Energy Efficiency, GHG Emissions  -  May 11, 2022

Metropolitan Sets 2045 Goals

The Metropolitan Water District’s Board of Directors voted to approve a set of strategies to cut its GHG emissions and achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.

The Climate Action Plan helps Metropolitan reach California’s aggressive goals to cut GHG emissions by 40% from 1990 levels by 2030 and achieve complete carbon neutrality by 2045. The plan sets targets and strategies for reducing GHG emissions from Metropolitan’s operations, including its conveyance, storage, treatment and delivery of water throughout its 5,200 square-mile Southern California service area.

“Climate change is not just about the environment, it is about protecting the future for our communities,” board Chairwoman Gloria D. Gray said in a statement. “It is our responsibility to address the urgent threats we face due to climate change so that Southern Californians will continue to have clean, reliable drinking water and a good quality of life.”

The strategies include phasing out natural gas combustion at district facilities, transitioning to a zero-emissions vehicle fleet, utilizing carbon-free electricity, improving energy efficiency, increasing waste diversion to achieve zero waste, increasing water conservation and local supplies, and evaluating carbon capture and sequestration opportunities.

Metropolitan has already been making progress on its commitment to greater sustainability and resiliency. Through a partnership with the Clean Power Alliance, the agency recently switched to 100% green power at several of its smaller meters and operational sites, reducing its GHG emissions by about 100 tons annually. Metropolitan has also switched over 300 of its Southern California Edison accounts to 100% Green Power Rates to purchase renewable energy. This amounts to over 11,900,000 kWh of annual use which represents the annual electricity consumption of 1,400 average households.

Metropolitan has also approved more than $840 million in conservation and local resource programs, funded over $350 million in turf-removal program rebates, installed solar facilities at its Joseph Jensen, Robert A. Skinner and Frank E. Weymouth water treatment plants, and approved battery energy storage systems at the Jensen and Skinner plants.