| LOS ANGELES — (Jan. 18, 2013) The Los Angeles City Council officially declared “2013: Year of the Los Angeles Aqueduct” today, joining the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in launching a centennial celebration to mark 100 years of continuous operation of William Mulholland’s great engineering achievement that brings water to Los Angeles from the Owens Valley, 233 miles away. The declaration, a City Proclamation, states, “the completion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct 100 years ago is a significant historical event that led to the growth and prosperity of Los Angeles and Southern California, helped spur an economy that today rivals many nations’ and supports a distinct culture synonymous with invention, creativity and entrepreneurship. It was presented by Councilmember Jose Huizar along with Councilmember Tom LaBonge. “The Los Angeles Aqueduct is a critical reason the City of Los Angeles was able to expand from a sparsely populated region to the second-largest city in the United States and a thriving metropolis,” said Councilmember and Energy & Environment Committee Chair José Huizar. “The L.A. Aqueduct’s importance continues to this day and the City of Los Angeles is proud to recognize this engineering marvel.” "The story of Los Angeles is the story of water, and Angelenos will keep on writing it for centuries to come, thanks to this aqueduct," said Councilmember LaBonge. The entirely gravity-fed Los Angeles Aqueduct remains one of the engineering marvels of modern times, and to this day continues to supply water through effective and responsible management by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.” James B. McDaniel, Senior Assistant General Manager of the LADWP Water System, was in Council Chambers to unveil the Department’s plans for the Centennial celebration, called “L.A. Aqueduct Centennial: Our Legacy, Our Future,” and to describe the events, activities and public awareness campaign planned for the year. “The enduring legacy of the Los Angeles Aqueduct is a source of immense pride at LADWP, and its stewardship is what we do unfailingly each and every day,” he said. “On behalf of the men and women who help operate a system that supplies 600 million gallons of drinking water a day, and the countless others who built the aqueduct or worked for the Water System in the last century, we thank the Mayor and Council for its recognition and appreciation.” Also on hand was Christine Mulholland, great-granddaughter of aqueduct engineer William Mulholland. “Few times in the history of Los Angeles has there been such a reason to celebrate the feats and accomplishments of our ancestors. That the Los Angeles Aqueduct, one of the modern wonders of the world of engineering, continues to bring fresh, clean water to the the people of L.A. is a tribute to my great-grandfather, William Mulholland, and all the people who built, and now continue to maintain, the system,” she said. Today, the Los Angeles Aqueduct still provides about half of the water needed for the city’s 4 million residents and retains a vital role in the city’s water supply portfolio. LADWP is working hard to expand local water resources through water conservation, recycled water, stormwater capture and groundwater cleanup. The Los Angeles Aqueduct Centennial will include special activities and events, a public awareness campaign and a celebration on November 5, 2013 to mark 100 years to the day when a crowd of 40,000 gathered at the northeast end of the San Fernando Valley to witness the first flow of water down the Cascades and to hear Mulholland’s immortal words: “There it is. Take it.”
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