Pasadena Water and Power Takes Part in 75th Anniversary Commemoration of Colorado River Aqueduct

Pasadena Water and Power was part of the recent commemoration of the first delivery of water from the Colorado River Aqueduct to the 13 original cities – including Pasadena – that comprised the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California when it was established back in 1928.

As head of one of MWD’s 13 original member agencies, PWP Interim General Manager Shari Thomas was among those invited to receive a special proclamation from MWD to commemorate the day when water first flowed from the historic aqueduct into Southern California homes.

Among the 13 original cities, Pasadena was the first to receive water from the newly constructed aqueduct.

“On June 17, 1941 a valve was turned from the new Weymouth Treatment Plant and for the first time water followed to the city of Pasadena, one of the original 13 cities whose voters in 1931 overwhelmingly approved a $220 million bond measure to finance aqueduct construction (that would be $3.5 billion today),” a passage on MWD’s historical account of the Colorado River Aqueduct says. “By the end of July (1941), water would flow to Beverly Hills, Burbank, Compton and Santa Monica. Orange County would soon follow.”

Thomas stood along with other water district heads during the commemoration event last June 13, to receive the special proclamation at a program called “Turning on the Tap” held near MWD’s headquarters in Los Angeles.

In 1905, Pasadena residents voted by a two-thirds margin to approve a series of bond measures that included purchase agreements for water rights to three major water systems on the San Gabriel River near Whittier, California.

As Pasadena increasingly became a desirable place to live and establish businesses due to climate and access to water, the strain on the local supply became a growing concern. In 1928, Pasadena collaborated with neighboring cities to develop a water source that could supply all of Southern California, leading to the establishment of the MWD. On December 29 that year, MWD held its first meeting of the board of directors in Pasadena, at the Huntington Hotel, currently called the Langham Huntington Hotel.

The concept of building the Colorado River Aqueduct was the result of MWD’s actions that culminated in a vote by Southern Californians in 1931 to approve a $220 million measure to build the system. Eighty-two percent voted yes for the project.

Actual construction on Parker Dam, which was to be the reservoir where water will be drawn from the Colorado River into the aqueduct, began on January 25, 1933. After eight years, water from the Colorado River arrived in Pasadena via the aqueduct.

Today, the Colorado River Aqueduct is a 242-mile water conveyance of large pipes, tunnels and open canals that is the primary source of drinking water for Southern California. The aqueduct impounds water from the Colorado River at Lake Havasu on the California-Arizona border, and carries it across the Mojave and Colorado deserts to the east side of the Santa Ana Mountains.

The commemoration event last June 13 also featured an exhibit of photos and memorabilia about the men and women who helped build the aqueduct and a timeline that details the major decisions and accomplishments of the MWD from the time of its establishment to the present time.

MWD’s website has dedicated a few pages to the history of the aqueduct and the institutions and agencies that helped insure a steady and dependable supply of drinking water for Southern California.

To view a timeline of the aqueduct’s history and details about the commemoration event, visit www.mwdh2o.com/WhoWeAre/75th-anniversary-event.