The California Water Wars was a struggle between Los Angeles, California and people living elsewhere (including the Owens Valley) over water rights. Nickname: City of Angels Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Area    - City 1,290. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Owens Valley is the arid ranching valley of the Owens River in southeastern California in the United States. ...

Los Angeles Aqueduct

The wars started with Frederick Eaton, who was mayor of Los Angeles in 1898. He created the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) and appointed his friend William Mulholland the superintendent. Fred Eaton Frederick Eaton (1856 – March 11, 1934) was Mayor of Los Angeles, California, USA from 1898 through 1900. ... 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is the largest municipal utility in the United States, serving 3. ... William Mulholland (1855–1935) was a prominent and influential water-services engineer in Southern California. ...

Eaton and Mulholland had a vision of a Los Angeles that would become far bigger than the Los Angeles of the turn of the century. The limiting factor of Los Angeles' growth was water supply. Eaton and Mulholland realized that the Owens Valley had a large amount of runoff from the Sierra Nevada, and a gravity-fed aqueduct could deliver the Owens water to Los Angeles. The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range that is almost entirely in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of California. ... Pont du Gard, France, a Roman aqueduct built circa 19 BC. It is one of Frances top tourist attractions and a World Heritage Site. ...

At the time, the United States Bureau of Reclamation was planning on building an irrigation system to help the farmers of the Owens Valley. The agent of the Bureau was a close friend of Eaton, so Eaton had access to inside information about water rights. Eaton bought land as a private citizen, hoping to sell it back to Los Angeles at a vast profit. Eaton claimed in an interview with the Los Angeles Express in 1905 that he turned over all his water rights to the city of Los Angeles without being paid for them, "except that I retained the cattle which I had been compelled to take in making the deals ... and mountain pasture land of no value except for grazing purposes." [1] The United States Bureau of Reclamation (Formerly the United States Reclamation Service) is a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior which oversees water development projects in the western United States. ...

Eaton lobbied Theodore Roosevelt and got the local irrigation system cancelled^[1]. Mulholland misled residents of the Owens Valley, by claiming that Los Angeles would take water only for domestic purposes, not for irrigation^[2]. By 1905, through purchases and bribery, Los Angeles purchased enough water rights to enable the aqueduct. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Bribery is a crime implying a sum or gift given alters the behaviour of the person in ways not consistent with the duties of that person. ...

The aqueduct was sold to the citizens of Los Angeles as vital to the growth of the city. However, unbeknownst to the public, the initial water would be used to irrigate the San Fernando Valley, north of the city. A syndicate of investors (again, close friends of Eaton, including Harrison Gray Otis) bought up large tracts of land in the San Fernando Valley with this inside information.^[3] This syndicate made substantial efforts to the passage of the bond issue that funded the aqueduct, including creating a false drought (by manipulating rainfall totals) and publishing scare articles in the Los Angeles Times. A view of the San Fernando Valley looking west from Brand Park in Glendale The San Fernando Valley or The Valley is an urbanized valley in Southern California, United States. ... This article is about the publisher. ... The Los Angeles Times (also known as the LA Times) is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California and distributed throughout the Western United States. ...

From 1905 through 1913, Mulholland directed the building of the aqueduct. The 233-mile Los Angeles Aqueduct, completed in November, 1913, required over 2000 workers and the digging of 164 tunnels. The project has been compared in complexity by Mulholland's granddaughter^[4]to building the Panama Canal. Water from the Owens River reached a reservoir in the San Fernando Valley on November 5. At a ceremony that day Mulholland spoke his famous words about this engineering feat: "There it is. Take it." 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Year 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... two Panamas running the Miraflores Locks. ...

After the aqueduct was completed in 1913, the San Fernando investors demanded so much water from the Owens Valley that it started to transform from "The Switzerland of California" into a desert. Inflows to Owens Lake were almost completely diverted, which caused the lake to dry up by 1924. Farmers and ranchers tried to band together to sell water rights to Los Angeles as a group, but again through what historians called "underhanded moves"^[5], Los Angeles managed to buy the water rights at a substantially reduced price. 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

So much water was taken from the valley that the farmers and ranchers rebelled. In 1924, a group of armed ranchers seized the Alabama Gates and dynamited part of the system. This armed rebellion was for naught, and by 1928, Los Angeles owned 90% of the water in Owens Valley. Agriculture in the Valley was effectively dead.^[6] 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ...

A second aqueduct from Owens Valley

In 1970, LADWP completed a second aqueduct. In 1972, the agency began to divert more surface water and pumped groundwater at the rate of several hundred thousand acre feet a year (several cubic metres per second). Owens Valley springs and seeps dried and disappeared, and groundwater-dependent vegetation began to die. 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

Because LADWP had never completed an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) addressing the impacts of groundwater pumping, Inyo County sued Los Angeles under the terms of the California Environmental Quality Act. Los Angeles did not stop pumping groundwater, but submitted a short EIR in 1976 and a second one in 1979, both of which were rejected as inadequate by the courts. An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is a document required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). ... Inyo County is a county located in east-central California, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada south of Yosemite National Park. ... The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is a California law (California Public Resources Code section 21000 et seq. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... For the Smashing Pumpkins song, see 1979 (song). ...

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. 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization founded on May 28, 1892 in San Francisco, California by the well-known conservationist John Muir, who became its first president. ... A memorandum of understanding (MOU) is a legal document describing an agreement between parties. ...

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 (e.g., 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 re-start the flow down the 62 mile 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."^[7] December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... In most common law jurisdictions, the Attorney General is the main legal adviser to the government, and in some jurisdictions may in addition have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions. ... Bill Lockyer William Lockyer (born May 8, 1941) is the current Attorney General and head of the Department of Justice for the U.S. state of California, as well as California State Treasurer-elect. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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. Ship stranded by the retreat of the Aral Sea Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors including climatic variations, but primarily human activities. ...

Mono Lake

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, ironically, not on a creek that was diverted. The 1930s (years from 1930-1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ... The Mono Basin is an endorheic basin located East of Yosemite National Park in California, United States. ... Owens Valley is the arid ranching valley of the Owens River in southeastern California in the United States. ... One of the Mono craters: an excellent example of a rhyolite dome. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Long Valley Caldera hosts an active hydrothermal system that includes hot springs, fumaroles (steam vents), and mineral deposits. ... Location within Mono County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Mono County Mayor Kirk Stapp Area    - City 65. ...

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. Mono Lake is an alkaline and hypersaline lake in California, United States that is a critical nesting habitat for several bird species and is one of the most productive ecosystems in North America[citation needed]. // Satellite photo of Mono Lake Mono Craters to the right of the image are rhyolitic... Look up gull in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The species that periodically migrate are called migratory bird, those that do not are called resident bird See also Resident bird Category: ... Mono Lake is an alkaline and hypersaline lake in California, United States that is a critical nesting habitat for several bird species and is one of the most productive ecosystems in North America[citation needed]. // Satellite photo of Mono Lake Mono Craters to the right of the image are rhyolitic... Tufa is the name for an unusual geological formation. ... Species Artemia franciscana Artemia gracilis Artemia monica Artemia nyos Artemia parartemia Artemia parthenogenetica Artemia persimilis Artemia pollicaris Artemia salina Artemia sinica Artemia tibetiana Artemia tunesiana Artemia urmiana Brine shrimp (Artemia) are a type of aquatic crustacean. ... Aerial photo of Negit Island. ...

In 1974, David Gaines started to study the biology of Mono Lake. In 1975, while at Stanford University, 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. 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly known as Stanford University (or simply Stanford), is a private university located approximately 37 miles (60 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco and approximately 20 miles northwest of San José in an unincorporated part of Santa Clara County. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... The Mono Lake Committee (MLC) is an environmental organization based in Lee Vining, California in the United States. ... Headquarter of National Audubon Society in New York. ... For the Smashing Pumpkins song, see 1979 (song). ... The public trust doctrine is the principle that certain resources are preserved for public use, and that the government is required to maintain it for the publics reasonable use. ... The Supreme Court of California is the state supreme court in California. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Eventually, all of the litigation was adjudicated in 1994, by the California State Water Resources Control Board. In that ruling, LADWP was required to let enough 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 2003, the water level in Mono Lake has risen 9 ft (2.7 m) of the required 20 feet (6.1 m). Los Angeles made up for the lost water through state-funded conservation and recycling projects. 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Trivia

The California Water War events were adapted in the 1974 film Chinatown. I LOVE CAROLINA MEZA Chinatown is a 1974 film directed by Roman Polanski featuring many elements of the film noir genre, particularly a multi-layered story that is part mystery and part psychological drama. ...

References

1. ^ Fred Eaton. PBS: New Perspectives on The West. Retrieved on 2006-03-30.
2. ^ William Mulholland. PBS:New Pespectives on The West. Retrieved on 2006-03-30.
3. ^ Harrison Otis Gray. socialhistory.org. Retrieved on 2006-03-30.
4. ^ Mulholland, Catherine (2000). William Mulholland and the Rise of Los Angeles. University of California Press. 
5. ^ Archibold, Randal C.. ""A Century Later, Los Angeles Atones for Water Sins"", New York Times, 2007-01-01.
6. ^ Putnam, Jeff; James, Greg; DeDecker, Mary; Heindel, Jo; Smith, Genny (1995). Deepest Valley: Guide to Owens Valley, its Roadsides and Mountain Trails. Genny Smith Books. ISBN 0-931378-14-1. 
7. ^ "Water Flow Restored to Owens River", MyFox Los Angeles, Fox News, 2006-12-06. Retrieved on 2006-12-08.

2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 30 is the 89th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (90th in a leap year). ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 30 is the 89th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (90th in a leap year). ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 30 is the 89th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (90th in a leap year). ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• KNX Newsradio coverage (with video) of the Owens Valley Water Wars and the return of water to the Lower Owens River.
• Documentary on the San Gabriel River, Ya Don't Miss the Water (A five part video that documents the major ecological, political, and social problems of the community - approximately 2 million people surround and use the River's water.)