Conservation groups are pushing a major overhaul of how Southern California gets its water, arguing the state must rely less on imported supplies as climate change, drought and rising costs threaten long-term water security for millions of residents.
The coalition, made up of 12 groups, says California should dramatically expand local water capture, wastewater recycling and groundwater cleanup rather than continue depending heavily on imported supplies from the Colorado River and Northern California.
In a proposal titled A New Vision for a Sustainable Water Future for Northern and Southern California, the groups estimate that technologies such as stormwater capture, recycling and conservation could provide Southern California with up to 2 million acre-feet of drought-resistant water annually by 2045—equivalent to roughly 650 billion gallons…