DWP Devises Alternate Leaf Blowing Tool.

The high-pitched whine of a gas-powered leaf blower is the bane of many a home office worker, but L.A.'s Department of Water and Power believes it has the solution.

With the help of a contract R&D firm, the municipal utility has come up with a zero-emission blower that officials say is quieter and more powerful than any gas-powered model on the market.

The "E-Jet" weighs less than 20 pounds, runs 45 minutes on rechargeable batteries and blows air at 200 mph -- enough force to just about blow the chrome off a trailer hitch.

And just because it's electric doesn't mean it has to be all sissified. The DWP turned to L.A.-area gardeners for advice on functionality as well as design.

"We knew it couldn't have a flimsy, girly design (in order to be accepted by gardeners), so we came up with a macho-looking instrument," said Angelina Galiteva, DWP's executive for strategic planning.

The problem for the DWP, however, has been taking its patented design from prototype phase to marker.

The department had hoped to launch the product last September, but the project experienced a significant setback when the DWP became dissatisfied with its contract manufacturer and decided to look for a new partner.

As its R&D firm tests and finalizes the blower, the DWP is searching for a new manufacturer in the hope of building and launching the E-Jet by fall. "This product is so close," she said. "We really feel like we're on the one-inch line."

Robin Pendergrast, a spokesman for Echo Inc. -- the nation's leading leaf blower maker -- said he's not holding his breath.

"We keep hearing this thing was going to be introduced, but it's gone on and on," he said. "I don't think they understand how to take it to market."

The quest by a public agency to develop a commercial product may seem odd, but the effort is an outgrowth of the City Council's ban on gas-powered leaf blowers in 1997.

Gardeners came unglued over the ban -- even staging a hunger strike at one point -- and the City Council and DWP joined forces to find a better mousetrap.

Using funds set aside to pay for projects that benefit the public, the DWP hired Downey-based AeroVironment to develop a battery-powered model that could hold up to the demands of professional gardeners.

The result is a prototype that can be built with off-the-shelf parts at a per-unit-cost the DWP estimates at $450, which is comparable to gas-powered models.

Glenn Barr, a deputy for L.A. City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, said L.A.-area gardeners have tried it out, and they seem impressed. "I think it has a lot of promise," he said.

The city had entered into a $1.6 million contract with Giltronics Associates Inc., to build the blower, but differences arose over the manufacturer's use of a motor that didn't meet the city's specifications, said Galiteva.

"Giltronics tried to do their best, and they did take the project to the next level, but in the end, the confidence level wasn't there," she said.

AeroVironment has taken over the job of completing the testing and will prepare the manufacturing drawings.