Drachman Institute holds Net Zero Urban Water Workshop in Los Angeles

CAPLA’s Drachman Institute recently convened water experts, utility representatives and community advocates at a two-day workshop aimed at tackling infrastructure challenges in the Southwest’s path toward a Net Zero Urban Water future.

Held in early June at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Cleantech Incubator Campus, the event brought together participants from Albuquerque, Denver, Los Angeles and Tucson to discuss the complexities of water sustainability in the arid American Southwest.

A Net Zero Urban Water system envisions urban areas meeting their water needs entirely through locally available, sustainable sources—without depleting long-term supplies or harming interconnected ecosystems.

Funded by a National Science Foundation grant, the workshop is part of a broader effort led by Associate Professor and Drachman Institute Director Courtney Crosson. Crosson and her team, including Postdoctoral Research Associate Rashi Bhushan, are working to identify cross-cutting challenges cities face in meeting long-term water needs through sustainable, locally sourced supplies.

“Cities in the arid Southwest face complex challenges in transitioning to a Net Zero Urban Water future,” Bhushan said. “A major hurdle is the underutilization of alternative local water sources such as recycled water (including direct and indirect potable reuse), rainwater and stormwater.”

Systemic issues such as outdated infrastructure, fragmented regulations and unresolved water rights limit the ability of cities to adopt and expand sustainable practices. 

“Without intentional planning, new water solutions like green stormwater infrastructure or direct potable reuse may miss opportunities to improve access and fair distribution of resources and benefits,” Crosson said. 

Participants from academic institutions, NGOs, community-based organizations and utilities exchanged insights on regional priorities and shared strategies. 

Jacob Prietto, a hydrologist with Pima County Flood Control District, said the district’s role has been to provide technical support on how regional flood and stormwaters could benefit the local water resource portfolios.

“The district’s mission is to protect people and property from the hazards of flooding.  By navigating flood waters away from those priorities and towards other areas, the hazard can be utilized as a resource,” he said. “In practice, this looks like reconfiguring existing flood mitigation basins into regional groundwater recharge basins, supplementing the local water supplies.”

Larger cities like Los Angeles and Denver pointed to institutional inertia as a barrier, while Tucson and Albuquerque emphasized the role of community advocacy and civic culture in driving change.

“Despite differences in context, cities across the Southwest shared a clear recognition of climate urgency and the need to develop diversified, resilient water systems,” Crosson said.

The interconnectivity of water resources, particularly the Colorado River and regional aquifers, makes collaboration essential across municipal boundaries. 

“Without alignment, cities may unintentionally undercut one another’s efforts to reuse water or recharge aquifers,” Bhushan said.

Participants expressed interest in developing shared metrics to track progress and performance toward Net Zero Urban Water goals. 

“They also exchanged ideas on building trust, financing infrastructure and designing inclusive water systems,” she added.

For the Drachman Institute, the workshop marks a key milestone in its ongoing mission to advance resilient urban water transitions. Findings from the workshop will be published, continuing the institute’s commitment to collaborative, applied research across the Southwest.

Previous workshops took place in Tucson and Albuquerque on policymaking and public preference, respectively. The final report and conclusions are set to be discussed next year in Denver.

Partners and attendees included: