Multihazard Mitigation Los Angeles Water System: A Historical Perspective

The Water System of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has been implementing multihazard mitigations since the early 1900's. The Water System was established in 1902 and shortly thereafter William Mulholland, the first Chief Engineer and General Manager, recognized the need for additional water supply for a growing city. The Los Angeles Aqueduct (LAA) was completed in 1913 to bring water from the eastern Sierra Nevada snowmelt. The LAA brought forth the first major hazard mitigation program; a water supply to help a semi-arid region sustain drought conditions, which incorporated the construction of large storage reservoirs south of the San Andreas fault crossing, along the LAA and in the city, to provide local water storage in the event of a large earthquake or other disasters. The LAA also provided the means for City expansion, and with it multihazard mitigations have been ongoing with the development of the Los Angeles Water System. Most hazard mitigations described herein are related to earthquakes and as such most hazard improvements were recognized and undertaken following the 1971 San Fernando Earthquake as a result of the damage incurred to the Los Angeles Water System. In addition, many system improvements implemented for one hazard help mitigate effects of other hazards and decisions on selecting mitigation alternatives are generally determined through considerations of several hazards. This report discusses the multihazard mitigations implemented for the Los Angeles Water System since the early 1900's, provides an overview of aspects that developed the system's resiliency enabling it to provide service following the 1971 and 1994 earthquake disasters, and gives some perspectives on current seismic improvements being implemented in conjunction with necessary system changes for improving water quality. In addition, interrelationships between mitigations for multiple hazards and conditions where multiple hazards combine to create greater disasters are described. The modern developed LADWP Water System hazard mitigation history provides insight and information useful to others who are interested in improving the resistance of water and other lifeline systems to natural and manmade disasters.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0784408157
• Corporate Authors:

  American Society of Civil Engineers

  1801 Alexander Bell Drive
  Reston, VA  United States  20191-4400
• Authors:
  • Lund, Le Val
  • Davis, Craig
• Publication Date: 2006

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Edition: ASCE Council on Disaster Risk Management
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: pp 224-279
• Monograph Title: Infrastructure Risk Management Processes: Natural, Accidental, and Deliberate Hazards

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Disaster preparedness; Earthquake resistant structures; Earthquakes; Hazard mitigation; History; Lifelines; Water pipelines; Water storage; Water supply and distribution structures
• Identifier Terms: San Fernando Earthquake
• Uncontrolled Terms: Multihazard
• Geographic Terms: Los Angeles (California)
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; History; Pipelines; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01082964
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0784408157
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 21 2007 7:57AM