LA Sanitation joins Leading Utilities of the World

The Los Angeles Sanitation Department (LA Sanitation) became a member of and was recognized by the Leading Utilities of the World, a U.K.-based network of global water and wastewater utilities, for its One Water LA Plan, water recycling, resource recovery, watershed protection, green infrastructure, sewer spill reduction, pollution control and stakeholder engagement.

LA Sanitation's One Water LA Plan separately received the National Environmental Grand Prize for Planning from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists, Annapolis, Maryland, for its 2018 Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science Awards.

The One Water LA 2040 Plan, led by LA Sanitation and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power includes many additional partnerships. One Water LA has a Steering Committee that incorporates fourteen city departments and six other regional agencies. The plan has also been shaped by participation from more than three hundred stakeholders and a Stakeholder Advisory committee comprised of ten advisors from a variety of backgrounds, including nonprofit environmental groups, neighborhood councils, academia and the business community.

The city of Los Angeles faces several water-related challenges, and city departments are committed to working together with regional entities to address them in the One Water LA 2040 Plan through. Angelenos are seeking creative ways to manage water resources, and the One Water LA Plan, which builds on the previous success of the city's Water Integrated Resources Plan (IRP), allows for true collaboration to secure our water future, LA Sanitation says.

"LA Sanitation is known for thinking outside of the box, and this is no different," Enrique C. Zaldivar, LA Sanitation director and general manager, says. "We look at every challenge as a leadership opportunity, and in the case of One Water LA, we spearheaded the planning effort to encourage changing the way we think about water as part of Mayor Garcetti's Sustainability pLAn. We are honored to be recognized both as a Utility of the Future and specifically, for our work with One Water LA."