Water and Power Associates Informing the Public about Critical Water and Energy Issues facing Los Angeles and California

Background

Beginning in 2017, students from The Claremont Colleges, California State University, Northridge (CSUN), and California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB), have been digitizing reports, maps, blueprints, photographs, and other materials found in water-related archival collections.  Subjects covered by the collections include floods and flood plains, irrigation, legal cases, the Colorado River Aqueduct, the Los Angeles Aqueduct, reservoirs and dams, the Salton Sea, water companies and municipal water suppliers, water engineering, water rights, and land ownership.  The materials come from a variety of sources such as federal, state, and local governments, water companies, local agencies, engineers, and other individuals involved in water development in the Southern California region from the 19th through the 20th centuries.

This collaborative preservation and dissemination project (titled: Digitizing Southern California Water Resources) is supported by a Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources and funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Board of Public Service Commissioners Annual Reports

The following is a collection of Board Reports (1911-1918) that highlights significant events in the history of the municipal water system in Los Angeles.  Featured are early reports related to the Los Angeles Aqueduct, Owens Valley and the St. Francis Dam disaster.

Historical Notes

1911 – The Department of Public Service and the Public Service Commission was created through an approved charter amendment.

1911 - The Bureau of Power and Light was created within the Department of Public Service to oversee and administer the electrical system in the city.

1911 - The Water Department was renamed the Bureau of Water Works and Supply after the creation of a municipal department in charge of electricity (Bureau of Power and Light).

1926 - The Board of Public Service Commissioners was renamed Board of Water and Power Commissioners through an approved charter amendment to more accurately reflect its oversight of both the Bureau of Water Works and Supply and the Bureau of Power and Light.

1937 - The Bureau of Water Works and Supply consolidated with the Bureau of Power and Light and became the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP).^

Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1911

Tenth annual report of the Board of Public Service Commissioners for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1911 relates to board activities and discusses the possible uses for the Los Angeles Aqueduct. Publication consists of a general report and smaller reports by engineers and public officials. Included is an article with map that details the water supply needs of Los Angeles and surrounding communities and suggests ways to distribute water from the Los Angeles Aqueduct.

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Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1912

Eleventh annual report from the Los Angeles Board of Public Service Commissioners for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1912 details policy proposals on water use in Los Angeles and Los Angeles County. Report also details planned use for water produced by the Los Angeles Aqueduct. Publication consists of a general report and a collection of reports from various engineers, an auditor, and other public officials. Most reports include a letter of introduction. Chief engineer William Mulholland's report specifically details plans for the Los Angeles Aqueduct. His report also includes a diagram of rainfall and river flow patterns of the Los Angeles River.

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Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1913

Twelfth annual report contains progress of the Board of Public Service Commissioner over the fiscal year ending June 30th, 1913. Report is made up of one general report and a collection of smaller reports contributed by engineers, and auditor, and other public officials. Topics covered include the inclusion of the Aqueduct Water and Power Bureau in the Los Angeles Water Department Aqueduct, water distribution for surplus water from the Los Angeles Aqueduct, and adjustment of water rates throughout Los Angeles County. Report includes tables, figures, photographs, and a long chart showing the City of Los Angeles' daily water consumption over the fiscal year.

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Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1914

Thirteenth annual report provides smaller reports by Bureau of Water Works engineers and an auditor on the distribution of Los Angeles Aqueduct water throughout Los Angeles County. Special attention is paid to the transfer of the Los Angeles Aqueduct to the Department of Public Service in December 1913. Photographs of the opening of the Los Angeles Aqueduct as well as other related photos are included.

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Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1915

Fourteenth annual report of the Board of Public Service Commissioners for the fiscal year ending June 30th, 1915 provides information on water supply and distribution in Los Angeles County and notes its increase in both because of the added resources of the Los Angeles Aqueduct. Report consists of an overall report with smaller reports by engineers, public officials, and an auditor. Publication also includes a substantial report by engineer Charles Gilman Hyde on the sanitary conditions of the Owens River, the main source of water for the Los Angeles Aqueduct. Photographs related to the Los Angeles Aqueduct are found throughout.

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Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1916

Fifteenth annual report of the Board of Public Service Commissioners for the fiscal year ending June 30th, 1916 details the progress of the City of Los Angeles water system as a result of the inclusion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct. Report consists of smaller reports written by engineers, and an auditor. Publication describes the acquisition of different water companies and the move to enhance sanitary conditions of the city's water supply.

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Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1917

Sixteenth annual report of the Board of Public Serrvice Commissioners for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1917. Document highlights reports of the Chief Engineer of the Bureau of Water Works and Supply, Chief Electrical Engineer of the Bureau of Power and Light, and the Controller of the Public Service Department. Report includes images of the Los Angeles aqueduct, as well as, various tables and charts of related expenses.

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Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1918

The seventeenth annual report reviews the field activities of the Bureau of Water Works and Supply for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1918. It includes reports of the Bureau of Water Works and Supply chief engineer, assistant superintendent, chief mechanical engineer, mechanical constructor, superintendent of the meter and service department, the Bureau of Power and Light chief engineer, the right of way land agent and the controller. The report also includes various photographs and diagrams.

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