If we don't act now, the Silver Lake Reservoir will remain dry for years. If that happens, we face the real possibility of developers taking it over to massively commercialize this peaceful place. They are already trying. Which is why this fight is so important.  

The Department of Water and Power (DWP) has said it “hopes” to refill the Silver Lake Reservoir, starting May 1, 2017, with a reclaimed water source. However, it is our understanding that no such plans are in place and that it would take a minimum of 3 years to get the infrastructure, piping, permits and regulatory approvals needed to accomplish that. 

Wildlife are dying in our streets. The heart and soul of our neighborhood is at stake. We need them to fulfill their commitment to refill to the traditional level promised of 440 feet above sea level when the current piping project is completed (est. December 2016). This is what they agreed to in the 2013 Environmental Impact Report (EIR) addendum. This is what they agreed to when they drained it 8 months ago. We are open to discuss and potentially support a specific plan from the DWP to use reclaimed water to refill and/or maintain the reservoir in the future. However, they have not yet presented any specifics or timetables on how they would implement a reclaimed water option.

We are open to any ideas to beautify the area more, put in additional green space or walking paths. But not at the expense of letting the reservoir sit dry.  We are a passionate group of community stakeholders that care deeply about the environmental preservation and sustainability of our neighborhood. We don’t have our heads in the sand about the relevance of water during a drought or fail to acknowledge that climate change will affect our cultural and civic resources. We just want a future that maintains this incredible asset in our midst. Change can—and will—happen, but let’s not give the upper hand (or the last word) to the developers.

We kindly ask that the DWP Do What's Promised.