Jan 28th, 2025

The Delta Smelt and the Los Angeles Fires, Part One

By:  Jennifer Novak

Overheard: “This all because of the Delta Smelt.”

A Search for Answers Amidst the Fires

Here in Southern California, fire warnings and alerts are currently part of daily life. It’s natural to wonder why this is happening and to search for answers. Friends and colleagues have lost their homes, while hundreds of thousands of people anxiously wait for assurances that the fires are contained and the winds have calmed. Make no mistake: Los Angeles, and perhaps California as a whole, will never be the same. Even after the fires are out, the region will still face years, potentially decades, of struggles.

We need reflection on the complexities that led to such destruction, both the small and the large. This situation was not created in a day or by any one policy decision. And yet, people confuse education and reflection with buzzwords, unfounded opinions, and slogans. I worry that big issues like water, zoning, flood control, and climate change are being oversimplified or misunderstood. To that end, with the hope that it helps even one person gain some insights, here are some thoughts on whether conservation is mainly to blame for Los Angeles’s plight.

The Desert Climate of Southern California

Most of Southern California is classified as a desert or semi-arid region. Some areas, like those along the coast, receive the benefit of overall cooler temperatures and fog. But overall, the City of Los Angeles typically receives about 15 inches of rain a year, that falls almost entirely between November and March. Cities like Chicago or Pittsburgh get more than twice as much rain (38 inches). Charlotte gets nearly three times as much (43 inches). These cities also have more consistent year-round rainfall, preventing vegetation from drying out during the summer months. In Los Angeles, we get wet and then we get very dry.

Where Does L.A.’s Water Come From?

Without a consistent local supply of water, Los Angeles gets its drinking water primarily by importing water from distant sources, supplemented by local groundwater and recycled water. Los Angeles obtains its water from three main sources, all outside the region:

  • The Los Angeles Aqueduct, which brings water to the region from the Owens Valley and Mono Basin. It accounts for approximately 30-40% of our water supply in an average year;
  • The Colorado River, which is continually subject to legal challenges among numerous states and indigenous tribes who all lay some legal claim to its water; and
  • The State Water Project, which brings water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to Southern California through the California Aqueduct. 

In addition, local groundwater produces between 10-15% of the city’s water supply. The city is also increasing efforts to use more recycled water and stormwater to meet its various needs. It has set a goal of meeting 70% of its water needs through local sources by 2035, but the goal is ambitious and it’s unclear how close the city can get.

Why Doesn’t Rain Solve Our Water Problems

People who live in other areas of the country may find our situation perplexing. After all, don’t we experience enough rainfall to “bank” it? Doesn’t it recharge our groundwater and fill up our lakes and reservoirs? To understand why that isn’t the case, we need to look at geography and man’s determination to control nature.

More than 100 years of policy and planning created the Los Angeles that we see today. As the city grew, we transformed fields and open space into urban landscapes. When rain does fall, less of it infiltrates the ground. When rain hits rooftops, parking lots, and streets, it usually turns into run-off, traveling along paved and impervious surfaces to the nearest drainage point.

Long ago, rivers, creeks, and streams in Los Angeles flowed naturally. But as the city grew, floods became more dangerous. During the Great Flood of 1862, torrential rains fell for over a month, submerging the City underwater. The Los Angeles River changed course, from emptying into Santa Monica Bay to its current path towards San Pedro and Long Beach. Deadly floods in 1914 and 1938 led to construction of an extensive flood control system. This system is designed to force water towards concrete channels and out to the ocean. It prioritizes safety and certainty over water capture.

The Price of Flood Control: Losing Precious Rainwater

On average, Los Angeles County generates roughly 100,000 “acre-feet” of urban stormwater runoff each year. This can increase to 200,000 acre-feet during heavy rainfall. (One acre-foot is enough water to supply 2-3 households a year.) But we lose almost all of our stormwater to runoff, enough to supply water to thousands of households.

In more recent years, policymakers have tried to prioritize projects that infiltrate more storm water. But as humans and citizens, we have a hard time spending money on preventative measures when other pressing needs exist as well. As an environmental lawyer, I’ve heard people say cities can’t afford water projects because it might mean closing hospitals or laying off police officers. I am not insensitive to the fact of limited budgets and many needs. I have also heard people complain when money is spent on water resiliency or when they are inconvenienced by projects. It is easier for our minds to justify these activities after we see the need for them. Until then, these are seen as wasteful or less important.

With This Background In Mind,

Stay tuned for Part Two, where we’ll talk about whether water conservation is really to blame.

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