Attending Meetings: the Standing Committee and the Technical Group

The main ways that the public can engage with representatives from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is through two sets of semi-regular meetings: Standing Committee meetings and Technical Group meetings.

Standing Committee meetings take place four times a year. This committee is charged, along with the Technical Group, with implementing the Inyo/Los Angeles 1991 Water Agreement.¹ These meetings are the main venue for decision-makers from Los Angeles and Inyo County to meet with each other and the broader public. The committee members listen to public comment, receive reports and presentations from their staff, and give tasks to the Technical Group. The meetings are typically in February, May, August, and November. However, the public does not receive the dates until a week or two in advance. 

Technical Group meetings take place between Standing Committee meetings. This group consists of staff members with technical expertise: five from the Inyo County Water Department and five from LADWP.² Through these meetings, we learn what projects, topics, and concerns have reached the level of open discussion between LADWP and Inyo County officials. In the public comment period, we inform these staff members of our priorities as engaged members of the public. These meetings are often announced only three days in advance. We will post them on this site as soon as we can.

We encourage anyone interested in water justice for Payahuunadü (also known as Owens Valley) to join these meetings and give public comment. Robust public participation lets LADWP and Inyo County decision-makers know that we are invested. Keep an eye on the Updates page for date announcements.

John Ferraro Building - LADWP Headquarters in Los Angeles. Photo credit: Lauren Kelly.

The Annual Operations Plan

Every year, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) publishes an Annual Operations Plan for the upcoming Runoff Year (which runs from April 1 - March 31 each year). This document details LADWP’s plans for how it will run its aqueducts, well fields, reservoirs, and other components of its water extraction infrastructure. Significantly, they announce how much water they plan to pump from Payahuunadü (also known as Owens Valley) in the upcoming year. 

Discussion of this plan follows strict deadlines:

• April 20: LADWP produces a draft Operations Plan

• April 30: Inyo County Water Department produces a comment letter on the draft plan

• May 10 (or earlier): Technical Group meets to try to resolve Inyo County’s concerns 

• Ten days after Technical Group meeting: LADWP must revise and finalize the Operations Plan³

Unfortunately, this process includes no official avenue for the public to submit comments about each year’s Operations Plan. Our main opportunity for public input is during the public comment periods at the meetings surrounding the Operations Plan. Here are those meetings:

To speak to Inyo County government officials:

• Attending the Inyo County Water Commission meeting (between April 21 - April 29) to give public comment

• Attending the Inyo County Board of Supervisors meeting (between April 21 - April 29) to give public comment

To speak to LADWP officials:

• Attending the Technical Group meeting (sometime May 1 - May 10) to give public comment

• Attending the Standing Committee meeting (in early - mid May) to give public comment

Please join us as we push to reduce pumping from Payahuunadü. Our opportunity to sway the amount of extraction lies in this crucial period from April 20th - May 10th each year. Add your voice to our growing numbers! 

Public comment at Inyo-LA Standing Committee Meeting, November 14, 2024. From Inyo County’s recording.

Submitting Comments

Through the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), public agencies such as the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) must evaluate the environmental impacts of proposed actions before taking them. A key component of this process is informing the public. For most new projects, LADWP must hold a public comment period in which they invite the public to submit written comments, concerns, critiques, or support for the proposed project.

By submitting written comments each time an opportunity arises, we will build up a record of protest to this ongoing water extraction in Payahuunadü. Inyo County officials and staff will learn that they have a strong constituency supporting them. LADWP will realize that we are watching and publicizing their actions. Keep an eye on our Action Alerts page for opportunities to submit comments.

Footnotes:

¹ “Inyo/LA Standing Committee,” Inyo County Water Department.

² “Inyo/LA Technical Group,” Inyo County Water Department.

³ “DWP Annual Operations Plans,” Inyo County Water Department.