Return Vasquez to Water BoardTHE subject of water is neither easy, nor particularly sexy.
In today's 24-hour news cycle, this rarely makes the airwaves, being bumped by opinionated talk show hosts and pundits squawking over lipstick and pigs.
Even here in the southeast part of Los Angeles County, the ballot talk is more about Pico Rivera trying to tax its residents, and various school bonds that will primp up school buildings and athletic fields.
But in this space today, we give way to a short discussion about water. In particular, the race for the Division 1 seat on the powerful Central Basin Municipal Water District.
While we don't agree with everything this district does, we will say that the district has been a player in the drive for alternative water sources. Indeed, the district is large - it spans 24 cities that includes 2 million people. Its mission is to find supplemental water to recharge the central basin. It does not provide water directly - usually that's the job of cities or retail water companies.
We applaud the district for working with various agencies in bringing recycled water into the basin, including the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts. This is a critical need even for communities lucky enough to have their own groundwater because ground-water basins are almost always overpumped.
Some of the credit goes to the board member from Division 1, which includes Bell Gardens, Downey, Montebello, Norwalk and Vernon. Ed Vasquez has served for four years and not only supports recycled water projects, he told our editorial board that he is in favor of expanding its use from Pico Rivera into Montebello.
Recycled water is already being used in textile manufacturing companies, as well as on school fields, parks and medians. For every drop of recycled water used for industry and irrigation, an equal amount of regular potable water is saved. This kind of institutional conservation, if you will, is critical during the current drought and in future dry years.
We are in support of re-electing Vasquez to a second, four-year term. He is someone with a firm grasp of water issues and also has experience in local government. He has served on the Montebello City Council for eight years, from 1996-2004, and two of those years as mayor.
So far, the central basin has not suffered the contamination problems of the San Gabriel Basin to the north. Vasquez and the Central Basin district, with help from local Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Norwalk and the federal government, are working to keep the plume from reaching the central basin. Ongoing cleanup efforts at Whittier Narrows have been successful at stopping the flow of pollution into central basin water wells.
Voters should return Vasquez to the board on Nov. 4. Water is not only an important issue, but a complicated one. Only those who understand the issues and can act on the water user's behalf ought to be in such an office.
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