Officials Launch Headworks Reservoir Project

Councilman Tom LaBonge and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power leaders broke ground Thursday on a construction project for two underground reservoirs and a power plant near Hollywood.

The Headworks Reservoir Project on Forest Lawn Drive near Griffith Park is among a group of DWP projects that will bring the city in compliance with federal drinking water regulations. Rules require the city to cover, treat or take offline its 10 open-air reservoirs to stop contamination from algae, bird droppings and runoff, according to the Daily News.

Work on the 43-acre site includes construction of a 56-million gallon east reservoir, a 54-million gallon west reservoir and a hydroelectric power plant. The reservoirs will replace Silver Lake and Ivanhoe.

Grading was completed last fall. Trailers will be delivered in the coming weeks and construction is expected to begin in the summer.

Construction of the east reservoir is funded by the water-quality rate increase approved in February. 

The east reservoir is expected to operate in Nov. 2014, when Ivanhoe is required to be taken out of service, according to LaBonge's website. The west reservoir and power plant are expected to operate by 2017. When construction is complete, the underground reservoirs will be covered with three feet of soil and native plants.

DWP spokesman Joe Ramallo told the Daily News, the project is expected to cost $301 million.

Another rate increase, under consideration by the Board of Water and Power Commissioners, is expected to fund construction of the west reservoir. The power plant is expected to generate enough energy to pay for itself.