BEFORE: A receiving pit on Beverly Blvd in Pico Rivera

AFTER: Moving right along! The same receiving pit, all cleaned up!

To stay on schedule with our Southeast Water Reliability Project, our construction crews will be laying 10,000 feet of recycled water pipeline before the end of July. The entire Phase 1 alignment is 25,000 feet of pipeline. If you take into account construction done earlier this year (we broke ground in January 2010), Phase 1 of our recycled water expansion project is 40% complete!

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In more drought news, the Whittier Daily News ran this story in Sunday’s paper as a  follow-up to their recent op-ed. With Southern California now receiving 50% of its normal allocation from the State Water Project, and with above average rainfall reported for the year, the Metropolitan Water District will now have an unexpected surplus of water that they must decide what to do with.

While we hope that at least some of this surplus will be used to replenish our dangerously low groundwater reservoirs, from the sound of it, MWD is more interested in storing it all away for future use. Read more here.

Last week, the Whittier Daily News called us out. More specifically, they urged the Governor, the Metropolitan Water District and all of its member agencies to ”tell the truth about the drought.”

If California has had above-average rainfall, they asked, then why the need to conserve? If our water shortage depends on more than just rain, they pleaded, then let the people know.

In our view, the op-ed helps bring to light the many, many factors–from the fragility of the Bay-Delta to tainted groundwater supplies across the state–that have all played a part in our current water shortage. While rain is important, it is just one part of a much larger picture.

Metropolitan Water District’s Board Chairman Timothy Brick makes this point in his response, “Beyond Weather: Southland’s Water Challenges,” reminding us all that we’re going to need a lot more than an above-average rainy season to resolve our water woes. Read an excerpt after the jump:

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Christine Kim, Grade 6, holds her winning poster with Education Manager Mark Moss

This year, sixth-grader Christine Kim from Stowers Elementary School in Cerritos, submitted the winning poster for the annual “Water is Life” Poster Contest.

While many wonderful entries were received, Christine’s poster shined the brightest, by illustrating water conservation tips and the powerful message, “Water 4 the Future of Many Lives.” From all of us at Central Basin, Congratulations Christine!

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After spending most of 2009 advocating for a comprehensive overhaul of the state’s water system, this week the Governor announced his proposal to push the $11 billion Water Bond off the November 2010 ballot, postponing the vote until 2012. While Sacramento’s inner circles anticipated this move for months, the announcement is still making waves in the water world this week.

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