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Carson approves MOU to build local workforce pipeline for Pure Water project
Summary
City council unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding with regional water agencies and the South Bay Workforce Investment Board to coordinate internships, training and local hiring tied to the Metropolitan Water District's proposed Pure Water treatment project in Carson.
Mayor Lula Davis Holmes and the City Council on Jan. 21 unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (Sanitation District No. 2), West Basin Municipal Water District and the South Bay Workforce Investment Board to coordinate workforce development for a large regional water treatment project proposed in Carson.
The MOU formalizes how the agencies will collaborate on K-12 outreach, internships, mentoring, job-training programs and local hiring pipelines so Carson residents can compete for construction and long-term operations jobs related to the Pure Water project.
Why it matters: the Pure Water project described to the council involves a large advanced water treatment facility sited at the sanitation district property in Carson and an 84-inch pipeline to carry recycled water through the region. The plant is not scheduled to be operational until 2032, but sponsors and city leaders said training and pipeline-building must begin now so local residents and youth are ready for the jobs when operations start.
City staff and agency representatives said the MOU is an initial step. Jan Vogel, executive director of the South Bay Workforce Investment Board, said the board will target Carson residents, high school and college students, and design training to meet specific water- and construction-industry occupation requirements. Lehi Thomas, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, told the council the agency sees the effort as part of a DEI commitment and praised the partnership.
Representatives at the council included Lehi Thomas (Metropolitan Water District), Brenda Martinez (Metropolitan Water District, workforce development), Jan Vogel (South Bay Workforce Investment Board), Erica Terrell (Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, DEI manager), Daryl Ramos Young (West Basin Municipal Water District, public information) and staff from the Sanitation Districts. Several speakers emphasized starting immediately rather than waiting until construction or operations begin.
The council's approved motion (text read into the record) authorized the mayor to execute the MOU in a form acceptable to the city attorney. The motion passed unanimously.
Details and next steps: the memorandum sets out that partners will coordinate outreach, marketing, internship placement and curriculum alignment (including work with Cal State Dominguez Hills' College of Continuing Education). Council members and agency staff described a multi-year sequence: short-term internship and K-12 outreach now, targeted training and credentialing programs over the next several years, and local-hire goals for construction and operations when the plant is built. The proposed treatment plant was described in the staff presentation as a roughly 150,000,000-gallon-per-day-scale project (presentation language), with construction and multi-agency permitting to follow.
The council asked staff to hold a public signing/photo ceremony once the final MOU is circulated and to coordinate with local partners on recruiting and training timelines.
