The city of Los Angeles, acting by and through its Department of Water and Power, filed a motion Wednesday against the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District to ensure the protection of significant cultural resources on the Owens Lake playa, LADWP announced Friday.

The motion is in response to a July 21, 2021, Great Basin order (and subsequent order fining more than $500,000 in penalties) directing LADWP to begin dust mitigation on an artifact-dense cultural resource site known as Sibi Patsiata-wae-tü Cultural Resource located on the playa.According to LADWP, this order violates both Great Basin’s own regulations and the sovereignty of at least one Native American Tribe.

However, Phill Kiddoo, air pollution control officer for the district, said  the city of Los Angeles has refused to comply with a district order for a common-sense project to plant vegetation in certain areas to control dangerous dust emissions caused by the city’s diversion of water. He said instead LADWP has chosen to go to court and the district looks forward to a full hearing on this matter