By Bria Overs

WILLOWBROOK — Ten months after Los Angeles County took over the troubled Sativa Water District, county officials have announced dramatic improvements to the water system that serves 6,800 customers in the Willowbrook and Compton communities.

County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who represents the area, said residents served by the Sativa Water District can reliably expect clean and clear water when they turn on their taps.

Almost a year ago, the five-member board and general manager of the Sativa Water District were removed by the California State Water Resources Control Board. The decision came after Gov. Jerry Brown signed bill AB 1577 in September 2018, allowing for the Sativa board’s removal.

To replace them, the state tapped the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works to run the water department. According to Ridley-Thomas, public works completed an audit in June 2018 that found major mismanagement of funds with million-dollar loans, debt, unsubstantiated charges and other charges that “could possibly involve improper and/or unlawful actions.”

Since the takeover, the Public Works Department has installed a new filtration system i to clean out old pipes and placed new pipes in “strategic locations to improve water circulation,” Ridley-Thomas said.

Sativa’s customers are already seeing changes in their water quality.

“Work was done as promised, and there’s no brown water,” Sativa customer Elizabeth Hicks said. “There were too many conflicts and not enough resources before but, since Public Works stepped in, they changed everything.”

In its second phase, public works plan to rebuild Sativa’s aging wells and create a treatment system to remove manganese by the end of 2020.

“When the county stepped in to operate Sativa after years of neglect by its previous management, we promised to create a transparent and accountable process to deliver clean and clear water to its customers,” Ridley-Thomas said. “Today, we have made good on that commitment and we intend to help ensure that the water system is sustainable in the long-term.”

“This isn’t just about clean water — this is about justice,” Supervisor Janice Hahn said. “This community was forced to deal with dirty tap water in their homes for years. As we work to repair this water system and bring clean water to this community, we are also handing over the results of our audit to the proper authorities so anyone responsible for a crime can be held accountable.”

“Sativa was a water system in crisis when the county took it over in November 2018,” Public Works Director Mark Pestrella said. “Working with the community, we invested considerable resources and technology into upgrading the system and providing Sativa customers with the safe, clean, reliable and sustainable water service they deserve.”

This article originally appeared in the Wave Newspapers.

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