Metropolitan Water District chair tells San Fernando council region has reserves, urges federal support for Colorado River programs

Adán Ortega, chair of the Metropolitan Water District board, briefed the San Fernando City Council on the district’s water-supply position, Colorado River negotiations and long-term projects at the council’s March 3 meeting. "I can tell you that we have a lot of water right now in reserve. In fact, we ended 2024 with a 3,800,000.0 acre feet of water in storage," Ortega said during a 35‑minute presentation.

Ortega told the council Diamond Valley Lake was at about 97% capacity and said the Colorado River supplies roughly one‑third of Southern California’s water. He urged the federal government to fund agricultural-conservation projects included in the Inflation Reduction Act and said the regional partners are negotiating a 2026 agreement among the seven Colorado River states. "One of the big threats that we have is whether the federal government is going to come through with the $4,000,000,000 that we were going to use to help farmers conserve water," Ortega said.

Ortega reviewed Metropolitan’s major infrastructure projects, including Pure Water SoCal, a water‑reuse program in Carson that Ortega said could produce about 150 million gallons per day when fully built. He described the program as a multi‑billion‑dollar regional investment; Ortega said the project has received roughly $100 million in grants so far and that interstate exchanges of capacity with water agencies in Arizona and Nevada are being negotiated.

Council members asked about local programs and whether materials could be translated into Spanish. Ortega described Metropolitan rebate programs for turf replacement and for trees, noting the district offers a $100 tree rebate tied to turf replacement. "We have brochures in the back in English and Spanish," Ortega said. Council members also asked about Pure Water SoCal safety standards and the district’s efforts to give member cities more continuity of representation at the Metropolitan board; Ortega described pending state legislation (AB 523) that he said could allow a proxy when a city director cannot attend.

Why it matters: Ortega’s briefing aimed to update San Fernando leaders on regional water reliability, multi‑state talks over Colorado River allocations and how Metropolitan programs and grants might be used by the city and local residents. Council members and staff said they would share the presentation and explore local outreach on rebates and leak surveys.

What’s next: Ortega said he will return for a quarterly update in June and city council members requested staff follow up on available Metropolitan materials the council can distribute to residents.