New Public Member Director Appointed to PRWA Board by Palmdale Water District Apr 29, 2025 Member Submitted News PALMDALE – The Palmdale Recycled Water Authority (PRWA) has named Palmdale resident Joe Pallon as its new public member director. After the Palmdale City Council and the Palmdale Water District (PWD) Board of Directors voted unanimously in separate meetings to appoint him to the role, Director Pallon took the oath of office at a recent PRWA meeting. “I am very honored to receive this important appointment,” Director Pallon said. “I want to bring to the Board my experience in policy work. I can provide insight with the knowledge I have through experience. My work on this Board will be constructive.” The PRWA Board, which manages the use of recycled water in central and east Palmdale, is made up of two members of the City Council, two members of the PWD Board and a public member. The public member position is for one year, and incumbents need to reapply. Director Pallon replaces Zakeya Anson, who served as PRWA’s public member director starting in 2021. She did not seek to renew her term. “We are pleased to welcome Joe Pallon as our new public member director,” said PRWA Board Chair Austin Bishop. “As a long-time resident of Palmdale, Joe is passionate about water recycling and conservation. We look forward to the positive impact he will have on our community’s water resources.” In 2012, PRWA was formed jointly by the City and PWD to study, promote, develop, distribute, install, finance, use, and manage recycled resources created by the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts Nos. 14 and 20 for various uses, including irrigation and recharge, and to finance the acquisition and construction or installation of recycled water facilities, recharge projects and irrigation systems. Its first project was irrigating McAdam Park with recycled water. “I believe using recycled water is becoming more than a necessity,” Director Pallon said. “Using it in concert with conservation is the responsible thing to do. We are going to see droughts that are longer and more evident. If we want to continue having the life we have in the AV, we must rely on recycled water.” Recalling his preschool years when he watched PWD’s headquarters being built across the street from his school, Director Pallon describes himself as a “policy and water wonk.” He also remembers attending PWD’s annual water fairs and its slogan “Don’t be a water hog, be an Aquadog.” He is a research assistant for Heart of Los Angeles, a nonprofit organization that gives underserved youth the opportunity to succeed through comprehensive, afterschool academic, arts, athletics and wellness programs. Director Pallon was a double major at the University of California Santa Cruz where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Community Studies and Politics. He earned his master’s degree in public policy from the University of Chicago. He took classes in water law policy and hydro-politics, and was an AmeriCorps restoration member with Walker Basin Conservancy in Nevada helping restore water rights, building drip irrigation and restoring farmland to native conditions. ###
