The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has announced that surplus water from snowpack runoff in the Eastern Sierra region will be used to start refilling the Silver Lake Reservoir in mid-April. LADWP had previously anticipated beginning this process in April, using local water sources to refill the reservoir over the course of 12 months.
The Reservoir's water level will be kept between 440 and 450 feet above sea level, which is representative of historic norms. A 3,100-foot pipeline between LADWP's Ripple Street Yard will connect to both the Silver Lake and Ivanhoe Reservoirs in order to maintain this water level.
LADWP drained the reservoir in 2015 to allow for the construction of a bypass pipeline in order to comply with State and Federal regulations forbidding open-air storage of drinking water. An underground replacement facility, the Headwarks Reservoir, has been construction nearby.
In the more distant future, a nonprofit organization known as Silver Lake Forward is advocating for transforming the 96-acre footpring of the Silver Lake and Ivanhoe Reservoirs into a public park.
