Council committee OKs proposal for solar panels over LA Aqueduct

A proposal to place solar panels over the 370-mile Los Angeles Aqueduct in an attempt to reduce evaporation and add capacity for renewable energy for residents was approved by a council committee Thursday.

Around one-tenth of the water in the aqueduct is lost from evaporation each year due to the length of travel for water to make it through the aqueduct, according to the office of Councilman Mitch O’Farell, who introduced the motion.

O’Farrell is the chair of the council’s Energy, Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and River committee.

The aqueduct, which opened in 1913, provided nearly 40% of Los Angeles’ water supply each year between 2016 and 2019, but the city has lessened its reliance in recent years, according to the motion.

“Los Angeles is already doing so much to fight the climate crisis and advance our environmental justice goals, but as we act urgently, we must also think creatively,” O’Farrell said in a statement when the motion was filed. “The aqueduct is the reason that modern-day Los Angeles exists, but we’re not using it smartly enough.”

The committee also approved other environmental-related items, including :

— An initiative to require developments of greater than 100,000 square feet to install gray-water reuse systems.

— A directive to decarbonize new buildings in Los Angeles.

— Draft rules that would make it easier to recycle food scraps.

— A draft ordinance that would prohibit the distribution and sale of Styrofoam products.

“Smart, creative innovations are needed for Los Angeles to effectively and urgently fight the climate crisis, and I’m proud to have advanced several of these initiatives today,” O’Farrell said in a statement.

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