Passing of Director Lillian Kawasaki, An extraordinary lady

LAKEWOOD, Calif., July 19, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- WRD Board President Rob Katherman issued the following statement on the passing of WRD Director Lillian Kawasaki:

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The passing of Director Lillian Kawasaki is a loss to the WRD family, her 800,000 constituents in Long Beach and neighboring cities, and to the California water community at large.

In the six years she served on the WRD Board, she made an indelible imprint on District policies and programs. Based in part on her distinguished career with the City of Los Angeles and her membership on multiple state and federal water policy committees over the years, she brought to her WRD service extraordinary expertise.

She enjoyed a statewide reputation as an expert on the nexus between water and energy, the importance of storm water capture for beneficial use, and the relationship between water supply in Southern California and ecosystem restoration in the Bay-Delta.  That expertise has been an indispensable part of what the District has done in recent years.

Personally, of course, Lillian was a force of nature, continually effervescent, always cheerful, always on the run, always interested in what she could to help others. Her personality was a constant and welcome presence at WRD.

Lillian was a tenacious advocate for sustainable landscaping and conservation practices. Indeed, those values resulted in the creation of the District's ECO Gardener program. Last month, the WRD Board named the extensive native landscaping at its headquarters the Lillian Kawasaki Educational Urban Landscape Demonstration Site. The Eco Gardener Program was renamed the Lillian Kawasaki ECO Gardener Program.

These memorial gestures will serve as daily reminders of the indispensable contributions Lillian made to WRD, her constituents, and to the California water community.

SOURCE Water Replenishment District of Southern California

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