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San Gabriel Valley Nov 02, 2023
Rep. Grace Napolitano. | Photo courtesy of California National Guard/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
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Hailing her as a champion for the environment and water recycling, the Metropolitan Water District Thursday renamed the Pure Water Southern California demonstration plant after Rep. Grace Napolitano.
Napolitano, D-El Monte, who is retiring at the end of her term, was on hand for the dedication ceremony in Carson Thursday morning. The plant was officially renamed the Grace F. Napolitano Pure Water Southern California Innovation Center “for her unwavering dedication to water sustainability and reliability for all of Southern California,” according to a statement.
“What can be universally said about Congresswoman Napolitano is that she is the ultimate connector of people and creator of solutions,” MWD Board Chair Adán Ortega Jr. said. “Imagine her the needle and us the thread. She has banded us together to address our challenges — to clean up uranium tailings in Moab, Utah; to expand water recycling across the state; to increase water conservation in homes; and to develop water career training programs, ensuring we have the future workforce we need. This center for innovation in the science of water recycling can only have one name, and it is in honor of Congresswoman Grace Napolitano.”
The plant was developed as a demonstration project as part of a water-recycling program being developed in partnership with the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts. The Pure Water Southern California project is expected to be one of the largest water-recycling projects in the world, producing enough water to serve 1.5 million Southern Californians through the purification of wastewater, MWD officials said.
“I am incredibly grateful for the leadership of the many water agency board members and staff who are here today and throughout Southern California who have been at the forefront of this water recycling innovation,” Napolitano said. “The great accomplishments we have achieved in Congress are because of the information and advice local officials have given us on how to create federal programs and cut through red tape to improve these projects. Thank you to the public officials here and throughout our community for everything you do day-in and day-out to serve affordable and clean water to our residents and businesses.”
