It was founded in 1996 by Dorothy Green to preserve, restore, and enhance the Los Angeles and San Gabriel River watersheds.
To accomplish this, it has brought together representatives from the regional water agencies (supply, groundwater, stormwater, water quality, and wastewater), as well as government regulatory agencies (federal to local); community and environmental citizen groups; and businesses in the Los Angeles Basin watershed.
The board includes: the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Southern California Edison, the Southern California Building Industry Association, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, WSP|Parsons Brinckerhoff, The Resources Legacy Fund, San Gabriel Mountains Forever, Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation, and the County of Los Angeles.
[2] The goals of CWH programs are to improve and expand local water supplies and reduce per capita water demand in the greater Los Angeles region; to increase the number of people, municipalities, and businesses that adopt and implement sustainable and water-efficient urban landscapes; and to provide science-based research to better understand trends and indicators related to the health of our watersheds and communities to improve watershed health.
[citation needed] CWH works with water agencies and local community partners to develop "living laboratories": green streets, alleys, schoolyards and parks that build community capacity in local water sustainability and stewardship.