Plans for big water slide downtown adjusted to address drought worries

A proposal to set up a 1,000-foot water slide on a downtown L.A. street has been altered to address the concerns of those who say expending thousands of gallons of water is inappropriate during a protracted drought.

The city’s Bureau of Street Services is still reviewing whether to approve permits for the massive slide planned for Sept. 28 on Temple Street between Main and Los Angeles streets, said Paul Gomez, a spokesman for the Department of Public Works.

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FOR THE RECORD

An earlier version of this post incorrectly identified Gomez as a spokesman for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

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More than 10,500 people signed an online petition last month calling the Slide the City event “extremely irresponsible” in the face of California’s drought.

Following public concerns, Councilman Jose Huizar began working with organizers to make the event more drought-friendly.

Under the new proposal, organizers would donate the roughly 15,000 to 20,000 gallons of water to irrigate Griffith Park for a day, Huizar’s spokesman, Rick Coca, said.

During the event, organizers said on Facebook that the water would be trucked in, and cleaned and treated throughout the day.

The water would then be trucked to a reclamation plant to be used at the park.

“It’s not only a good trade-off, it’s a safe trade-off,” Coca said.

Organizers also plan to donate a portion of ticket sales to fund a well in a developing country through the nonprofit Generosity.org, he said.

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