Frequently Asked Questions

---

I would keep the conversation focused on the work and the results rather than someone's age. The relevant question is whether the public official is continuing to listen, learn, be accountable and effectively represent the community.

I have served as the WRD Division 4 director since my election in 2006, and the current WRD biography identifies me as serving my fourth term. My record should therefore be evaluated on the responsibilities of the office, the decisions made by the Board, and the results of the programs—not simply on how long I have held the position.

Usually, the city makes the decision about whether to build a splash pad or other park amenity. The City Council, city manager, public works department and parks/recreation department can all have roles depending on the project.

For recycled water, there is an additional layer. The local water supplier determines whether recycled-water service can be provided, while the State Water Resources Control Board establishes requirements for permitted recycled-water uses. WRD can be a regional partner on groundwater, stormwater, water conservation and education, but WRD does not normally decide whether a city puts a splash pad in a particular park. California allows appropriately treated recycled water for uses including parks and food-crop irrigation, subject to applicable requirements.

Yes, but there is an important distinction: WRD is not a city parks department.

WRD can partner with cities on projects involving stormwater capture, groundwater recharge, water conservation, environmental education and sustainable landscaping. For example, WRD partners with cities on Eco Gardener education, including workshops on edible gardening and efficient water use.

The first place to start is the city's Parks & Recreation, Public Works, Community Development or Sustainability department. A school, nonprofit, neighborhood organization or residents' group can also be a project partner.

WRD can potentially help with the water-conservation and gardening side through its Eco Gardener program and technical education. South Gate, for example, has partnered with WRD on an Eco Gardener workshop at Urban Orchard Park.

Not WRD. Residents pay their local water supplier.

The supplier varies by city and even sometimes by neighborhood. For example, Bell Gardens has a municipal water system in part of the city operated under contract by Liberty Utilities, while Golden State Water operates another portion.

Maywood has historically been served by three independent mutual water companies—Maywood Mutual Water Companies Nos. 1, 2 and 3.

So the best answer is: look at the name on the water bill; that is the agency or company responsible for your retail water service. 

The answer depends on which pipes are involved.

• Water-service/distribution pipes: generally the local water supplier.
• City-owned infrastructure or street work: often the city's Public Works Department, sometimes coordinated with the water supplier.
• Regional groundwater infrastructure: WRD may own or fund treatment, recharge or groundwater facilities.
• Major flood-control infrastructure: Los Angeles County Public Works and/or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers may have responsibility.

For example, Bell Gardens owns part of its municipal water system and contracts operations and billing to Liberty Utilities.

Call your local water supplier first. They are responsible for investigating service interruptions, water-main problems and many distribution-line leaks.

If the leak is clearly on your property, you may also need a plumber. If it involves a street, public right-of-way or city infrastructure, contact the city's Public Works Department as well.

WRD should generally not be the first call for a household faucet or water-main problem because WRD manages groundwater resources rather than ordinary residential water distribution.

Some of the water entering the river is treated wastewater/recycled water, while other water is stormwater and urban runoff.

For example, the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant produces highly treated recycled water that is used for environmental purposes and ultimately reaches the Los Angeles River.

That does not mean the entire river is a treated-water stream. Stormwater and urban runoff can enter the river, particularly during storms.

Yes. Southern California increasingly treats stormwater as a potential local water resource rather than simply something to move to the ocean.

Projects throughout the region capture, treat and infiltrate stormwater. WRD's broader Water Independence Now program combines recycled water and stormwater resources for groundwater replenishment.

South Gate's Urban Orchard is a particularly good local example: it diverts and treats stormwater and incorporates a wetland and other green infrastructure.

The river serves several functions:

• flood-risk management;
• stormwater conveyance;
• habitat;
• water-quality improvement;
• groundwater-related projects;
• trails and parks;
• recreation in designated areas;
• environmental education; and
• neighborhood revitalization.

The river runs through many Southeast Los Angeles communities, including Vernon, Commerce, Maywood, Bell, Bell Gardens, South Gate, Lynwood, Compton and Long Beach.

The ultimate destination of much of the river's flow is the Pacific Ocean, but the system also temporarily stores, diverts, treats, infiltrates or otherwise uses water along the way.

During storms, the flood-control system is designed to move large volumes of water safely downstream. Sepulveda Dam, for example, temporarily stores flood runoff and releases it at a rate intended not to exceed downstream channel capacity.

The concrete channel was primarily built for flood-risk management after catastrophic flooding in the early twentieth century.

The river was channelized from roughly the 1930s through the postwar period. Today, about 48 of the river's 51 miles are lined, with the Lower Los Angeles River particularly heavily engineered.

The engineering dramatically reduced flood risk, but it also reduced natural habitat and opportunities for infiltration. Modern river-restoration efforts are therefore trying to add ecological and recreational benefits where it can be done without compromising flood safety.

The designated LA River Recreation Zones are currently in Elysian Valley and Sepulveda Basin. These locations contain portions of the river with soft bottoms and natural habitat that make controlled recreation more feasible.

That does not mean the southern river has no recreational value. The southern portion has parks, trails, river-adjacent projects and revitalization efforts. But the actual river channel in many southern reaches remains heavily engineered for flood control.

The key distinction is safe, designated recreation versus unrestricted access to a flood-control channel.

Urban Orchard demonstrates a multi-benefit approach: instead of treating a vacant property only as a park or only as a stormwater project, the project combines recreation, environmental restoration, water quality, stormwater management, gardens, an orchard, walking/biking paths and education.

South Gate's project includes a wetland that captures and treats stormwater, more than 200 fruit trees, educational gardens, paths and recreational facilities.

Other cities can pursue a similar model by:

1. identifying underused land;
2. involving residents early;
3. identifying flood/stormwater needs;
4. combining multiple funding sources;
5. working with water agencies and parks agencies;
6. applying for state and regional grants; and
7. designing the park around the community's actual needs.

The city is generally the project sponsor and decision-maker for a city park.

Urban Orchard was developed by the City of South Gate with numerous partners and funding sources. The project received state park funding, regional Safe, Clean Water funding and support from organizations including the Trust for Public Land.

That is an important lesson: a city can lead the project while bringing in regional, state, federal and nonprofit partners.

The City of Bell Gardens is responsible for its municipal capital projects. City Council, city management, Public Works and Recreation/Community Services can each have roles depending on the decision.

The city has documented the Aquatics Center construction process, including the 2024 groundbreaking and subsequent construction.

 For Bell Gardens infrastructure, the Public Works Department is a logical first point of contact. The city lists Public Works at 562-806-7770. The Aquatics Center lists 562-806-POOL (7665).

WRD can be a partner when the project involves groundwater, recycled water, stormwater capture or water conservation, but the city remains the primary agency for its park and aquatics facilities.

We have a substantial regional flood-control system, but no urban system can guarantee that flooding will never occur.

The Los Angeles County Drainage Area system—including channels, dams, levees and related infrastructure—provides major flood-risk reduction. The Army Corps says the system continues to meet its authorized flood-risk-management purpose.

The challenge is that rainfall can exceed the capacity of local streets, storm drains and channels. That is why modern resilience increasingly combines traditional flood-control infrastructure with distributed stormwater capture, wetlands, infiltration projects, parks and green infrastructure.

Calderon has supported WRD programs and Board actions; many of these are institutional WRD projects rather than projects he personally owns or constructed.

WRD identifies Calderon as a strong supporter of its Water Independence Now program, which uses advanced treatment, recycled water, stormwater capture and conservation to reduce dependence on imported water for groundwater replenishment.

A concrete Division 4 example is Maywood Mutual Water Company No. 2's wellhead treatment project. WRD helped secure funding for a treatment system addressing naturally occurring manganese in groundwater. The project received approximately $1 million in state funding and $1.7 million through Proposition 1. Calderon participated in the project as WRD Board vice president.

WRD also has groundwater-quality projects involving Huntington Park wells and other Division 4 communities.

There is not one single "voice." The authority depends on where the proposed facility is located.

For an incorporated city, the City Council and city planning/zoning process are central. Residents can participate through public hearings, planning proceedings and environmental review.

For unincorporated Los Angeles County, County Planning has jurisdiction. The County is currently developing recommendations concerning data centers, including their impacts on water, electricity, health and land use.

The new California laws also require greater disclosure of proposed data-center water and electricity demands and give local communities more information about proposed projects.

WRD's role is specifically relevant when a proposal could affect groundwater, groundwater pumping or regional water resources—not as the general land-use authority.

It depends on which rate you mean.

Retail household water rates are generally set by the local water supplier or municipality.

WRD's Replenishment Assessment is different. WRD's Board establishes the assessment charged on groundwater production. For FY 2026-27, WRD's published Replenishment Assessment is $480 per acre-foot of groundwater pumped.

So WRD does not set the monthly residential water bill that most residents see from their local water provider.

One particularly well-documented project is the Maywood Mutual Water Company No. 2 wellhead treatment project.

The project addressed manganese in groundwater and helped restore the well as a source of treated drinking water. WRD led the effort to secure funding, working with the State Water Resources Control Board, the Legislature and Maywood Mutual Water Company No. 2.

WRD records also show that groundwater-quality work has involved all three Maywood mutual water companies.

WRD manages and protects groundwater in two major Southern California groundwater basins. Its work includes groundwater replenishment, groundwater-quality protection, recycled-water treatment, stormwater capture, groundwater monitoring and water-supply reliability.

The District's service area covers 43 cities and approximately four million people, with groundwater supplying a substantial share of the region's water demand.

Your city manages your parks and streets.

Your local water supplier delivers water to your home and sends you the bill.

WRD protects the groundwater underneath the region and replenishes the aquifers.

County, state and federal agencies handle additional flood-control, environmental, regulatory and infrastructure responsibilities.