watering.
The MWD recommends that trees and gardens be pre-watered before the shutdown and maintained using water collected from the sink and shower.
"During this shutdown, we'll be tapping into a very limited supply of water to deliver to these communities," MWD board Chairwoman Gloria Gray said. "So we must eliminate all outdoor water use and do everything else we can to conserve for 15 days. We want to thank residents and businesses in advance for their support and recognizing the water-supply challenges our region faces."
Officials provided tips to residents prior to the shutdown, including delaying new plantings until after Sept. 20, avoiding fertilizing lawns and plants and turning sprinkler timers off on the evening of Sept. 5.
