The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) on June 18 announced the completion of the first phase of the Headworks Reservoir, a state-of-the-art facility capable of storing more than 100 million gallons of water.

Headworks East Reservoir, located on Forest Lawn Drive adjacent to Griffith Park and the 134 Freeway, is part of a two reservoir underground complex being constructed to replace the Silverlake and Ivanhoe reservoirs as a source of drinking water for Los Angeles.

The Headworks Reservoir East tank, a flow regulation station and 6,600 feet of new pipeline has been installed. Construction on Headworks Reservoir West is now underway, with an estimated completion of 2017. It will be followed by restoration of the surface of the entire project area into a recreational parkland as part of the L.A. River Revitalization project. Once completed, the only visible part of the facility will be a small hydro-electric plant and the electrical building housing the controls for the reservoir. The control building serves as a layered metaphor for the history of the area, as it is encased in the same granite rock that once lined the L.A. River. The project also pays homage to the firm that previously owned the land, Pomeroy & Hooker.

The project has boosted the local economy by supporting 3,430 annual jobs and generating $563 million in economic benefits for Southern California, according to a 2012 economic impact analysis by the L.A. County Economic Development Corporation. The project has between 100-150 full-time workers, two on-site cement production facilities, and a large-diameter tunneling machine boring 80 feet below ground level to install a new 96-inch trunkline.