UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation to guide the City of LA’s efforts to advance equitable access to local water supplies

By Mara Elana Burstein

Los Angeles is investing heavily in recycled water to increase the resiliency of local drinking water supplies to future costs, earthquakes, and climate-induced drought. Now, a new initiative led by the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation (LCI) will work to ensure that water equity is at the forefront of this transition.

The project will support public engagement and understanding of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s (LADWP’s) and Los Angeles Sanitation and Environment (LASAN) joint, city-wide flagship water recycling program, Pure Water Los Angeles, which LCI recently determined will make L.A.’s water supply more resilient and offer substantial economic benefits. The team will now analyze its equity implications and establish a long-term framework for equitable water access across the city.

“Expanding local water sources is critical for L.A.’s climate resilience, but we must ensure that the transition is equitable,” said Ariana Hernandez, LCI project manager on the effort. “This initiative will help integrate equity into water investments, ensuring affordability, trust, and community engagement are prioritized.”

This project is similar to the LCI-led initiative that is working to embed equity into LADWP’s clean energy transition effort (LA100 Equity Strategies). “We’re bringing that same equity lens to ensure that L.A.’s transition to local water benefits everyone,” said Gregory Pierce, project PI and co-executive director of LCI.”

LCI will tackle the following tasks:

• Analyze the potential rate impacts of Pure Water Los Angeles investments and LADWP’s existing affordability outcomes and interventions.
• Address potential tap water quality and trust questions that can arise from investments in recycled water, despite their proven safety.
• Develop and implement training for LADWP water program staff on equity concepts, including the Human Right to Water.
• Support the City’s community engagement to ensure that the utility’s approach is informed and driven by the needs, preferences, and expertise of communities currently facing injustice and inequity in the water system. UCLA will coordinate and facilitate Equity Strategies Advisory Committee meetings, as well as develop educational materials to advance the public’s understanding of the water system.
• Begin a systematic equity assessment of LADWP’s customer-facing water programs.

This project has the potential to not only create lasting structures to ensure that the City’s water equity efforts become embedded in long-term planning but also become a model

for other cities navigating the challenges of sustainable water management.

See LCI’s website to learn more about our research initiatives on local water supply and wastewater infrastructure.