ADVISORY/Southland Water Reliability to Get Shot in the Arm with Signing of Agreement for West San Gabriel Valley Groundwater Storage Project.

News Editors/City Desks/Assignment Desks

ADVISORY...for Tuesday (Feb. 11)

--(BUSINESS WIRE)

WHAT:      Officials from Metropolitan Water District of Southern
           California and Foothill Municipal Water District to sign
           25-year agreement for groundwater storage project in west
           San Gabriel Valley. Project would provide area with nearly
           1 billion gallons of water annually during dry times.

WHEN:      Tuesday, Feb. 11, near the end of Metropolitan's board of
           directors meeting, which begins at noon

WHERE:     Board Room, Metropolitan headquarters, 700 N. Alameda St.,
           next to Union Station, downtown Los Angeles (Los Angeles
           County Thomas Guide, page 634, G-3)

PARTICIPANTS:
           Metropolitan Chairman Phillip J. Pace; James Edwards,
           Metropolitan director representing Foothill Municipal Water
           District; Arthur Littlejohns, Foothill board president;
           Ronald R. Gastelum, MWD chief executive officer; and
           Anthony Zampiello, Foothill general manager

BACKGROUND:
           The Foothill project would be the latest investment made by
           Metropolitan and its 26 member agencies to diversify
           Southern California's portfolio of water management
           resources and assure the reliability of the region's water
           supply.

           The Foothill project is one of two groundwater storage
           agreements, to be considered by Metropolitan's board next
           Tuesday, to receive Proposition 13 funds. The state
           allocated Metropolitan $45 million from Prop. 13 to help
           develop groundwater storage projects in Southern
           California.