Crews Begin Work On Griffith Park Water Recycling Project

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Construction was underway Friday on a connecting pipeline that is expected to divert reclaimed and treated water to Griffith Park.

KNX 1070's Jon Baird reports the Griffith Park South Water Recycling Project (GPSWRP) is just one of the tools city officials hope will help offset the effects of a statewide drought.

LADWP crews will be installing 2,100 feet of 12-inch diameter ductile iron pipe as part of the GPSWRP project, which is expected to provide more than 120 millions gallons of reclaimed water for irrigation for the Roosevelt Golf Course and other areas.

In addition to the pipe - which is being installed along the Fire Road and Griffith Park Drive between the Park Center Picnic Area and the Griffith Park Visitor's Center - the project also includes a pump station and a new one million gallon steel water storage tank, according to officials.

When the reclaimed water starts flowing in 2017, Department of Water and Power (DWP) spokesperson Susan Rowghani said the estimated $13 million project will replace 370 acre-feet of water per year - over 120 million gallons - of recycled water.

"What an acre-foot is, is imagine a football field flooded to a depth of one foot," Rowghani said.

Opponents of the plan have warned that certain local plant species could be harmed by the use of recycled water.