Book Description

In the 1950s, groundwater was the main source of water supply for the 2.5 million people who lived in southern Los Angeles County at the time. That supply was in peril. Groundwater elevations in the Central and West Coast Basins were dropping precipitously. Massive quantities of seawater were contaminating aquifers. Groundwater pumping was unregulated and the basins were unmanaged. The Water Replenishment District was created in 1959 to restore and protect the groundwater resources of the basins. Today, the basins provide half the water supply for 4 million people in all or parts of 43 cities. Groundwater elevations are at healthy levels, who can pump how much water is fixed, seawater is held at bay, and the basins are sustainably managed and replenished with local supply. Protecting Our Groundwater tells the story of how that came to be.