Oct. 18, 1972 marked the passing of the Federal Water Pollution Control Amendments by the United States Congress. Better known as the Clean Water Act, the impact of this legislation in Southern California cannot be understated. The new law gave concerned citizens a tool in the fight to bring back clean oceans, beaches and rivers and awakened a huge portion of Southern California to the notion that we have to be good stewards to our environment.
On Oct. 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, an event will be held to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act and look back on the conditions that led to the passage of the Act, take stock of what Los Angeles has achieved, and present a vision for the future of clean water in Southern California. With an accomplished cadre of speakers, the morning is sure to challenge assumptions of where we were, where we are and where we need to be.
Speakers (bios follow) on the day include:
- · Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (invited)
- · Alfredo Gonzalez, Council for Watershed Health and The Nature Conservancy
- · Dr. Mark Gold, UCLA, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
- · Enrique Zaldivar, City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Sanitation
- · Mark Pestrella Los Angeles County, Department of Public Works
- · Fran Diamond, Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board
- · Shelley Luce, Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission
- · Felicia Marcus, State Water Resources Control Board
- · David Beckman, Pisces Foundation (invited)
- · Adel Hagekhalil, City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Sanitation
- · Liz Crosson, Los Angeles Waterkeeper
The event is meant not only to highlight past successes, but to look at the steps it will take to get to a truly sustainable Southern California. While much has improved in the Los Angeles Region, there is still much that can be done. Funds raised from the event will support scholarships for students wishing to pursue careers in water.
“LA’s Clean Water Story: Celebrating 40 Years of the Clean Water Act” is presented by the Council for Watershed Health, Los Angeles Waterkeeper and the Los Angeles Basin Section of the California Water Environment Assn. For more information and to register, please visit www.cleanwatercelebration.org.
Source: Council for Watershed Health
