
DWP Aqueduct Manager James Yannotta
Those who have witnessed past decades in the Owens Valley have seen trees die, orchards disappear, meadows turn to scrub brush, springs dry up, groundwater plummet, and the Owens Lake vanish. In spite of those facts, Department of Water and Power Aqueduct Manager Jim Yannotta told Sierra Wave Media that “essentially the Owens Valley looks the same as it did 100 years ago.”
Tuesday, November 5th marked the 100th anniversary of the Los Angeles Aqueduct; and when asked why he said nothing has changed here in 100 years, DWP Manager Jim Yannotta said his statement was “more in line with how DWP has preserved the Owens Valley.” Yannotta admitted that he does not have “all of the facts of 100 years ago.”
Yannotta said the Owens Valley is “preserved” and not developed. Not like Fresno or Lake Havasu, he said. The manager maintained that LA is working with Owens Valley on environmental issues. When asked about the number of disputes and disagreements over water and the environment, Yannotta said, “I don’t share those views. We do our obligations under the Water Agreement. We’ve done a good job of management,” he said, “and there is not adverse environmental damage.”
However, records show that Inyo County has disagreed with how LA sees things. DWP has not accounted for the obvious damage done between 1913 and 1987, which is the baseline year in the Long-Term Water Agreement. More recently, Inyo takes issue with how DWP has cut irrigation water for some lessees and other water uses on LA land with respect to the Water Agreement. The two sides are in dispute resolution over at least two wellfields. Inyo County maintains DWP’s pumps have damaged the environment of Black Rock and Sawmill.
DWP has also failed to successfully work with Inyo to come up with a pumping management plan. LA refuses to admit that how far the water table goes should determine when pumps are shut off. Both sides admit that the Water Agreement plan has failed. To make up for past environmental damage, DWP agreed to mitigation projects, some of which have not been completed since the 1991 agreement was signed.
Mr. Yannotta says water levels have recovered from LA’s over-pumping in the 80s. Water Department records say otherwise. The Water Agreement only calls for a return of groundwater to 1987 baseline levels which are far below original water tables. Yannotta admitted there are some mitigation projects unfinished and some disputes. He did say he would be open to DWP and Inyo working together on a revision of pumping management. Nothing along those lines was accomplished in the years before Yannotta arrived.
As for the earlier threat that LA might charge a lot more for water at the two Inyo golf courses, Yannotta said that issue is still in the works. He said the goal is to get the golf courses to use less water.
As for his inaccurate claim that nothing has changed in 100 years, Mr. Yannotta said he apologizes if this offended anyone.
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Thought live interactive telecasts of LADWP board meetings were to become ongoing.
http://sierrawave.net/26646/televised-in-bishop/
http://www.ladwpnews.com/go/doc/1475/1881153/
As far as we know, they still are. Do you have different information?
BK
Just know that first one happened. Meant to post in above conversation about local officials participating in DWP board meetings. Seems this can be done in Bishop now and our supervisors should be first in line. These telecasts are a good thing done by DWP and currently there is a… Read more »
on a recent trip to my relatives home in L.A.,i was amazed to see the ridiculous lawns and waste of water,that kind of stuff bugs me every time.there is no thought to washing down driveways and sidewalks,water rushing down gutters.all lawns should be replaced with gravel or much wiser plants… Read more »
Ferdinand, I’m in LA and have a 2400 square foot lawn. 2400 x 30 gallons per square foot per year = 72,000 gallons a year just for my one single family residence. I would plant UC Verde Buffalo grass that uses 1/3 the water or put in decomposed granite except… Read more »
it’s a crazy site and they just keep on building where there is no water. At some point water will be such a big issue it will actually stop developement.
What we need is population control. Perhaps a tax break for having fewer kids is in order.
You can say that, but the facts show otherwise. LA residents use about 125 gallons of water per person per day, among the lowest usage rates in California. Mono County, by comparison, averages a bit over 400 gallons per day per person. This is old data but relavant.: http://www.sanfranciscobay.sierraclub.org/yodeler/html/2010/05/article5.htm The… Read more »
Dear LA Booster, water used here goes back into the groundwater and LA gets it anyway. Also, the groundwater in many areas of the Owens Valley has dropped below the rooting zone of plants and we have to water the heck out of our trees and plants to keep them… Read more »
I have said it before and will say it again, the Boards of Supervisors for Inyo and Mono Counties need to have representation at every DWP board meeting, including videos of the comments their officials make so there is no denial, and those comments need to be challenged at DWP… Read more »
That would be nice, but DWP has a lot more money to send people here than we do to send people there.
BK
How expensive is a night in Travel Lodge, a few meals and gas to and from LA? How much do the supes spend to attend League of California Cities or similar “professional” conferences in Sacramento or San Diego a couple of times a year? That argument falls flat on it’s… Read more »
You might be right, if they had the political will and belief that they could make a difference.
Benett Kessler
A ground water pumping plan based on a minimum ground water depth, a water depth that sustains or maintains the Owens Valley, is the only water agreement that will work, Much like Mono Lake and its agreement, a minimum ground water level must be implemented for the health and future… Read more »
Bennett, what is your take on the legend of the Belshaw loaves that that went down with the Bessie Brady during a storm on Owens Lake ? Has it ever been confirmed, or is it just another “urban legend” ?
I don’t know enough about it to say.
BK
The DWP is big business and like many businesses, they want to be profitable above all else. Like any big business, the DWP needs to be watched like a hawk and held accountable. That being said, I see the DWP is the lesser of two evils. I cringe at the… Read more »
The DWP is not a business. It is a department of a city government, a city owned utility answerable to their City Council and is prohibited by law from operating for a profit. Edison and PG&E are investor owned utilities that operate at a profit, and not surprisingly charge their… Read more »
From DWP: “As a revenue-producing proprietary department, the LADWP transfers a portion of its annual estimated electric revenues to the City of Los Angeles general fund. LADWP’s operations are financed solely by the sale of water and electric services.” The fact that the DWP doesn’t technically “profit” from their water… Read more »
JY, Here is where I stopped reading, ” We’ve done a good job of management and there is not adverse environmental damage.” LADWP dried up 100 square mile Owens lake so LA folk could have trees and 30 gallon per year per square foot lawns. LA’s excess was our surplus.… Read more »
Funny how when the DWP wanted to charge Bishop Country club for water they quikly recanted it when it was made public that the pump supplying the club water also adds water to the aquaduct. This gives the DWP water off of the Bishop cone where they are not supposed… Read more »
I think” bonehead” describes this dude!