Guest Opinion | Rick Cole: Where Will Pasadena Get Its Water in a Hotter, Drier Future?

Starting July 1, Pasadena residents will be paying more for your water – about 22% more for the average homeowner. That’s the first year of five years of rate increases recently approved by the City Council (on a 6-1 vote) that will hike average rates by 70%.

Because water is vital to life – and to keeping Pasadena green – everyone understands the need to invest in safe and reliable supply. But even with the higher costs – is Pasadena doing enough to ensure the water will be there (at an affordable price) when we need it in a hotter and drier future? As our population continues to grow, will we be faced with draconian restrictions – or crippling charges?

We’ve just been blessed with two wet years. But even before the recent spike in extreme weather events around the globe, Southern California’s rainfall has always been erratic. We often talk of “average” years – but that’s misleading. While Pasadena’s rainfall has “averaged” just under 20 inches a year since reliable records began in 1906, in just the last fifty years we’ve had as little as 4 inches and as much as 55 inches in a year.

Keep in mind, however, that we don’t rely on local rain for our water supply. Over 60% of our water is piped in from far away – and both our sources for that water are increasingly at risk – and becoming more costly.

Anyone paying attention has read about the interstate and even international war over Colorado River water. We share that water source with 40 million people. Last year, the Federal government stepped up with $1.2 billion in water saving incentives to forge a temporary “cease fire” agreement. It’s due to expire in 2026. There is a similar tug of war over the water that flows from the Sierras to Southern California users. Fish, farmers and urban users vie for a supply threatened by climate change and the collapse of the fragile Delta ecosystem.

These threats to our imported water supplies have forced a radical rethinking. Currently local and regional government agencies are organized to deal separately with supplying drinking water, disposing wastewater and controlling stormwater flooding. Instead of spending billions on single-focus projects, visionaries have been arguing for a new approach they call “One Water.” It’s all H20, they argue. Why not manage it holistically to save money and maximize local supply?

Easier said than done, of course. Pasadena is one of 26 local water agencies that make up the Metropolitan Water District. For one hundred years, “the Met” has focused on importing water from the Colorado and the Sierras. Under new leadership, it is shifting emphasis to the “One Water” approach of conserving, recapturing, recycling, recharging and storing water to reduce our dependence on imported sources.

Pasadena has a role to play in this strategy – and should be a leader. Our citizens have already stepped up with conservation. Despite a growth of almost 40% in population, our total water demand is actually the same as it was back in 1947. Total demand is expected to continue to fall as businesses, residents and new development continue to use water more efficiently (multi-family households use less than half the amount of water as single-family homes).

That’s not a cause for complacency, however, as the planet recorded its hottest ever average temperatures last year. Pasadena Water and Power has initiated a pilot program to deliver non-potable water for irrigation purposes and is working on several small-scale projects to capture stormwater. Still, if we want to have reliable water in the years ahead, we need an ambitious, comprehensive approach to greywater reuse, pipe repairs, expanded storage, and stepped up stormwater recapture.

These opportunities and challenges are the topic for my monthly District Two Issue Forum coming up on Tuesday, June 18, 6:30-8 pm at the Jefferson School Auditorium, 1500 E. Villa Street.

I’ll be moderating a panel of experts: Metropolitan Water District Board Chair Adán Ortega Jr.; Moulton Niguel Water District CEO Joone Kim-Lopez; Stewards of the Arroyo Seco Executive Director Tim Brick; and Pasadena Water and Power Assistant General Manager Stacie Takeguchi. Light refreshments will be served. All are welcome to participate in this important discussion.

Rick Cole won the election in March as Councilmember from District 2 to take office in December. He previously served three terms on the Council, including terms as Vice Mayor and Mayor. He is currently a member of the Planning Commission.