Submitted by Daniel Pritchett of Bishop
I recently compared DWP’s announcement of its decision to abandon Owens Lake Master Plan negotiations to a “Dear John” letter ending a relationship. I also posed the rhetorical question of whether the jilted parties (local environmental groups and agencies) would learn from the experience to be more skeptical of DWP’s advances in the future.
We will soon know the answer. DWP just made another advance, as the Coordinating Committee called a meeting of the Owens Lake Planning Committee for May 15.
Why would any of the former negotiating parties even consider attending? DWP has already agreed to protect bird habitat — the principal goal of environmental groups. On the other hand, DWP is proceeding with new groundwater pumping which its own consultants have (twice) determined will create impacts rejected by the Inyo County public. DWP has also made it clear all water “saved” by modifying dust mitigation at Owens Lake will go down the aqueduct — none will stay in the valley. Some of DWP’s planned new dust mitigation techniques do not appear to have been approved by Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District (GBUAPCD). And don’t forget that DWP continues to make pawns of its former negotiating partners by continuing to invoke (now defunct) Master Plan negotiations in its media attacks against Ted Schade and GBUAPCD.
Given these facts, I suggest participation in the May 15 meeting by the former negotiating parties will reward DWP’s bad behavior and advance DWP’s interests at the expense of those of the rest of us. The fact that the meeting has been called at all is an indication of the gullibility DWP perceives in its former negotiating partners.
Sometimes parties become too heavily invested in a relationship to recognize that it has become one-sided and exploitative. It will shortly be apparent if any of the former Master Plan negotiating parties fall into this category as the soap opera continues!
Daniel Pritchett
Bishop, CA
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Who tore down The Little Lake Hotel?
http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/ca/littlelake.html
It burned down.
You were right…
There are not many billboards in the Owens Valley from the lake to Independence.
People in LA that can make a difference don’t give a crap.
The valley is great just the way it is.
I’m retarded and owe BK $12.95 for the self diagnosis.
Waitresses make great newswomen, really.
Education only has value if you live in LA and use it to screw each other.
I saw some really neat moths on a honeysuckle; those darn things look like mini hummingbirds from outer space.
I’m moving on to moth appreciation.
It’s out of my system.
LOL … with all of the desalination plants going in all over the world, We’re gona drain the ocean in about 75 years, upside is, we will have more land to put folks on when the sea shore recedes. hehe
The Owens valley provides water to the Los Angeles Aqueduct, the source of half of the water for Los Angeles, and is infamous as the scene of one of the fiercest and longest running episodes of the California Water Wars.These episodes inspired aspects of the film Chinatown.
“…the source of half the water for Los Angeles.”
Gulp!
At this point is DWP just stalling because they know that the technology for desalinization is quickly advancing and they will no longer need Owens Valley?
The New York Times likes the idea…
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/01/business/energy-environment/a-costly-california-desalination-plant-bets-on-future-affordability.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
LADWP is on it…
http://www.desalresponsegroup.org/SoCal/losangeles.html
Saudi Arabia is constructing a 158 million gallon a day plant.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-12/saudi-arabia-to-build-biggest-desalination-plant-spa.html
This whole water conversation could be over and we just don’t know it.
Heck, if you’re young, buy some land down in Olancha, it could be lake front before you know it.
Sure Tim- DWP will wake up own day and say they don’t want our free water. I’ll be Pope Trouble VII by then.
Desalination is Pie-In-The-Sky thinking. It takes too much energy and could never compete with the cheap water from the Owens Valley.
Are there any Desalination plants here in the USA operating at a profit? No.
We need to find ways to increase the cost of Owen’s Valley water so LADWP goes elsewhere for it’s cheapest water.
A quagga mussel and zebra mussel infestation is in order.
Has anyone ever tried to register the remaining historical buildings with The California Register of Historic Places?
http://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=21238a
This is really outstanding
Holy smoke BK, a pipe bomb?
Deliberate destruction of local history?
http://thereitistakeit.org/about/
When they said “There it is take it” were they talking about an activity that involves bending over?
SHAME, SHAME, SHAME…
In nature every action has a reaction or backlash, this one is already visible from outer space. What’s coming???
You read the Audio Tour of the Owens Valley I presume, and heard my stories about someone pipe bombing our newsroom in the 70s when John Heston and I were hard on it with the first real DWP news in the Eastern Sierra. DWP officials, at the time, didn’t like us.
BK
Well not to worry BK. The DWP loves you now, more and more as you continue doing your tireless part in providing all of us with reports and stories, the Sierrawave.net and the truth. Your efforts are magnified many times over by folks who are informed into action whether they are first time visitors, lifelong residents and even policy makers. Your friend John is smiling down on you, no doubt. I don’t know what you are going to do with all that love.
Thanks Benett
I spoke with three people in LA about the Owens Valley water issue today. Two did not know how much water an LA lawn uses, one did. The person who did, Kate, is an LADWP customer who removed her lawn as part of a LADWP program. Kate had fantastic ideas about water education. I am emailing a link to this thread so she can share them directly with you. I think they are FANTASTIC!
I think the Owens Valley maybe experiencing the beginning of the dustbowl effect. Water being pumped from the aquifers is causing less vegetation. Water being diverted to the Acqueduct means it’s not spreading over the land which means less vegetation. Not to mention the depletion of the aquifers. In 100 years I think Owens Valley will be a continuation of Death Valley, if DWP is let to continue.
I have noticed that the displaced dust from the lake settles away from the lake to be remobilized in the next windstorm.
Is this the dustbowl effect Waxlips?
By the 1930s, the water requirements for Los Angeles continued to increase. LADWP started buying water rights in the Mono Basin (the next basin to the north of the Owens Valley). An extension to the aqueduct was built, which included such engineering feats as tunneling through the Mono Craters (an active volcanic field). By 1941, the extension was finished, and water in various creeks (such as Rush Creek) were diverted into the aqueduct. To satisfy California water law, LADWP set up a fish hatchery on Hot Creek, near Mammoth Lakes, California.
Tufa towers in Mono Lake were exposed by water diversions.
The diverted creeks had previously fed Mono Lake, an inland body of water with no outlet. Mono Lake served as a vital ecosystem link, where gulls and migratory birds would nest. Because the creeks were diverted, the water level in Mono Lake started to fall, exposing tufa formations.The water became more saline and alkaline, threatening the brine shrimp that lived in the lake, as well as the birds that nested on two islands (Negit Island and Paoha Island) in the lake.Falling water levels started making a land bridge to Negit Island, which allowed predators to feed on bird eggs for the first time.
In 1974, David Gaines started to study the biology of Mono Lake. In 1975, while at Stanford, he started to get others interested in the ecosystem of Mono Lake. This led to a 1977 report on the ecosystem of Mono Lake that highlighted dangers caused by the water diversion. In 1978, the Mono Lake Committee was formed to protect Mono Lake. The Committee (and the National Audubon Society) sued LADWP in 1979, arguing that the diversions violated the public trust doctrine, which states that navigable bodies of water must be managed for the benefit of all people. The litigation reached the California Supreme Court by 1983, which ruled in favor of the Committee. Further litigation was initiated in 1984, which claimed that LADWP did not comply with the state fishery protection laws.
Eventually, all of the litigation was adjudicated in 1994, by the California State Water Resources Control Board. The SWRCB hearings lasted for 44 days and were conducted by Board Vice-Chair Marc Del Piero acting as the sole Hearing Officer. In that ruling (SWRCB Decision 1631), the SWRCB established significant public trust protection and eco-system restoration standards, and LADWP was required to release water into Mono Lake to raise the lake level 20 feet (6.1 m) above the then-current level of 25 feet (7.6 m) below the 1941 level. As of 2011, the water level in Mono Lake has risen 13 feet (4.0 m) of the required 20 feet (6.1 m). Los Angeles made up for the lost water through state-funded conservation and recycling projects.
Perhaps Los Angeles needs to impose fines (like China has done) for those having more than one child.
What environmental wackos . . . really want to do is attack our way
of life in the effort to limit CFC’s. “Their primary enemy: capitalism.”
Conservative guru and #1 talk-radio host – Rush Limbaugh
I love how your hatred has made you so infatuated with Conservative guru and #1 talk-radio host – Rush Limbaugh, that you listen to him 3 hours a day 5 days a week and reruns on the weekend just so you don’t miss a word ELRUSHBO says on the EIB Network. Even Liberal Democrats like yourself can’t get enough of him.
CALLER: I heard you talking about how the public schools are brainwashing kids. We had a speaker come in a few months ago, and he was talking about how coal is evil and dirty.
RUSH: How old are you?
CALLER: I’m 12.
RUSH: Who was this speaker?
CALLER: He was from an organization called Greening Detroit. And he said that they’re blowing up mountains and polluting water and killing wildlife.
RUSH: Wow. The rich mine owners are doing this in order to get coal?
CALLER: Yes. His alternatives were windmills and electric cars. [Commercial break]
RUSH: I looked up this outfit. The Greening of Detroit [works] to mandate that neighborhood groups, churches, and schools do everything their way to improve the so-called ecosystem in Detroit through tree planting projects, environmental mandates, urban mandates, open space mandates, and workforce development mandates. By the way, they didn’t put “mandate” in there; I did. I just want to tell you the truth about what these people do.
Source: Rush Limbaugh Show, “Environmentalist Wacko Speaker” , Jul 12, 2012
Mr. NRA –
Haven’t you figured out why it is the GOP has distanced itself from the neoconservative element? Ya gotta turn off the talk radio and tune into CNN or PBS or something.
Perhaps a kingpin from the NRA would be a good choice for the presidency.
Right up there with Bachmann, Glenn Beck, Hannity …
The type that only real Americans would support 100%
(boisterous laughter)
For the NRA guy –
“In a single day, more people will hear Rush Limbaugh, the people-hater who is adored by people-haters, then will ever read this book.”
Buckskinned Attorney, Gerry Spence, from his New York Times best-seller, “Give Me Liberty!”
And there you have it.
6 “thumbs down” when their Conservative kingpin is quoted.
Sorry, far-righters. But the country is on to the hatred from the Right-wing.
Come up with a viable candidate for president (instead of whining about “Obummer” ) and I might even vote for them.
What have you been smoking, Mr. NRA?
It’s understandable why anybody would be sensitive by posting what the likes of Rush Limbaugh tells his loyal followers each day on this blog. Nevertheless, when we now have another conservative, Glenn Beck, telling fellow conservatives the Obama administration has orchestrated a federal cover-up regarding the Boston bombing, it my patriotic duty to pass this divisive and revolutionary-type rhetoric along.
Meanwhile, it is a good idea that the GOP is disowning the loonie TeaParty crowd – if it ever wants to win another election.
Yes, this is reasonable information to pass on, but would you get on to things other than Limbaugh. We have received your message.
Benett Kessler
Benett, please do not discourage Mr. Man of Many Names. He obviously is in a love-hate relationship with Rush Limbaugh, and according to a Yale University study, people who suffer from this particular disorder tend to have very low self esteem, http://scienceblog.com/10767/the-mystery-behind-love-hate-relationships/. So posting his pathetic little rants on SierraWave may be the only outlet for self-expression the poor sod has got. We would not want to remove this harmless binkie and trigger a psychotic reaction, which would put the entire community at risk.
On Sept 28,1994 the State Water Resources Board in Decision 1631 established a 15 year goal of the elevation of the Lake of 6392 feet above sea level. The level of the lake was 6377 in 1995. The level of the Lake today is 6382.1 (4/1/2013). The level of the Lake one year ago was 6384 (4/1/2013). The DWP continues to take 16,000 acre feet annualy from the Mono Lake Basin and in this past year the Lake level has dropped 2 feet . Calif Water Wars, I do not understand your numbers that the Lake has risen 13 feet of the required 20 when in fact it is only 5 feet above the 1995 level this year well short of the 6392 level established by the Decision 1631. DWP gets over on Mother Nature, the Mono Lake Organization ,the State Water Resources Board and the Owens Valley over and over again. At what lake level elevation will DWP be restricted from exporting water from the Mono Basin and look out Owens Valley. They got pumps and a need for water to make up for any shortfall from the Mono Basin.
President THEODORE ROOSEVELT and the US congress gave the water to LA for the good of all.
Had he foreseen what would happen 100 years later I am sure being the creator of the first Nat. Park and a lover of the great out doors. He would say it was never the intent to destroy Owens valley but to only take the surplus.
The Owens valley water was given to LA and it should be taken back because of mismanagement.
Remember for the good of all, not just LA but Owens valley as well.
For the good of all, I will tell at least one person in LA every day.
A typical square foot of lawn in Los Angeles wastes 30 gallons of water per year.
The 100 square mile Owens Lake was full until the aqueduct diverted its source.
The result of removing surplus water from and near the surface has been regional warming.
Regional warming reduces snow pack.
Using surplus instead of production is deficit consumption.
Deficit consumption ends in bankruptcy.
If people in Owens want to work with me in the education project I am all ears.
I am willing to do whatever I can.
Until then I am not giving up on us.
I have learned so much from this thread. In the beginning I thought that DWP should be embarrassed by the facts, now I believe it is their customers like me that should be embarrassed. I have had my head in the sand for so long about where my water comes from and have used it irresponsibly. I am just as responsible for drying out Owens Lake as anyone.
A typical square foot of lawn in Los Angeles wastes 30 gallons of water per year.
The 100 square mile Owens Lake was full until the aqueduct diverted its source.
The result of removing surplus water from and near the surface has been regional warming.
Regional warming reduces snow pack.
Using surplus instead of production is deficit consumption.
Deficit consumption ends in bankruptcy.
I just spoke with the gardener of a major LA institution who is a friend of mine; here is what he told me.
1) He loves the Owens valley and visits at least once a year.
2) He did not know that Owens Lake was full prior to the aqueduct, he did know where Owens Lake is.
3) There are many municipalities recharging their aquifers in greater Los Angeles.
http://www.bigbearwatersolutions.org/nationwide_groundwater_recharge.htm
4) That Santa Monica Ca. requires new construction to provide catch basins that recharge the aquifer to stop salt water intrusion and sustain the system.
http://www.smgov.net/uploadedFiles/Departments/OSE/Categories/Green_Building/Residential_GB_Guidelines.pdf
5) He did not know that lawns in LA use 30 gallons of water per year.
My point is that Angelinos do care about the environment, they visit the valley, and they are interested in restoring the Owens Valley.
Restore Owens Lake and Valley!
Burma shave style signs and a website are a start.
Thank You!
Right on Tim, education outreach is KEY!
Thank you for your efforts 🙂
Ken,
Do you know any property owners along 395 that would allow Burma Shave style signs? I can do the website easily enough if there are folks willing to support it with the signs.
I think it would be important to not attack DWP, they have their hands tied and need help. They and other municipalities have tried to get their customers to conserve water without success. Being one of the most hated companies in America hasn’t helped them either. I believe the focus of the campaign should be education, not finger pointing, pissing contests, or further inflammation of an already explosive situation.
This is one instance where political or social correctness can help our sustainability.
Kill your lawn before it kills you.
I agree that a campaign of greater public education on water conservation is definitely needed.
I have many contacts with the LA area and can say for certain that the need for water conservation is not adequately stressed there. And this is not unique to LA. I have friends and neighbors right here in the Eastern Sierra that are FAR from conservative with their water usage as well.
As CALIFORNIANS, we’d do best to face the fact that we use far more water than we should as a society. Each of us should be willing to do our part to reduce water usage. To those of you who already do – BRAVO! To those of you who do not – it’s time to pull your head out of the sand!
Hat tip to Chas. O Jones.
Thank You!
People do care.
Kill your lawn before it kills you…
Shouldn’t we pay for signs to be put up in L.A.? The locals already know all about the water wars. I think putting signs up in L.A. would help a whole lot more for many reasons. It would sure piss off DWP.
Yes Trouble, we should have both, signs in LA and along 395.
Over 2,000,000 Angelinos travel 395 on their way to Mammoth, Yosemite, Reno, Death Valley, Mule Days, Fishing, Mt Whitney and backpacking, annually.
We need an initial environmental awareness and shock to garner support and build up interest; this could lead to donations for expensive LA billboards later on.
I believe our best audience and activists will be those who live in LA yet love and use the valley for recreation, many of them are environmentalist, scientists, doctors, and other influential people; most love nature.
It is best to start grass roots with this effective plan and let it grow.
I propose exploring the possibility of Burma Shave style signs in combination with an educational website that goes deeper into the facts which have citation in existing government studies.
Do not allow what you can do to be derailed by that which you can’t do.
I am telling everyone I know that the Owens River was full prior to the aqueduct, half of LA’s water comes from the valley, and that a typical lawn in Los Angeles wastes 30 gallons of water per square foot per year.
Kill your lawn before it kills YOU!
Inyo and Mono County supervisors need to start attending LA City Council meetings and DWP board meetings to challenge their leaders directly, in person, regarding their policies.
Putting up billboards is a monumental waste of time because most Los Angelenos never in their lives visit the Owens Valley. Heck, most of LA never even visits the local national forests or the beach. Their lives revolve around their jobs and immediate communities. A drive to Mammoth Lakes is for people with money and vacation time, which is a very small minority of the hard working population south of the San Gabriels.
Having Owens Valley political leaders showing up in person directly challenging the LA City Council and DWP, however, would be news and is exactly what needs to be done. Then LA would pay attention.
DT said…”Putting up billboards is a monumental waste”
*Ok, I am open to your opinion; do you have a suggestion on how to help solve the water or environmental problem?
DT also said…”Los Angelenos never in their lives visit the Owens Valley”
*The Caltrans data that I was able to find stated that somewhere around 2,300,000 people travel 395 annually. Also, if your above statement is true, of these 2,300,000 people going to Mammoth to ski, the valley to fish, or other areas such as Yosemite; if not from LosAngeles, where are they from?
Does it matter where they are from in terms of raising awareness? Is awareness bad?
DT said…”most Los Angelenos never in their lives visit the Owens Valley”
*This is true, the roughly estimated population of So.Cal is 22,000,000, if only 2.3 million people travel 395 annually, then (most) Angelinos do not visit the valley. Direct question; is this reason to not take any action?
Read my other post. My suggestion is for Mono and Inyo County elected representatives to confront the LA City Council and LADWP directly in person. LADWP travels north to make their case in public, face to face. If Owens Valley elected reps are too lazy or disconnected to bother making the trip south, then don’t whine when your views are not heard. It is up to you to make the effort. LA City Council and LADWP are looking out for the interests of their constituents, which is precisely what they are elected to do. They are not elected to represent the interests of Owens Valley. If Owens Valley wants LA to hear them they have to make their case in person in LA.
Of the people traveling US 395, how many of those are local trips by Owens Valley residents, and how may are commerical vehicles transiting the region? How many of those trips are the trip up and the trip back, two separate trips? How many are San Diegans or people from San Bernardino? So Cal is a lot more than just LA. Caltrans counts gross trips. You cannot begin to assert that all of those trips are LA residents going to Mammoth or some other nearby destination. Not to mention US 395 runs from San Diego County all the way to the Oregon border, and beyond to Canada. How many of those trips were even in the Owens Valley.
You are very sloppy with data.
DT,
Why does it matter where the people who travel 395 are from who would see the Burma Shave style water education signs? Education should be objective instead of subjective. (Apply to everyone instead of just a specific group or geography)
Here are the rules I use to engage in a discussion;
http://critical-thinkers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/A-Flowchart-to-Help-You-Determine-if-Yoursquore-Having-a-Rational-Discussion.jpg
If we can both adhere to these guidelines we can learn from each other. I hereby open myself to envision something that will change my mind on this topic; are you willing to do the same? As I understand it, you are against the sign idea and for the idea of our government representatives taking care of the water issues; is this correct?
“My suggestion is for Mono and Inyo County elected representatives to confront the LA City Council and LADWP directly in person.”
DT,
How do we get them to do this?
What would their argument be?
What would be their goals?
Just for the record; I live in Los Angeles and love the Owens Valley with all my heart. I think it is one of the most beautiful places on earth. When I was a child my father brought me up to the valley, I remember being amazed at how the region was a mix of arid desert and the high country. The towering mountains, deep valleys, and remnants of history got my complete attention. Today I travel to the valley frequently and I know many others in my community that do the same.
I’m waving the BS flag on that comment. Not only is LA very water conscious in terms of how it is used (not so much about where it comes from) but they have laws restricting the number of days one may water their law and the total duration of lawn watering per day (five minutes max aggregate watering, which isn’t much). LA has reduced their per person water use 20% since the last drought, such that total water use by LA is less today than it was in 1980, even though the city has almost 1 million more people.
Are you sure the water restrictions – days and times – are currently in place?
BK
BK,
In my community of LA we have water police looking for waste and we get water use report cards with our bill.
Are actual restrictions in place now – days and times?
BK
Bk,
Yes, in my suburb actual water restrictions are in place.
What are they?
BK
The water restrictions imposed during the drought remain in effect today.
BK,
You were correct, my water ban is temporarily lifted.
Water conservation in LA is governed by a municipal ordinance.
http://www.ladwpneighborhoodnews.com/external/content/document/1643/874195/1/Water%20Conservation%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf
LAs Water Management Plan is over 16 Mb. Have fun.
http://www.water.ca.gov/urbanwatermanagement/2010uwmps/Los%20Angeles%20Department%20of%20Water%20and%20Power/LADWP%20UWMP_2010_LowRes.pdf
Now, what is Mono County going to do about it’s ridiculous water consumption?
Dear Tortoise, Perhaps you should focus on the fact that the water originates in the Eastern Sierra and is piped to Los Angeles, which does not have enough water in its own territory to support itself. Leave Inyo and Mono alone – we’re hoping that we have enough water left to sustain our environment. LA doesn’t seem interested in that fact and neither do you.
Benett Kessler
Ms. Bennett, some here like to complain that LA wastes water and what I am showing the mob here is that nothing could be further from the truth. You might not like LA, I left because Los Angeleans are hard like New Yorkers, but you cannot deny that LA is the manufacturing center of the US and unlike the little sissies up in the Bay Area, LA does hard work and makes things people want to buy. Got any Hon office furniture in your office? Made in a big factory on Firestone Bl. I’ve pulled truckloads of their office furniture from that plant. Have a sofa bed? Almost all the parts came from two Leavitt and Platt factories in Sante Fe Springs or Whittier. Been in both. The carpet under your feet? The padding probably came from Leavitt and Platt in Ontario. I could go on.
To me a lot of the complaining about LA sounds like sour grapes. LA County is the worlds 20th largest economy, with a dollar output of goods and services almost as big as Russias and a manufacturing output that puts Russia to shame. There are four million living in that city (ten million in the county) and people work darn hard. They have to put up with water restrictiions no one in the Owens Valley has to live with, and a no nonsense water police to enforce the ordinance. There are recycling requirements for their trash too, and another group that makes sure they put the right things in the blue, black and green trash bins. You work hard and are expected to do some things that people up here would whine and cry bitterly about. But waste water? Not a chance. LA gets things done, sometimes in a very big way, and they don’t owe people up here an apology for how they use their water. If people in this valley think any court in the US is going to starve LA of the water it needs they are utterly delusional. You will likely get some more for Owens Lake, but not much more.
Your thinking is two-dimensional – might makes right and manufacturing does too. That is not where others come from. Not me either.
All people in the Eastern Sierra want is respectful treatment and protection of the environment. Neither of which we get. The ethics
of human relations go beyond concepts like “sour grapes” and “the carpet under your feet”. This is not about “liking or disliking LA.”
It is about correct human behavior and consideration of our resources.
Benett Kessler
Situations don’t make the man – they reveal him.
And what being revealed is a growing callousness and dollar-worship (one group refuses to demand the rich to pay taxes) .
“Whatever it takes,”
“Let ’em pull themselves up from their bootstraps”
“Capitalism uber alles”
“Speak softly and carry a big stick”
Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice”
“Follow the money”
“Read my lips – no new taxes!”
“Are you now or ever have been a member of the Communist Party?”
and now we are hearing catchphrases from conservatives that put the Big guy always ahead of we little guys. aka – Los Angeles v Inyo County
If Angelenos are so hard and why did you leave, if they are all that, that you described desert tortoise? Sounds like you think the world revolves around Los Angeles. Yet you moved up here, and like to make accusations about how much water people waste here.
And cover up how much they waste water in the southland. Yeah sure .. you can tout how the recycling efforts are in force, and how it seems like people in the LA area are so conservation minded with all of the recycling. Really though .. all that is mandated, as you say .. there are recycling police who make sure you are doing it. Because we all know .. a fair amount of the people there wouldn’t go out of their way to make the effort.
Yes Inyo and Mono counties could do a recycling effort like they do .. more than they do now, with the piss ant recycling offered at the dumps and transfer stations. We do need something better in place, it’s too bad we didn’t do that 30 years ago.
Just like the solo commute drivers by the thousands. Yeah you can call the bay area people sissys, and call us the mob here, it just shows your true colors. But then I saw that already, before those comments.
The bay area is pretty much like SoCal, both make a lot of industry, and LA isn’t by far, the hub of anything, other than it is very overpopulated. Yeah there’s industry there, but it isn’t all you puff it up to be.
I love how some people move here from some place like LA, and think they have it all figured out, they want to move out of the city and move to some place like this, to escape the rat race, and then trash the place and the people.
Before you say it, yes I am from the bay area, I moved away, because I didn’t want my family to have to live in the city. I have lived here for close to 20 years, I don’t trash it or the people. I just point out stuff I see is wrong. The bay area is not a bunch of sissys, and the people here are not a mob, they have legitimate concerns, frustrations and anger for what the City of Los Angeles has done over the years.
Not everyone in Los Angeles is like the stereotypes a lot of people like to portray them to be, no more than the sissys all live in San Francisco.
The earth is, to a certain extent, our mother. She is so kind, because whatever we do, she tolerates it. But now, the time has come when our powers to destroy is so extreme that Mother Earth is compelled to tell us to be careful. The population explosion and many other indicators make that clear, don’t they? Nature has its own natural limitations.
– His Holiness, The Dalai Lama (from The Path To Tranquility)
In 1991, Inyo County and the city of Los Angeles signed the Inyo-Los Angeles Long Term Water Agreement, which required that groundwater pumping be managed to avoid significant impacts while providing a reliable water supply for Los Angeles, and in 1997, Inyo County, Los Angeles, the Owens Valley Committee, the Sierra Club, and other concerned parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding that specified terms by which the lower Owens River would be rewatered by June 2003 as partial mitigation for damage to the Owens Valley due to groundwater pumping.
In spite of the terms of the Long Term Water Agreement, studies by the Inyo County Water Department have shown that impacts to the valley’s groundwater-dependent vegetation, such as alkali meadows, continue. Likewise, Los Angeles did not rewater the lower Owens River by the June 2003 deadline. As of December 17, 2003, LADWP settled a lawsuit brought by California Attorney General Bill Lockyer, the Owens Valley Committee, and the Sierra Club. Under the terms of the settlement, deadlines for the Lower Owens River Project were revised. LADWP was to return water to the lower Owens River by 2005. This deadline was missed, but on December 6, 2006, a ceremony was held (at the same site where William Mulholland had ceremonially opened the aqueduct and closed the flow through the Owens River) to restart the flow down the 62 miles (100 km) river. David Nahai, president of the L.A. Water and Power Board, countered Mulholland’s words from 1913 and said, “There it is … take it back.”
Groundwater pumping continues at a higher rate than the rate at which water recharges the aquifer, resulting in a long-term trend of desertification in the Owens Valley.
Then there is the ongoing population explosion that seems unlikely to ever cease increasing the water use of L.A. (or any large city) daily.
I take that bulls**t flag and wave it too at DT .. LOL .. There must be a lot of people in the LADWP’s area that are paying lots of fines for watering too much, or so one would think after reading that post. hehe
DT,
I know this comment to be true; it does vary though from municipality to municipality.
I am learning that there is quite a water conservation movement happening in LA right now. I believe that it is not strong enough and that people need to know why there is a problem so they may become more interested and proactive.
Here is what a water emergency will bring…
DWP employees armed with assault weapons guarding the water?
Yellow armbands and goose step lessons for the water police? 😉
300 miles of attractive composite material covering the aqueduct to prevent pilfering and malice?
Motto; “For the Greater Good”
I doubt that this is what DWP wants, what they want is water and plenty of it. Conservation and water sustainability are the answers.
Effective education is where it starts.
Maybe Mono and Inyo County could start by instituting the sorts of daily water restrictions LA residents have coped with for over a decade? With both Inyo and Mono Counties using more than twice as much water per person per day as Los Angeles, complaints about wasting water from this region in regard to LA are the pot calling the kettle black.
I am not trying to defend everything LA does or has done, but people up here gripe about LA ‘wasting” water when the very same people use far more water per person than anyone in LA is. Sweep your own porch first before you crab about the neighbors.
Once again, the water figures include fish hatcheries and ranchland irrigation. Over the years, many officials have debunked the water useage attributed to Inyo and Mono.
Again, what is your point?
BK
No Ms. Kessler, they do not. No agricultural uses are included. Read the DWR literature on how residential water use is calculated. The fish hatcheries are not operated by municipal water utilities and those are the only entities that report water use to the DWR.
Yes, I will read up on that. Last I heard, ranch and fish hatchery water were included.
BK
The Blackrock and Fish Springs fish hatcheries are operated by CDFW on LADWP land and with LADWP water. Water flows through the hatcheries and out into canals that flow into the river and on to LA.The water is pumped 24/7/365 and has caused measurable damage to local vegetation. Inyo County is right now in dispute with LADWP over damage caused from groundwater pumping. LADWP has proposed a test reduction of pumping at Blackrock in order to measure effects on groundwater levels.This proposal is being studied.
http://www.aguanomics.com/2009/07/what-does-per-capita-daily-use-really_06.html
Agricultual uses are not included. The water at the fish hatcheries flows through and is not consumed for irrigation or an industrial use. DWR takes date provided my municipal water utilities. It is not DWR generated data but data provided to them from water utilities, along with each utilitie’s plan to reduce water consumption.
I wonder how you come to that conclusion desert tortoise, is that fact that you can show us?
Uh-oh!
Big Al asking for facts.
What’s this world coming to?
(playful sarcasm)
LOL Dr. right on
Billboards!
The last thing we need are billboards blocking our beautiful views.
Please no.
The valley is already littered with ski shop, medical marijuana, Mammoth, and other billboards. Burma Shave style boards would have a positive impact.
Check out this webcam in Independence, not the diminutive Burma Shave sign you are against…
http://www.whitneyzone.com/webcam/will/willi.jpg
Tim, I’m afraid you sound like someone who has been living in an overcrowded area for a wee bit too long. Like the famous rat experiment where the rats were allowed to reproduce again and again until they overran each other in the already cramped space they were in, their society totally broke down and it became every rat for themselves.
Just curious. Are you in the billboard-making business or something?
Dear “The rat society is breaking down”
Your comment does not address any of the issues and only derails the conversation in an attempt to discredit me.
Here is a guide to having a real discussion;
http://critical-thinkers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/A-Flowchart-to-Help-You-Determine-if-Yoursquore-Having-a-Rational-Discussion.jpg
Nonsense, Tim-from-L.A.
You discredit yourself trying to convince the good people of Mono and Inyo Counties that putting up ugly signs in our pristine wilderness (one of the reasons we moved here to begin with) is going to add more water to the valley.
You (and/or your associates) must be in the billboard-construction business and are looking to make a quick buck.
I have the deepest pity in my heart for anybody trapped in Southern California. But my pity does not extend to trashing our wilderness with L.A. – looking signs.
Pristine wilderness or over exploited wasteland already littered with billboards?
I am not in any business that revolves around my passion regarding the water issue. My participation in this is costing me money. I am doing it because I can’t believe we have drained Owens Lake and are still destroying the valley.
Dear, The way capitalism works,
OK, you don’t like signs or billboards, do you have any suggestions?
Do you want things to stay as they are?
The thing I remember most about Save Mono Lake is the billboards, perhaps that is why I want them, they worked.
It’s been so long since I’ve driven down 395 South that I forgot about all the billboards.
I say good idea. Use the billboards to inform and maybe change attitudes toward the Valley.
Ken,
I doubt billboards will change any kind of attitude towards the valley.
It’s purely a supply and demand thing and who has the most high-powered attorneys, money and political clout.
And guess what? Next year there will be even more people living in the L.A. area needing more and more water.
I’d think about the Dust Bowl of the 30s and see if I can survive elsewhere.
You might also think about the power of big media and organization.
BK
BK, I know a major network weatherman, could I speak with him about the problem and possibly get coverage or exposure?
I am all ears and open to any of your experience and advice.
I want to do everything I can to help.
In the very least I am going to ask him about the lake and lawns.
Why not? I was referring to the Mono Lake Committee’s early efforts to forward their cause. As an organization, they ended up on CBS and other networks.
BK
This is exactly what I was referring too in past posts on this issue .. exploit the media as some others have and are doing. Look at DWP’s exploitation involving the media .. they play the “poor me” image in the media .. they have public information officers and lots of people employed to make them look good with stories all the time.
They take the truth, twist it up some and roll it out on the carpet.
We don’t need to follow their direct path of BS … but we need to use the media, use groups who have like minded agendas.
The difference is .. we need to be truthful in it, and not snow people, it eventually will take hold, people will see what we truly represent. And they will fall in line.
And yes …. education Tim .. that is part of the plan, a big part.
Dear, Nice idea but…
What if the signs reach one person who can make a difference?
What if the signs direct people to this conversation?
What if the signs turn out to be a cost effective start?
What if we do nothing?
Tim,
The idea of billboards is a idea, I almost will co-sign that idea, like have a sign right where the dry creek bed is on the Lone Pine Paiute – Shoshone Reservation, and then state that the biggest tree (cottonwood) in the valley lies just above here and is dying as we speak! Or just have old pictures with the before and after effect. Or just point out the facts, sometimes people don’t listen when it is in front of there faces, but then again, some do.
Your ideas are more then welcome, the more the merrier.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens
can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
Okay, L.A. Tim –
Put up a zillion billboards telling people to start conserving water.
And put them all in Los Angeles.
If Tim-from-L.A. wants to do something about the environment (water wars) he might start trying to change the mindset of our neoconservative population that think Climate Change is a hoax perpetuated by liberal enviro-wackos (that’s the way their hero Rush Limbaugh puts it).
Just what ARE conservatives conserving anyway?
http://www.billboardsource.com/outdoor-advertising-california-billboards.php
Tim, I agree with you dude but unfortunately many Angelinos could not care less about the Owens Valley and the wasteland they are creating, they cant see it from their house. They (angelinos) will not be concerned about the water issue until the day comes when they go to water their lawn and no water comes out. Only then will they take notice. Ignorance is bliss I guess.
LADWP is the “EVIL EMPIRE”
LADWP is not an evil empire any more than any city with storm drains and roads that prevent water from being reabsorbed into the aquifer. When the aqueduct was built, as well as the flood control systems of ever city, we were oblivious to the negative impact. Today we are able to see the long term impact in temperature, snowpack, and other environmental change.
LADWP is the people it serves and employs; I know and respect many of them. They are not evil or malicious; largely, they are kind caring family people. The utility employs lawyers to protect its interest, that is their only job.
I contend; LADWP has its hands tied, we who have information need to educate the public so that the solutions may start.
I believe that high water prices and conservation are inevitable. I am also not defeatist; I believe that there are enough good people who care about our future that the education idea will have an impact. Any impact is positive. Conservation measures will create jobs now and in the future, do not be afraid.
LADWP blah blah blah EVIL EVIL EVIL
I don’t understand your comment Dingo; it looks like you are frustrated with the whole situation.
Check this out, it really helped me.
http://critical-thinkers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/A-Flowchart-to-Help-You-Determine-if-Yoursquore-Having-a-Rational-Discussion.jpg
Tim,
LADWP is more of a “Evil Empire” then a Moral entity. They are just another reflection of how capitalism continues to divide and conquer.
Yes those who work for LADWP are just doing their job.
I am not to sure who could be oblivious to the impact’s when one truly believes life grows where water flows. Unfortunately we were on the losing end when LA was on the prosperous side.
I have no empathy for LADWP if it is true they have their hands tied, when it comers to the people of the Owens Valley compared to the entity of LADWP, who really has their hands tied?
I also try to keep faith in those around and far, but I also understand the corruptive influence of money has a strong presence in our daily lives!
Well said J frog
Do not allow what you can do to be derailed by what you can’t do.
It’s hard to really understand the situation from the sidelines, Daniel. Nothing will change by writing scathing letters to the editor attacking local people who are trying to work together. Tenacity and courage and face to face collaboration are required if anything is going to improve.
United we stand – divided we fall.
Yet there are those today who spend all their waking days doing all they can trying to set themselves and their group apart from the rest. Some think they are accomplishing things with their ears glued to talk-radio programs all day, programs which are entirely divisive and caustic.
Hostile attitudes only serve to heat up the situation.
It’s the open of fishing season and 395 will be packed yet there are still no water education billboards. DWP needs to be embarrassed with educational billboards stating the facts. People in LA are oblivious to the problem, my neighbor just put in a 3000 square foot lawn where there was zero-scape. I spoke with the local water agency who told me the usage in LA is 30 gallons per square foot of lawn per year. My neighbor just wasted 90,000 gallons of water per year, that’s 1,800 (50) gallon barrels of water used by one apartment per year.
Irresponsible, unsustainable, dumb.
Angelinos need to be educated as they drive through the wasteland they are creating.
SHAME on us for not putting up the billboards.
SHAME on us for being disorganized.
SHAME on us for not being united on this.
I’m sure DWP will allow billboards shaming them on all that highway frontage land that they own up and down the 395 corridor. Why didn’t I think of that? Maybe they’ll even PAY for them! Tim, you’re brilliant!
Thank you outsider.
I work the MLS for Owens Valley continually and know that there are many properties that they do not own. I like the Burma Shave idea, the signs could be small, and they do not have to be expensive full size billboards. I do not think DWP is evil, I think they are up against the wall in terms of supply, demand, environmental issues and political pressure.
Now that I have your attention; Angelinos need to be educated so that progressive solutions can be achieved.
Education and civic awareness are the answer. People are unaware where there water comes from and of the negative environmental impact of its removal.
Good idea. Is anyone here old enough to remember the BurmaShave signs?
But are’t billboards illegal along 395?
Ken, Thanks for the Burma Shave reference, great idea for those property owners along 395.
Owens Lake
– – –
Was Full
– – –
Before the Aqueduct
– – –
That supplies half of LA’s water
– – –
http://www.saveowenslake.com
————————————————————————————-
Sustainable
– – –
Water
– – –
Starts
– – –
WITH YOU!
– – –
saveowensvalley.com
————————————————————————————
An L.A. lawn
– – –
Uses
– – –
60 Gallons of water
– – –
PER SQUARE FOOT
– – –
PER YEAR!
– – –
http://www.sustainablewater.com
——————————————————————————————-
Kill
– – –
Your Lawn
– – –
Before it
– – –
Kills YOU!
– – –
http://www.__________.com
Correction;
An LA lawn uses 30 gallons of water per year per square foot.
Owens Dry Lake is empty,
After they opened the concrete ditch.
The Dust once spread, is now contained on the Lake bed
And all DWP can do is bitch.
4 small red signs with white letters .Yeah I remember Burma Shave. Do I dare sign it with a fifth sign “The Bank of IOU Trust”
who are those guys anyway?
The sage the grass is longtime gone
The water’s robbed ,it must be wrong.
The Valley Floor once green and wild
Is it now the Department of Water and Power’s forgotten child.
Sometimes you can see the dust from here in Mammoth.
I wish there was something we could do about it.
Gotta be an unhealthy situation
But Tim, they make money off of selling water .. and plenty of it .. why would everyone think that they want to conserve it?
Thank you for pointing that out Big Al.
Great question Big Al,
First there is an obligation to the public.
DWP, the largest municipal utility in the United States is governed by an appointed panel which meets privately. This needs to change; DWP should be governed by The Public Utilities Commission to protect the public’s interests.
Their next responsibility is a moral one, it is to make sure OUR (societies) water source is sustainable, wildlife is not displaced, and the environment is not damaged.
LADWP has been selling water for less than its actual value; this is obvious because the surplus (Owens Lake) is gone. It makes perfect sense for people to have water for necessity at affordable prices. It does not make sense to sell water at discount prices so that it can be wasted. Water prices need to double, and consumption needs to reduce by 50% or more; this way actual costs won’t increase for responsible users and profits won’t decrease for the utility (or Los Angeles City). This can be achieved by doubling or quadrupling water prices for those with lawns. Surplus funds from the increase could be used to create jobs in alternative sources research such as mass desalinization or urban capture.
Something needs to be done Big Al, it has taken 100 years of water removal to reduce the snowpack and increase the temperature at the water’s source. The negative effect of this is self evident, the visible surplus is gone. Now we are pumping out mass ground water in a hydrothermal zone.
The California Water Wars were a series of conflicts between the city of Los Angeles, farmers and ranchers in the Owens Valley of Eastern California, and environmentalists. As Los Angeles grew in the late 1800s, it started to outgrow its water supply. Fred Eaton, mayor of Los Angeles, realized that water could flow from Owens Valley to Los Angeles via an aqueduct. The aqueduct construction was overseen by William Mulholland and was finished in 1913. The water rights were acquired through political fighting and, as described by one author, “chicanery, subterfuge … and a strategy of lies”:62 Farmers in the Owens Valley may not have received fair value for their water rights.
By the 1920s, so much water was diverted from the Owens Valley that agriculture became difficult. This led to the farmers trying to destroy the aqueduct. Los Angeles prevailed and kept the water flowing. By 1926, Owens Lake at the bottom of Owens Valley was completely dry due to water diversion.
The water needs of Los Angeles kept growing. In 1941, Los Angeles diverted water that previously fed Mono Lake into the aqueduct. Mono Lake, north of Owens Valley, is an important ecosystem for migrating birds. The lake level dropped after the water was diverted, which threatened the migrating birds. Environmentalists, led by David Gaines and the Mono Lake Committee engaged in a series of litigation with Los Angeles between 1979 and 1994. The litigation forced Los Angeles to stop diverting water from around Mono Lake, which has started to rise back to a level that can support its ecosystem.
A heavy tax on swimming pools and water for golf courses of L.A. may help, but unfortunately, political groups today are persuading their legions that the rich should not have to pay any taxes. A bizarre “trickle-down effect” is what they use as the catch-all for not taxing Rich Southern California.
Thanks for the synopsis, it is very nicely condensed.
In Arizona many golf courses are built as links with lots of decomposed granite between holes; the rich gladly pay to play them.
In Nevada the water department pays its customers to convert to zero-scape.
I am aware of The Mono Lake Committee; we need an Owens Lake Committee.
It starts with education, Burma Shave and a website.
Kill your lawn B4 it kills YOU!
Hard to believe the foolish political movement today that wants no taxes for the rich. As if we little guys are gladly going to carry the load.
Nothing is trickling down to we little guys other than the water from our taps after the rich Southern Californians take most of it.
Such utter ignorance!
LADWP is a literal drop in the bucket compared to the Imperial Irrigation District. IID controls fully 85% of the developed fresh water used in Southern California. MWD is far down the seniority list of water rights on the Colorado River, and they play a definite second fiddle to agricultural interests in the San Joaquin Valley. Big Ag uses over 80% of the fresh water in California.
I love how people make up “facts”. LADWP doesn’t even make the top ten in terms of the number of customers for public utilities in the US. Both PG&E and Edison dwarf LADWPs customer base. Florida Power and Light has 5.4 million customers (not the number of residents but the number of utility hook ups). PG&E has 5 million customers. So Cal Edison has 4.6 million customers.
By comparison LADWP has a paltry 1.4 million customers. It is the largest city owned municipal utility, which should not surprise anyone considering it is the second largest city in the nation. Most cities in the US do not have city owned electric utility. New York does not.
http://www.line-man.com/forums/index.php/topic/8004-top-10-largest-utilities/
American Water serves some 15 million customers in the US and Canada, making them by far the largest water utility. United Water, owned by Suez Environment of France, is second at 7 million customers. The third largest investor owned water utility in the US is California Water Service Company of San Jose. I bet most of those people posting here never heard of any of these.
Tim Said…
“DWP, the largest municipal utility in the United States”
Desert Tortoise said…
“I love how people make up “facts”. LADWP doesn’t even make the top ten in terms of the number of customers for public utilities in the US. Both PG&E and Edison dwarf LADWP’s customer base”
Here is the citation to back up Tim’s claim and derail DT’s false argument;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Department_of_Water_and_Power
I have heard of some of them .. in fact I am doing some email with American Water at this time, to get the bill from my parent’s house into my name. Yeah they are a big outfit, I knew that.
You’re right LA is not even a drop in the bucket compared to these others, but they are sucking this region dry, that is a fact to add to your facts, whether you choose to believe that or not, it is fact.
Yes, big AG uses water to grow food. I think growing food is important yet do not understand the importance of growing lawns in the desert. Your comment appears to be an attempt to derail the Owens Valley discussion by diverting attention to another problem. People are actively campaigning in the San Joaquin, I think we need the same campaign in Owens, public awareness is a good start.
http://www.restorethedelta.org/about-the-delta/overview-of-delta-agriculture/
http://beetlebabee.wordpress.com/2009/06/01/dead-and-dying-californias-central-valley-dust-bowl/
The LADWP Board of Water and Power Commissioners meets in regular, publicly noticed open meeting in Los Angeles.
It looks like I was wrong about that mike, I can even watch videos of the meetings. Perhaps I was confused by the closed meeting I read about in a Wave article.
http://ladwp.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2
I hear ya Tim .. good points.
Big Al,
I apologize for being inflammatory.
The discussion is healthy; I learn from you, you learn from me. The open exchange of information and ideas makes this possible. I want to be wrong as much as I want to be right. I want to be challenged, any idea that does not stand up to a challenge is valuable, just as valuable as an idea that does. This is how we learn and evolve into a better society.
Thank You Sooooo much…
No Tim, that wasn’t for you .. it was for desert tortoise, the part about facts, and whether or not he chooses to believe it or not.
LAs water use per person per day is less than half that of Mono County. It is among the lowest in the state. In terms of how LA residents use water LA has nothing to be embarassed about. in fact it is Mono and Inyo County that need to learn the lessons of LA regarding low water use.
If in fact LA’s per person water use is less than that of Owens Valley, it is a faulty comparison and bad science.
If you follow the latitude or parallel lines on a globe of the world you will see that LA is parallel with North Africa and the Northern Persian Gulf. I think it is safe to assume that there are far fewer lawns in these regions and that the per person water use is considerably less than that of Owens or LosAngeles. To be fair, it should be pointed out that these areas are home to ancient cultures that predate LA by many centuries. They have greater experience in these areas and cherish their most valuable resource, water.
Sigh.
http://www.sanfranciscobay.sierraclub.org/yodeler/html/2010/05/article5.htm
http://note19.com/2009/06/24/per-capita-water-use/
Note that agricultural water use is not included in the calculation.
http://note19.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/wateruse2000percounty.png
http://www.aguanomics.com/2009/07/what-does-per-capita-daily-use-really_06.html
DT said “LAs water use per person per day is less than half that of Mono County.”
DT, did you see the cart in your citation, it looks like LA uses about a third less water than Mono. Could this be because of the differences in the demographic of the areas? Mono would have far more ranchers than LA who would have far more single family residences.
http://note19.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/wateruse2000percounty.png
Also, did you notice that the city with the least amount of lawn, San Francisco, uses the least water?
WAIT till your neighbor starts getting his water bills.. He will learn very fast
GGW
Agreed! This is why we are trying to get organized and get the word out about what is happening in the Eastern Sierra due to LADWP’s water extraction. It is an environmental and social justice issue. They extract our water, our ability to grow food and damage the environmental integrity of the Eastern Sierra.
We are organizing to get the word out and enact change through a video education campaign. It will allow us to reach people far and wide through the media and internet. All we need is your help to make it happen. Go to this website, check out the teaser video and donate so we can get effort off the ground: http://igg.me/at/slake/x/2947420
Since I’ve lived in the Owens Valley, it looks drier, the dust storms are worse, trees are dying, and the LADWP keeps on us for more and more water. They’ve started suing to get/keep more water, they’re trying to get out of the agreement they signed! Yes, LA needs water, but they shouldn’t get it with worsening damage to the Owens Valley. Most of the people in Los Angeles have no idea what’s happening up here. I think that if they did, they wouldn’t let the LADWP get away with their behavior. I think the video project, SLAKE, could help educate a lot of Angelenos about our issues. I want to help so I’m helping them advertise!
Help out!
http://igg.me/at/slake/x/2947420
http://www.slaketheseries.com
Go, Slake! And thank you for trying to get the word out!
I see a lot of complaints from LADWP’s PR department about “pouring water into the desert.” Wrong. A) The water Los Angeles claims it’s “pouring” into the Owens Valley actually COMES from the Owens Valley. It’s a closed basin–the water would stay here and go to in-valley ecosystems and ranches if LADWP weren’t exporting it. Los Angeles isn’t “pouring water into the desert”; the City is _taking_ water from the desert–desert wetlands, in some cases. B) Yes, per capita water use might be greater in Mono and Inyo counties than it is in Los Angeles, but that’s a bizarre argument to bring up: Water “used” in Inyo and Mono counties at least has one chance to be used on local ecosystems; water “conserved” from being used on in-valley ecosystems is exported by Los Angeles, so it’s not actually “conserved,” just exported. So perhaps Mono and Inyo county residents can be forgiven for wanting local tribes, other residents, and animals and plants that depend on it for survival to have a chance to touch surface water and groundwater that used to stay in-valley before it goes into the LA aqueduct for export.
Great article Bennet, I think you hit the nail on the head with this one!
Daniel Pritchett wrote the letter. I just posted it.
BK
I am a citizen of the city of Los Angeles. My heart aches each year as we drive through Owen Lake area on our trek up to the mountains. I see devastation caused by us, I feel helpless and very sad. What can I do? Do other people driving to enjoy the snowy mountains know this was once a vibrant Lake community? Do people know we (the city of Los Angeles) syphoned this once beautiful lake dry?
Perhaps a way to make this disaster a cause is through education. I bet many have no idea there was an actual Owen Lake and I bet many are even more clueless as to what happened to the water.
I’m thinking it takes only a few active and creative minds to start a revolution. A great way to educate others would be a large roadside billboard with a vintage photo of “before” set in about the same place to the “now” (please see dearphotograph.com) Words are great, but pictures speak volumes! You will get people’s attention. Ask them if they want to help make this right. Send them to (kickstarter.com) where “Citizens to bring back Owens Lake” can give a donation. Perhaps DWP will consider doing something to match donation dollars? Just some thoughts… Dreaming of a day when I drive by Owens Lake filled with water again. Cate
Cate go to this site Slake:Water & Power in the Eastern Sierra.com. They have a fund going to try to save the Owens Valley.