LA’s earthquake water plan to cost $15 billion

City engineers estimate that Mayor Eric Garcetti’s call to strengthen Los Angeles’ water system would cost up to $15 billion and require decades of work.

The Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/1BdIx6k ) reports that the previously undisclosed cost projection could mean sharply higher water bills. It also underscores the financial uncertainty surrounding a key piece of the mayor’s first-term agenda.

Department of Water and Power engineers submitted their report to the mayor’s office in September, before Garcetti released his earthquake preparedness plan. The mayor’s proposal incorporated their research but omitted their conclusion that a full overhaul of the water system would cost between $12 billion and $15 billion and take at least 20 years to complete.