Talking on water: MWD chief on the present and future drought

We face a long, hot and dry fire season ahead. Southern California’s worst three years of rainfall on record has triggered unprecedented limits on water usage. But now for the bad news: get used to it. Climate change means a new normal. Southern California’s once-reliable sources of water no longer provide a stable, adequate supply for our 20 million people.

That’s the realistic perspective that the head of the Metropolitan Water District is relentlessly hammering home. Met General Manager Adel Hagekhalil is responsible for supplying 1.5 billion gallons of water annually to the utilities that in turn serve our homes and businesses.  He knows “we have short memories.” But he’s determined to look past the current drought crisis — and not allow a future wet year to divert us from facing the brutal long-term reality.

“Everything is upended,” Hagekhalil declares. “Business as usual is over. We need to invest in infrastructure to capture more stormwater, recycle more greywater and build pipes to move it around. We have to conserve more water and store more water. We have to recharge groundwater supplies and pump more locally. The first 100 years of Met were about importing water. The next hundred will be about getting the most out of every drop.”

He calls his approach “One Water” — one coordinated water policy to encompass everything from how we landscape our yards and fix leaky pipes in our homes to ending the ugly statewide water wars between urban users, farmers, environmentalists and tribal governments.

“It won’t be cheap,” he warns. Nor easy. Met is back offering rebates for residents to replace their thirsty lawns. Since between 30-70% of water usage goes to landscaping, Hagekhalil sees no future for turf “that nobody walks on except to mow it.” He insists we’ll need to “transform our water footprint,” switching to drought-tolerant native plants in order to preserve our trees and urban forest as the climate heats up.

He’s committed to collaboration. His powerful agency has not always played well with others. It’s also long been divided between Los Angeles and San Diego, between big member agencies and smaller ones, between old-school advocates for ever-larger pipes to tap the Sierras and Colorado River and environmentalists who oppose their grandiose schemes. Hagekhalil himself was chosen last year after a bitter seven-hour debate that saw him win just 50.4% of the weighted board vote.

“We need to take care of each other,” he insists. “Met needs to be a partner so no one is left behind. I remind people that Met was created because Southern California cities and water agencies banded together a century ago to share in the benefits — and the costs.”

“I’m a change agent,” Hagekhalil asserts. “My goal is to bring integration, innovation and inclusion to the challenges ahead. I want to make a difference for our children, our grandchildren and our region. That will take sustained cooperation. Ultimately, it’s not about infrastructure, it’s about people. When you put people first, everything else lines up.”

Can that generous spirit survive today’s short-sighted, short-tempered political climate? Crises can bring out the best in people — or the worst. The mordant joke has always been that in the West whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting. Will angry neighbors face off over running sprinklers? Will angry customers revolt against rising bills? Will opportunistic politicians stoke divisive battles to grab water for their constituencies? Letting selfish interests prevail means a long, hot and dry future for us all. Hagekhalil is right about the need to embrace One Water. The question for us is: Will we embrace his leadership to get us there?

Rick Cole is a former mayor of Pasadena as well as city manager in Santa Monica, Ventura and Azusa. He welcomes feedback at urbanistcole@gmail.com.