fbpx City Council to consider putting solar panels over LA Aqueduct
The Votes Are In!
2023 Readers' Choice is back, bigger and better than ever!
View Winners →
Vote for your favorite business!
2023 Readers' Choice is back, bigger and better than ever!
Start voting →
Subscribeto our newsletter to stay informed
  • Enter your phone number to be notified if you win
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Home / Impact / Sustainability / City Council to consider putting solar panels over LA Aqueduct

City Council to consider putting solar panels over LA Aqueduct

by City News Service
share with

The City Council voted Tuesday to examine 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.

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’Farrell, who introduced the motion.

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 that 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 council voted to explore options — including state and federal grants — that would help generate solar power over the aqueduct, and to create a report outlining water evaporation issues.

In another climate-related decision, the council voted to explore requiring developments of greater than 100,000 square feet to install gray-water reuse systems.

More from Sustainability

Skip to content