The Owens River Valley Controversy

            The Owens River Valley provides one third of the water for Los Angeles. This is accomplished through two aqueducts (the Los Angeles Aqueducts) that travel from the Owens River valley to Los Angeles. The controversy stems from the way in which the aqueducts were originally built, and the environmental impart of their construction. Originally the water was used to irrigate local farms, until William Mulholland, the superintendant of water for Los Angeles, decided that the Valley could help to solve Los Angeles’ looming water supply problems. He bought large amounts of land in the valley under the pretense of working for the U.S. Reclamation Service for the Owens Valley irrigation project: a project that would have helped the farmers and ranchers of the area. Despite protests, an aqueduct was built on the land, connecting the valley to Los Angeles. As a result, by 1924 “Owens Lake and approximately fifty miles of the Owens River were dry.” Now all that remains of Owens Lake is an alkali salt flat. Over the years, Los Angeles has consistently resisted environmental impact studies of the project, as well as ignoring lawsuits and agreements. Many groups have sued Los Angeles with regards to the aqueducts and their effect on the environment, with little success.

            From an environmental perspective, the Owens River Valley situation has been a disaster. As a result of the aqueducts, Owens Lake is completely gone, leaving only a salt flat; the Owens River is a fraction of the size it was before; springs have dried up; and many habitats have been destroyed. Where once there were marshes and wetlands that housed elk, deer, and many species of birds, now there are salt and dust storms.

            Using the water from the Owens River Valley has allowed Los Angeles to flourish: the valley provides water for half the people in Los Angeles, but has come at a great price. The Owens River Valley was once referred to as the “Switzerland of California,” but is now largely covered in sagebrush and other desert plants. This topic has been a matter of great controversy since the early 1900s, and Los Angeles has begun to take steps to restore the environment of the Owens River Valley, though it will probably never match its original conditions due to continuing water usage.

Sources

Klinger, C.J. “Recent Water History.” The Owens Valley Committee. 5 February 2008. <http://www.ovcweb.org/OwensValley/Waterhistory.html>.

Walker, Courtney. “Water Returns to Owens River, Reclaiming “the Switzerland of California” from the Desert.” California Progress Report. 22 December 2006. Protectyourstudents.org. 5 February 2008. < http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2006/12/water_returns_t.html>.