The family of former Culver City Council member Ed Little announced his passing this past weekend. Little, who was 87, died of natural causes at his home in Mechanicsville, Virginia, where he and his wife Helen had recently relocated.

Until May of this year, Little had served as director of the West Basin Municipal Water District, a post he resigned due to health reasons.

He also owned and operated Ed Little Auto Service from the early 1950s until his retirement a few years ago.

Born in Los Angeles in 1926, Little was a graduate of Fairfax high school and a veteran of World War II, where he served in the Navy. After receiving a B.S. in industrial management from USC in 1950, he opened Ed Little Auto Service in Culver City. His son Bob still manages the service.

Following his career as a Culver City council rep in the 1960s, Little served on the county Water Resources and Reclamation Advisory Commission, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and West Basin. He was elected twice to the presidency of the board of West Basin, which in 2007 renamed a water recycling facility in El Segundo The Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility.

Among Little's notable achievements while on the Board was his leadership in diversifying West Basin's water portfolio in the late 1980s and early 1990s, using both wastewater recycling and water conservation, as additional sources of locally-controlled water.

Little's long-term vision also contributed to the research and development of ocean-water desalination through the operation of a pilot plant in El Segundo and a full-scale Temporary Desalination Demonstration facility in Redondo Beach, Calif.

"We are extremely thankful for Ed Little's dedication, vision and leadership in the water community and at West Basin. He was a true friend and will be greatly missed. His contributions to Southern California's water reliability through West Basin and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) will live on for decades and decades to come," said Donald L. Dear, President of the West Basin.

Little is survived by his wife Helen and her daughter Cassandra Nelson; children Linda Groves, Patti Grammatis (Yannis), Bob Little (Teena); grandchildren Lacey Loveland, Heidi Little, Kosta Grammatis, Steven Little (Jessica); Rechelle Murillo (Antonio), Kelli Cartwright (Shane), Dylan Waggoner (Eugena), Brooke Waggoner, Jade Nelson, Jasmine Ramirez (Jonathan); great-grandchildren Kaylie and Olivia Murillo, Corin Cartwright, Mason and Miles Ramirez; brother Robert Little and sister-in-law Ruth Little; numerous nephews and nieces.

The family is planning a memorial service and has requested that any donations in Little's memory be made to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America.