Los Angeles represents one of the most dramatic examples of urban water vulnerability in America, with the city importing nearly 90% of its water from distant sources. Los Angeles gets most of its water from someplace else.
Most of its water comes from Northern California and the Colorado River. At the height of the California drought that began in late 2011, Los Angeles imported 89 percent of its water from more than 200 miles away, according to the University of California Los Angeles.
This extreme dependence on imported water makes Los Angeles vulnerable to drought conditions across multiple regions. Groundwater represents less than one-tenth of the city's water supply, according to the University of Southern California's School of Engineering.
Even when the city is getting plenty of rain, much of that water is lost through poorly maintained infrastructure or evaporation, according to Curbed Los Angeles. The city's concrete-lined river system compounds these problems by sending precious rainfall into the ocean instead of underground aquifers.
Despite ongoing drought conditions, Los Angeles has set ambitious goals for water independence. Los Angeles has set a goal to cut its reliance on imported water in half by 2025 by diversifying sources, Wired magazine reported.
However, achieving this goal will require massive infrastructure investments and fundamental changes in how the city manages its water resources.
The City of Angels' Imported Water Addiction
版主： 牛河梁
