Publication: L.A. Times

UCLA Expert: Nurit Katz: Chief Sustainability Officer, UCLA Sustainability; Member, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Gregory Pierce: Adjunct Assistant Professor, Luskin School of Public Affairs; Co-Director, Luskin Center for Innovation; Co-Director, UCLA Water Resources Group; Member, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability; Senior Researcher, Water and Transportation Initiatives

Synopsis: As the California drought endures, and water conservation becomes critical to our survival, the article proposes that the answer to the drought problem might be in LA’s underground reserves. Within that, UCLA also has water under its Medical Center.

UCLA News: “Because of the high water table, UCLA must remove water to prevent flooding in its medical center,” said Katz. About 1.5 million gallons a month are pumped into the cooling towers of a campus power plant. Not all of UCLA’s dewatering projects reuse the water, partly because the engineering required can be prohibitive for smaller enterprises. That’s especially true, added Gregory Pierce, where smaller or less reliable amounts of the precious resource is available.

Read more at L.A. Times.