May 7, 2008 1:49 pm US/Pacific
DWP Begins Refilling Silver Lake Reservoir
LOS ANGELES
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Wednesday began refilling the 795-million gallon Silver Lake Reservoir.
The reservoir was drained about six months ago when bromate, a compound that may cause cancer, was found in the water.
Bromide from well water, as well as chlorine and sunlight reportedly combined to form bromate, according to Wikipedia.
Refilling the reservoir, which provides drinking water to 600,000 residents, will take 15 to 20 days.
For bromate to be much of a health risk, a person would have to drink two liters of contaminated water every day for 70 years, according to the DWP.
Los Angeles City Councilmen Eric Garcetti and Tom LaBonge joined DWP General Manager David Nahai in Silver Lake Wednesday morning to mark the refilling process.
"I said at the time that I didn't want any mother in central L.A. or South L.A. to worry about the water that her kids would be drinking. For us, public confidence in the water supply is really one of the highest priorities," Nahai said.
"The water which will be coming into this reservoir today comes from the eastern Sierras -- it's snow melt. It is the most pristine, the most delicious water that we have in Los Angeles. And as we see the reservoir refill, though, let's remember that we do live in a desert, not withstanding
the rains of last night, that we're heavily dependent on external water resources and that all of those external water resources today are under great pressure."
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