Construction of the well is part of an overarching water resources plan adopted in 2020. (photo courtesy of the city of Beverly Hills)

Beverly Hills Mayor Julian Gold and City Council members cut the ribbon on a new water well on La Cienega Boulevard between Guthrie Avenue and Sawyer Street on May 8 in the latest step in the city’s efforts to increase its water resiliency, utilities general manager Rob Welch said.

The city currently transports water from the La Cienega well and six other wells in the Hollywood basin to its water treatment plant at 345 Foothill Drive, where it is combined with water from the Metropolitan Water District and distributed to residents in Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. 

Once the new well and the treatment plant are operating at full capacity, Beverly Hills could produce as much as 25% of its water from local sources, and the city plans to build three more wells in the La Cienega area to ensure uninterrupted service, Welch added.

“Beverly Hills is committed to becoming more self-reliant from imported water,” Gold said. “Bringing new resources to our community and not having to depend as much on outside agencies will only benefit our residents and businesses. By no means will this diminish our efforts to conserve water. Our La Cienega Well 1 is the next step to water self-reliance and we look forward to continuing these efforts in the future.”

During Office Hours with Doctor Gold on May 5, in which the mayor invited residents for an online discussion about city issues, he explained that Beverly Hills’ water resiliency efforts date back 100 years, and officials continue to improve water services so they can withstand earthquakes or other catastrophic events.

He said there may be water under La Cienega Park, and while officials have considered drilling in the park, they are still far from making a decision. If the city were to dig a well in the park, officials would be committed to mitigating impacts on park usage and quality of life, Gold added.

“There’s a whole lot of stuff we would actually have to get through, before we actually came to an affirmative decision,” Gold said. “Before we really did anything that would interfere in any way … you can imagine we’d have a very robust public discussion.”

Welch said that officials are currently working on preliminary designs for a new well at a site on La Cienega Boulevard near Interstate 10 that could be operational in three years.

“We are still anticipating building up to four wells in that area that would all contribute to that 25%,” he added.

While the city could hit the 25% target with its existing wells and treatment plant operating at full capacity, additional wells would give officials greater flexibility, Welch said. Wells occasionally need to be shut off for cleaning, and some replenish quicker than others. With more wells to choose from, it is easier for city officials to consistently collect water, Welch said.

He added it is hard to predict when the city could hit the target, as much depends on operations at the treatment plant, which officials are still “ironing out.”

“It’s very dynamic and requires continual oversight and that will dictate how we move forward,” Welch said.

The new well is located in the city of Los Angeles at 1945 La Cienega Blvd., and Welch thanked L.A. city and county officials and residents for their help and cooperation.

Construction of the wells and treatment plant are all part of Beverly Hills’ Integrated Water Resources Plan, adopted in 2020, Welch said. The plan provides a detailed view of the city’s water resources and identifies major projects that should be completed before 2025. The Foothill Drive treatment plant, which was completed in April 2022, was the largest project included in the plan, Welch added.

Public works crews continue to make progress on other parts of the plan, including the replacement of water lines on Coldwater Canyon Drive and the Burton Way median project, Welch said.

While that project does not supply potable water to the city, it uses innovative stormwater capture technologies to divert polluted water from the Ballona Creek Watershed for irrigation use in the city, Welch said.

Public works officials expect that project to be finished next month.

“It’s a really cool project that has a huge benefit for the entire watershed, and I believe it’s the first of its magnitude in the city, so we’re very excited to get that up and running and operational,” Welch said.distributed to residents in Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, Welch said.