New Metropolitan Water District general manager outlines reliability and billion‑dollar investments in Pasadena appearance

Metropolitan Water District officials joined the Pasadena City Council on May 18 to introduce and hear from the agency’s new general manager. Cynthia Kurtz, the city’s MET representative, introduced the new leader and highlighted his experience with member agencies.

"He was elected unanimously by the board of directors to become the sixteenth MET general manager," Kurtz said, introducing the general manager and summarizing his background in regional water agencies. The new general manager (who identified himself in the meeting) described MET’s priorities, which center on adapting to changing supplies, expanding storage and recycling, and investing in reliability across a multi‑county service area.

He said the recently adopted two‑year budget includes approximately $1,000,000,000 in investments to protect and improve infrastructure and reliability, and noted the board’s unanimous approval of that budget. He emphasized collaboration with member agencies like Pasadena to identify local partnership opportunities for groundwater storage and recycled water projects.

Council members thanked the general manager and asked that MET return with further details on long‑range projects and how member agencies will be affected by proposed investments and the potential Delta conveyance decisions in the coming years.

The appearance underscored water supply and infrastructure concerns for Pasadena and other Southern California communities as the region navigates cuts to Colorado River allocations and shifts in water‑supply sources.