Know the Flow - Presented by Heal the Bay

Presented by Heal the Bay

Would you like to
hear the whole story?

Invite a Know the Flow educator to your office, meeting, faith gathering or class and we’ll help your group become more water literate. You should know where your water comes from! You can support a sustainable flow– once you Know the Flow!

REQUEST A SPEAKER

Invita a un educador de “Know the Flow” a tu oficina, reunión, grupo de fe o a tu clase y te ayudaremos a hacer de tu grupo los conocedores del agua. ¡Deberías saber de dónde proviene! Oprima el botón arriba para solicitar un educador.

Where does Los Angeles get its water? The answers may surprise you. Click the questions below to see how much you know about how fresh water reaches our faucets and the journey it takes to get there.

Test your knowledge!

What percentage of the water on Earth is available to drink?

Less than 1%

70% of earth’s surface covered in water- 97% saline, 3% fresh water. Most of that is stored in ice (glaciers, ice sheets), while less than 1% of fresh water is available to drink.

LEARN MORE

A typical storm in Los Angeles sends how many gallons of usable water to the sea via storm drains?

10 Billion

The rivers and creeks of Los Angeles were channelized to control flooding, creating our current storm drain system. Unfortunately, rain goes directly to the ocean through this system, picking up pollutants, bacteria, and trash along the way. That is why urban runoff is the #1 source of ocean pollution today.

LEARN MORE

In 2012, Governor Brown declared access to clean and healthy water is _____________.

A Human Right

AB 685, California’s Human Right to Water Bill affirms California’s commitment to ensuring affordable, accessible, acceptable, and safe water sufficient to protect the health and dignity of all its residents.

LEARN MORE

By the 2020s, over 40% of SoCal’s water supply is likely to be threatened by what?

Depleted snowpack in the Sierra Nevada Mountains

As the northern Sierra peaks are relatively lower than the southern Sierra, a warmer climate is projected to cause greater snowpack reduction in the state’s northern mountains.

LEARN MORE

The water needs of 850,000 residents of the O.C. are supplied by what?

Wastewater recycling

Orange County Water District’s triple purification process of microfiltration, reverse osmosis, and ultraviolet and hydrogen peroxide treatment produces water able to meet, and in some cases exceed, state and federal drinking water standards.

LEARN MORE

By the year 2024 what percentage of the City of LA’s water supply should come from local sources?

50%

Mayor Garcetti issued Executive Directive NO.5 which calls for a reduction in the Department of Water and Power's purchase of imported potable water by 50% by 2024.

LEARN MORE

The San Fernando Basin has the capacity to store ? gallons of groundwater.

150 billion gallons

LADWP customers only get around 12% of their water from groundwater basins. We’re fortunate to have these aquifers; many municipalities don’t have natural, underground storage spaces.

LEARN MORE

In one day, the average Australian uses 45 gallons of water. How many gallons does the average LADWP customer use?

63 Gallons

The state average is 65.56

LEARN MORE

19% of California’s total electric energy and 32% of its natural gas is used to do what?

Pump, treat, and deliver water to homes and businesses.

The State Water Project (SWP) is the largest single user of energy in California. It consumes an average of 5 billion kWh/yr, accounting for about 2 to 3 percent of all electricity consumed in California.

LEARN MORE

All major aqueducts to Southern California cross what?