This board was in charge of issuing bonds and financing their repayment by selling water to member agencies. Metropolitan is governed by a board of 38 directors whose powers and functions are specified in the 1927 authorization act. As the largest of the now 29 agencies, Metropolitan contracts with the state Department of Water Resources, which owns and operates the State Water Project, for slightly less than half of all supplies delivered to Metropolitan. In 1960, Metropolitan, along with 30 other public agencies, signed a long-term contract that made possible the construction of the State Water Project, including reservoirs, pumping plants and the 444-mile California Aqueduct (715 km), which serves urban and agricultural agencies from the San Francisco Bay to Southern California. The post-World War II boom and 1950s dry spells prompted a huge expansion of the Metropolitan service area as new cities began seeking additional reliable water supplies. Southland residents voted for a major bond in the depths of the Great Depression to fund the construction effort through the desert to deliver essential water supplies and generate badly needed jobs. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California was established in 1928 under an act of the California Legislature to build and operate the 242-mile Colorado River Aqueduct (389 km) that would bring water to southern coastal areas. In the early 20th century, Southern California cities were faced with a growing population and shrinking local groundwater supplies. The Metropolitan headquarters is in downtown Los Angeles, adjacent to historic Union Station.ĭrinking water pumping station near Parker Dam, 1972 The district covers the coastal and most heavily populated portions of Southern California however large portions of San Diego, San Bernardino and Riverside counties are located outside of its service area. It serves parts of Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. Metropolitan's extensive water system includes three major reservoirs, six smaller reservoirs, 830 miles (1,340 km) of large-scale pipes, about 400 connections to member agencies, 16 hydroelectric facilities and five water treatment plants. In 1960, Metropolitan became the first (and largest) contractor to the State Water Project. It also imports water supplies from northern California via the 444-mile (715 km) California Aqueduct as a contractor to the State Water Project. Metropolitan owns and operates an extensive range of capital facilities including the Colorado River Aqueduct which runs from an intake at Lake Havasu on the California-Arizona border to its endpoint at the Lake Mathews reservoir in Riverside County. Metropolitan became the first (and largest) contractor to the State Water Project in 1960. It was created by an act of the California State Legislature in 1928, primarily to build and operate the Colorado River Aqueduct. The name is usually shortened to "Met," "Metropolitan," or "MWD." It is a cooperative of fourteen cities, eleven municipal water districts, and one county water authority, that provides water to 19 million people in a 5,200-square-mile (13,000 km 2) service area. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a regional wholesaler and the largest supplier of treated water in the United States.
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