Journal of Science Policy & Governance | Volume 17, Issue 02 | October 12, 2020

Policy Memo: Water in Los Angeles: Rethinking the Current Strategy

Keaton Barr (1)*, Anna Goldberg (2)*, Bineh Ndefru (3) *, Conner S. Philson (4)*, Emily Ryznar (4)*, and Regina Zweng (4)*
  1. University of California Los Angeles, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Los Angeles, CA
  2. University of California Los Angeles, Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, Los Angeles, CA
  3. University of California Los Angeles, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Los Angeles, CA
  4. University of California Los Angeles, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Los Angeles, CA
*All authors contributed equally 
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https://doi.org/10.38126/JSPG170202
Keywords: water conservation; water acquisition; drought; clean water access; urban engineering
Executive Summary: Southern California has been subject to multi-year droughts that are expected to become more frequent in coming years. While only receiving 25% of the state’s annual rainfall, Southern California is responsible for 80% of the state’s water demand, necessitating imports from Northern California and out-of-state. Projects for local water management have been undertaken. However, a lack of funding has prevented larger sustainable water projects in Southern California from being implemented. Additionally, a large portion of the current funding is being used towards desalination projects that compromise important ecological functions and services. Given the existing technology and current political and funding landscape, we propose the implementation of urban engineering projects and greenspaces to increase local water supply and decrease the dependency on imported and unsustainable water sources. The collective approach of increasing stormwater capture through greenspaces and engineering solutions would increase equitable access to clean water and city-wide resilience for future droughts without the ecological risks and lack of equity posed by current strategies such as desalination.

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Keaton Barr is a Ph.D. Candidate in Biochemistry, Molecular, and Structural Biology at UCLA. He is currently studying various aspects of transcriptional regulation, primarily focusing on degradation of RNAs and transcriptional roadblocks. Keaton hopes to have a career advocating for good science and science/data literacy to both the general populace and policy makers.
 
Anna Goldberg is a third-year Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology undergraduate student at UCLA. She is an academic engagement officer for The Science Policy Group at UCLA and has aspirations for a career in environmental or healthcare-related law.
 
Bineh Ndefru is a Ph.D. Student in Materials Science and Engineering at UCLA. She is a part of the Institute for Risk Sciences studying technology approaches to building sustainable, reliable, and resilient next-generation energy systems. Bineh is interested in problems at the interface of technology and society and wishes to pursue a career developing science-informed policy solutions that effectively address social issues.
 
Conner S. Philson is a Ph.D. Student in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCLA studying the evolution and consequences of social behavior using the yellow-bellied marmot population at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) in Colorado. He is the External Vice President for The Science Policy Group at UCLA and the Director of Community Partnerships for UCLA’s Graduate Student Association. He plans to pursue a career in science policy to advise, create, and maintain national and international policy and diplomatic relationships.
 
Emily Ryznar is a Ph.D. Candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCLA. She currently studies mechanisms facilitating the success of species invasions, focusing on the invasion of the marine alga, Sargassum horneri, in Southern California and Baja Mexico. Emily is interested in a career that bridges applied, primary research and policy to address salient issues in conservation.
 
Regina Zweng received an MS in Biology studying the impacts of ocean acidification on marine algae in coral reefs. She is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCLA and studies the impacts of eutrophication on carbonate chemistry in estuaries. She hopes to pursue a career in advocating for science-based solutions to improve public health and conservation.
 
Acknowledgements
We thank members of The Science Policy Group at UCLA for support throughout the creation of this manuscript.
DISCLAIMER: The findings and conclusions published herein are solely attributed to the author and not necessarily endorsed or adopted by the Journal of Science Policy and Governance. Articles are distributed in compliance with copyright and trademark agreements.

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