At its peak, the Los Angeles River carries more than 118 billion gallons a day – enough water to supply 800,000 homes year. Yet in drier days, this concrete river carries 98 million gallons a day – water wasted as it drains into the Pacific Ocean. (Lucy Guanuna, “The 98 Million-Gallon ‘Trickle’: Stormwater Conservation Projects May Help L.A. Become Self-Reliant,†KCET, 12/9/15). The yearly average daily flow of the L.A. River is 207 million gallons per day, enough water to serve 640,000 average homes their water for a year. (City of Los Angeles, “L.A. River Factsâ€)
In an interview with Tim Thiesen, Nisei Farmers League president, Manuel Cuhna said it best, “we are either going to build a high speed rail or we are going to build a water structure? Right now the people of this state deserve a water structure. The people in Los Angeles have to have water. We have to have water for food. We have to have water for our rural communities. You cannot pull moisture out of the high speed rail.â€Â
