From Mono Lake to Southern California: The Story of the Los Angeles Aqueduct

From Mono Lake to Southern California

Conceived, researched, written
and (mostly) photographed
by Chris Austin

Special thanks for all their assistance:

Arya Degenhart from the Mono Lake Committee, Ted Schade from the
Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District, the Inyo County Water
Department, Fred Barker of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power,
Mike Prather of the Eastern Sierra Audubon Society, the Water Resources Center
Archives at U.C. Berkeley, the Eastern California Museum,
Rich McCutchan, and all of the flickr photographers whose photos
have made this project possible.
Flickr photos used under the Creative Commons license.

© Chris Austin, 2009; All Rights Reserved

In the early 1900‟s, William Mulholland, head of the new domestic
water works system for the city of Los Angeles, knew that the meager
Los Angeles River could not supply enough water for the city‟s
continued growth. He became convinced the only solution was to
bring the Owens River water to Los Angeles.

Water Resources Center Archives
University of California Berkeley

By using a system of open channels,
covered conduits tunnels and pressurized
pipelines, Mulholland and the other
aqueduct engineers developed a system to
deliver the water through the canyons and
rugged terrain of the Mojave Desert and
the Antelope Valley, delivering the water
to Los Angeles entirely by gravity flow.


Completed in 1913 at a cost of $22 million, the waters of the Owens River were
turned into the aqueduct and began flowing into Los Angeles for the first time.


The Los Angeles Aqueduct was the first
major water project built in California.
It was an amazing engineering feat at the
time, being second in size and
significance only to the Panama Canal.

Mulholland‟s original aqueduct system is still in use today, although the
system has been expanded from its original form.
In 1941, the Mono Basin project was
completed, extending the reach of the
aqueduct 105 miles further north to
bring water diverted from the Mono
basin into the aqueduct system.

Photo by Chris Austin


The Second Los Angeles Aqueduct was
completed in 1970, further expanding the system
in order to take full advantage of the rights DWP
held in the Mono Basin. The project included
building a second aqueduct from Haiwee
Reservoir to the Cascades Facility in Sylmar,
thereby increasing the capacity of the system
by an additional 50%.


Hydroelectric power
generation facilities along
the aqueduct have been
expanded over the years,
making the
Los Angeles Aqueduct
the only system conveying
water to Southern
California that is a both a
source of water and a
source of power
for the region.

Historically, the Los Angeles Aqueduct system has been the major source of
water supply for Los Angeles city residents.
However, in recent years, court-ordered restrictions, mandated uses for
mitigation projects and the on-going drought have reduced the amount of
water available to be exported to Los Angeles.
In 2009, the Los Angeles Aqueduct will supply just 23% of the city‟s water.


The Owens Valley water has made the growth of Los Angeles possible,
but the dewatering of the Owens Valley has not been without its ill
effects on the Owens Valley, as well as on Mono Lake.


The export of water south to Los Angeles decimated a
thriving agricultural community and dried up Owens
Lake. In later years, the extension of the aqueduct
system further northward threatened Mono Lake,
and increased groundwater pumping caused further
environmental degradation within the Owens Valley.



Environmental mitigation for the
damage done has been litigated for
decades, and continues even today.
Currently, DWP is under court
mandated obligation to keep water in
the Lower Owens River and provide
dust control on the dry Owens Lake bed.
Additional mandates limit the amount of
water DWP can draw from the Mono
Lake basin, as well as require additional
restoration efforts on the lake‟s
tributaries.

Map of California‟s Rivers
and Water Systems

From the California Department of Water Resources

Top of the aqueduct
Mono Lake

Los Angeles
Aqueduct

This presentation is
intended to give a brief
overview of the
infrastructure and the
issues of the
Los Angeles aqueduct
system.
This presentation will
follow the path of the
aqueduct from
Mono Lake to
Southern California.
Starting at the top …

Terminus of the aqueduct
San Fernando Valley

California has many other water
projects as depicted on this map.
To learn more, click here:
http://aquafornia.com/wheredoes-californias-water-come-from

Mono
Lake

The Los Angeles Aqueduct system begins here, 338 miles north of Los
Angeles, at the remote Mono Lake, where DWP holds water rights to the
main tributaries of the lake.


Mono Lake is the saline remnant of Lake Russell, an ancient freshwater lake
which filled the Mono Basin during the Pleistocene epoch.

For more about Pleistocene lakes, click here:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/464
579/Pleistocene-Epoch/70010/Lacustrineenvironments
Photo of Mono Lake by flickr photographer kla4067

Mono Lake has no outlet, so minerals and trace
elements present in the streams that feed into the
lake concentrate in the waters.
The lake has a ph of 10 and a salinity that is 2 to
3 times greater than that of the ocean.


Although the water is too alkaline to
support fish, the brine shrimp and the
alkali flies are abundant, providing an
endless source of food supply for
migrating birds.
The Mono Lake watershed is home to
over 300 species of birds, mostly
migratory. Over 100 species nest here
as well, including the second largest
gull rookery in North America.

Photo by flickr photographer Rob Inh00d

Millions of birds arrive
between mid-summer and
fall to feast on the shrimp and
flies, gaining weight in
preparation for their long,
migratory flights.
Photo by flickr photographer Billtacular.

Mono Lake plays a vital role in the annual migration of birds between
North to South America, and is designated as part of the
Western Hemisphere Shorebird Network, a collection of critical migratory bird
habitats in North & South America.
With over 95% of California‟s wetlands gone,
Mono Lake‟ s importance has increased as it is one of the last remaining
"re-fueling" stops along the arid inland Pacific Fly-Way.

For more on the birds at Mono Lake, click here:
http://www.monolake.org/about/ecobirds
Photo by flickr photographer xeeliz

Mono Lake is also known for
its tufa towers, which are
formed when the calcium-rich
underwater springs mix with
the carbonate-rich lake water,
creating calcium carbonate
(limestone).


The limestone precipitates
around the springs, and over
the course of decades or
longer, a tufa tower will grow.
Photo by flickr photographer pluckytree.


Tufa towers only grow
underwater, where they can reach
heights of 30 feet or more.


Find out more about Mono Lake‟s tufa towers
here: http://www.monolake.org/about/geotufa

In 1941, after completion of the
Mono Basin project, Los Angeles
Department of Water & Power
(DWP) began diverting most of the
tributaries to the lake.
Completion of the second aqueduct
in 1970 increased the capacity of the
aqueduct system, and diversions
from the basin increased
dramatically.
Photo courtesy of the Mono Lake Committee

With the lake being deprived
of water, the shoreline began
to recede, exposing the tufa
towers.
By 1982, the water level had
declined by 45 feet , leaving
the tufa towers stranded and
exposing over 17,000 acres of
dried lakebed.


The ecology of the lake suffered as a result. The alkali flies and brine shrimp
the birds depended on were at risk, the islands that the birds used for nesting
became connected to land making them vulnerable to predators, and the
exposed lakebed caused numerous air quality violations.



The Mono Lake Committee, the National Audubon Society,
Cal Trout and others filed suit on the theory that the shores, bed and waters of
Mono Lake were protected by the public trust doctrine, and that Los Angeles‟
diversion of water was in violation of that doctrine. The Supreme Court
eventually concluded that the DWP‟s water rights should be re-evaluated.

On September 28, 1994, the State Water Resources Board issued Decision
1631, which ordered DWP to halt diversions until the lake rose 3 feet. After
that, DWP was allowed to divert 15,000 acre-feet per year
until the lake reaches 6392 feet.

Once that point is reached, DWP will be
allowed to divert 30,000 acre-feet per
year, about 1/3 the amount they had
previously been diverting.


Decision 1631 also ordered DWP to
develop restoration plans for streams
and waterfowl habitat.


As of October 1st, 2009, Mono Lake was at
6381.7 feet, which is still 9.3 feet below the
court mandated level.


When that mandated level is reached, it will still be 25 feet lower than Mono
Lake was prior to the diversions, but it is expected to be enough to restore the
public trust values of “the purity of the air, the scenic views of the lake and
shore, and the use of the lake for nesting & feeding birds,” and to prevent further
degradation of the watershed.

Read more on Mono Lake Basin Water Right Decision 1631 here:
http://www.monobasinresearch.org/timelines/d1631.htm

Picture of Mono Lake by flickr photographer ryanophilly.

As part of DWP‟s Mono Basin project, four of
Mono Lake‟s tributaries creeks were tapped:
Rush, Lee Vining, Parker and Walker creeks.

Picture by flickr photograher calwest.

Lee Vining Creek is the
second largest tributary
to Mono Lake.
Picture by flickr photographer TTvo.

Photo courtesy of the Mono Lake Committee.

The diversion dam on
Lee Vining Creek is located just
upstream of the ranger station.
It is here that water is diverted into
an 8-mile underground conduit that
conveys the water to
Grant Lake reservoir.


Picture of Rush Creek by flickr photographer jcookfisher.

Rush Creek is Mono Lake‟s largest tributary.

Silver Lake
June Lakes Loop

It flows from the high Sierra, filling numerous small alpine lakes
on its way to Mono Lake.


The 47,500 acre-foot Grant Lake Reservoir lies in between
Rush Creek and Mono Lake, providing on-stream storage
for the waters of Rush Creek, as well as being the
termination point of the underground conduit bringing
water from the other diverted streams.
Water is either stored here, sent south to Los Angeles, or
released into Rush Creek.

One of the requirements of Decision 1631
required restoration of Rush Creek below
Grant Lake dam. However, the dam was
built to hold and divert water with the only
outlet for releasing water into Rush Creek
being over the spillway, which can only
happen in wetter years.

Photo from the Library of Congress, Historical American Engineering Record

Retrofitting the dam is an expensive
process, so the Water Board is
allowing DWP to try other methods
for delivering the required flows to
Rush Creek.


Water leaves Grant Dam by
the aqueduct conduit, and
enters Mono Gate One,
where it is split between the
aqueduct and Rush Creek.

To Mono Lake

Rush Creek

Rush Creek
Return Ditch

Mono Gate One
Grant Lake Dam

Dewatered creek

This results in about one mile
of Rush Creek remaining
dewatered downstream of the
dam at Grant Lake.

This is Mono Gate One, where
water is returned to Rush
Creek from the aqueduct
conduit.
This facility has been unable
to meet the high flow targets
as mandated by Decision 1631
and is currently being
modified.


In the meantime, when it is
necessary to augment flows to
meet the mandated high flow
requirements for Rush Creek, a
portion of the water diverted
from Lee Vining Creek can be
diverted into Rush Creek
through a structure called the
5-Siphon Bypass.

The water for Rush Creek is released
into the Rush Creek Return Ditch,
which flows into the original creek
channel and then into Mono Lake.


Diagram by the Mono Lake Committee.

This diagram shows the complicated plumbing
for Rush Creek.

For more information, visit the Mono Lake Committee online:
http://www.monolake.org/

The aqueduct conduit then passes into the West Portal
of the Mono Craters tunnel, which sends the water
11.3 miles underneath a volcanic cone to deliver water
to the head of the Owens River.

Boring the tunnel was a difficult task due
to large amounts of groundwater, carbon
dioxide gas, and porous formations
requiring heavy steel & timber supports.
It took six years to complete.

Picture by USGS/C.D. Miller

Read more on the construction of the
Mono Crater Tunnels here:
http://www.monobasinresearch.org
/historical/monobasinproject.pdf

From the Library of Congress, Historic American Engineering Record.

The water flows out of the Mono Craters
tunnel …

… and joins the headwaters of the Owens River,
flowing south towards Bishop.

Photo by flickr photographer acidwashtofu.

On the way, it flows past the Hot Creek Fish Hatchery,
created as compensation for fish losses as a result of the
building of the Grant Lake and Crowley Lake reservoirs.

Photo by flickr photographer oniondeath.

Photo by USGS

For more information on volcanic
activity in the area, visit the USGS at
http://lvo.wr.usgs.gov/

The hot springs at Hot Creek are a sign of the
ongoing volcanic processes in the region.

The water temperature of the
springs is ideal for trout
development. Each year, the Hot
Creek Fish Hatchery plants 3
million trout throughout the
Sierra Nevada, and provides 20
million eggs for other fish
hatcheries throughout the state.


It is one of the most productive fish
hatcheries in California.



Find out more about California‟s fish
hatcheries here:
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/fish/Hatche
ries/index.asp

The Owens River then flows into the
Crowley Lake reservoir.

Crowley
Lake

Photo by Chris Austin.


The Long Valley Dam was built
as part of the Mono Basin project,
creating Crowley Lake reservoir.


At 183,000-acre-feet, Crowley Lake is the largest reservoir in DWP‟s water
system, providing storage for the combined Mono basin & Owens River waters.

Crowley Lake is a popular fishing lake with a
premier trout fishery, attracting thousands of
anglers throughout the season.

Photo by flickr photographer vrkrebs.

At the south end of Crowley
Lake, the river then enters the
Owens Gorge.

Photo by Aquafornia.


The gorge was formed by the river
cutting through the Bishop Tuff, a
volcanic tableland of welded ash
deposited from the eruption
of the Long Valley volcano.

Photo by flickr photographer cpt.spock.


DWP has built three power plants in the
Owens Gorge to take advantage of the 2400-foot
elevation drop between Crowley Lake
and the Owens River Valley.

The three power plants are connected
by penstocks that travel above ground
and through tunnels in between the
three power plants.



Penstock

This aerial shot of the Middle
Gorge Power Plant shows the
penstock coming from the Upper
Gorge plant on its way to the
Middle Gorge Plant. Afterwards,
it emerges further down the
gorge, where it will become the
penstock for the Control Gorge
plant, the last power plant in the
chain of three.

Middle Gorge
Power Plant



This is the penstock coming
down from the gorge and
headed into a turbine at the
Control Gorge power plant.


The Control Gorge power plant is at
the bottom of the Owens Gorge.

For more on hydroelectric power, click here:
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/hyhowworks.html


From the Library of
Congress, Historic
American Engineering
Record.

The aqueduct system has been extensively developed to take advantage of the
drop in elevation as water descends from the High Sierra to Los Angeles.
The aqueduct‟s 14 power plants provided Los Angeles with over
400 million kWh of hydroelectric power in 2008.


After the Control Gorge
power plant, the river then
flows into the Pleasant Valley
reservoir.

The Pleasant Valley Dam was built
in conjunction with hydroelectric
development in the Owens Gorge.



The reservoir allows the upstream
power plants to increase or
decrease water flow for power
production as needed without
causing rapid fluctuations in the
flow of the Owens River below.


A small power plant produces
power when water is released from
the reservoir.


The Owens River then leaves Pleasant Valley reservoir …

… and heads south towards Bishop.


DWP owns 314,000 acres in
the Owens Valley, making it
the largest private
landowner in the watershed.



Photo by flickr
photographer Christian Panama.

Much of the land is open for
recreational use, such as
fishing, boating, hiking, and
rock climbing.

Photo by Aquafornia

DWP leases a portion of
the land for ranching
operations.


Leaseholders must adhere to
strict guidelines designed for
maximum protection of the
watershed.


DWP provides land for city & county
parks, golf courses, museums and
visitor centers, including the Eastern
California Museum and the
Inter-Agency Visitors Center.
Some of the land is also leased to
area businesses.


At the Eastern California
Museum in Independence,
there is an exhibit on the
building of the aqueduct, as
well as exhibits of Native
American basketry and
artifacts, early Eastern Sierra
residents and pioneers, a
Manzanar exhibit, a native
plant garden, and a large
photo collection.

The museum also has an equipment yard featuring
farming and mining implements, as well as some
aqueduct construction equipment.


Visit the Eastern California Museum online at:
http://www.inyocounty.us/ecmuseum/

Down the road at the Inter-Agency Visitor
Center in Lone Pine, DWP is one of several
agencies displaying information about the
Eastern Sierra …



For more information on this and other
visitor centers in the area, click here:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/about/


… which includes a large relief
map showing the path of the
aqueduct, as well as other
Eastern Sierra landmarks.

Photo by flickr photographer verno_64

Bishop

The water‟s journey continues past Bishop, staying in the river‟s natural
channel until it reaches the aqueduct intake above Independence.

Two miles north of the town of Big Pine is
Klondike Lake, a mitigation project
maintained by DWP to provide nesting and
feeding areas for waterfowl. It is also used
for recreation and water sports.

For more information on Klondike Lake, click here:
http://www.schweich.com/geoCAInyKlondikeLk.html

South of Big Pine is the
Fish Springs Hatchery,
another Eastern Sierra hatchery
producing fish which will be
stocked in the area‟s lakes and
rivers.




The Tinemaha Reservoir is located six
miles north of the aqueduct intake.
It was completed in 1928, and can store
6300 acre-feet of water.

Tinemaha Reservoir provides for
storage and regulation of water into
the aqueduct intake downstream.


Intake

North of the town of Independence are the headworks and intake for the
aqueduct. This is where the Owens River water leaves its natural course and
begins its journey southward through the aqueduct infrastructure.


There is a 325-foot diversion weir which
directs the flow of the river into the
aqueduct intake.

Lower Owens River

Diversion weir

This is an overview of the intake structure, showing
how the diversion weir blocks the river from
continuing in its own channel and directs it to the
aqueduct intake instead.

Aqueduct Intake

Photo courtesy of the Inyo County Water Department.


Besides surface water rights,
DWP also owns extensive
groundwater rights and has
drilled wells throughout the
Owens Valley.
After completion of the second
aqueduct in 1970, DWP
dramatically increased
groundwater pumping.
The groundwater withdrawals
caused the water table to drop; as
a result, widespread
environmental damage occurred:
springs and meadows dried up,
and native vegetation
began to die.

In 1991, DWP & Inyo County entered into the Long Term
Water Agreement to manage the groundwater and
avoid further significant impacts. The agreement also
specified several mitigation projects, one of those
being restoration of the Lower Owens River.
.

For more on DWP‟s groundwater pumping
management in the Owens Valley, click here:
http://www.inyowater.org/pumping.htm

This was the Lower Owens River in 2006 ….

Photo by flickr photographer im me.

… and this is the Lower Owens River today.

Photo by Aquafornia

Under the Inyo/Los Angeles Long Term
Water Agreement, the County and DWP
committed to re-water the full 60 miles of the
river below the aqueduct intake.


This required modifications to the intake
structure to allow water to be released into the
river channel, as the original structure was
designed to divert the entire flow of the river
into the aqueduct.
Photo courtesy of Inyo County Water Department.


The agreement requires that
DWP maintain flows of
40 cfs as measured by
ten different flow gauges
installed along the river.

Additionally, DWP is required to provide
permanent water supplies to lakes and ponds,
and to two waterfowl and shorebird habitats
with water supplied from the aqueduct.


In December of 2006, Mayor Villiaragosa himself was on hand along with
DWP‟s David Nahai when water was diverted back into the
Lower Owens River for the first time in nearly a hundred years.

Mayor Villaraigosa returned on
Valentine‟s Day in 2008 to canoe
down the restored river.

Photo courtesy of Mayor Villiaragosa.

Where the river enters Owens Lake, a pump station captures the flows from the
river, where it is either diverted to the Owens Lake dust control project, put
back into the aqueduct, or allowed to flow into the Owens Lake delta.

For more on the Lower Owens River Project, click here:
http://www.inyowater.org/LORP/default.htm

Aqueduct intake

Back at the intake, the water
leaves the channel of the
river and takes a straight
path across the valley
towards the Alabama Gates.

Aqueduct
Lower Owens River


The water will travel by gravity 233
miles to Los Angeles, passing through
power plants, conduits, pressurized
pipelines, tunnels and reservoirs along
the way.

The water traverses part of the valley
in an unlined, earthen canal.



At the Alabama Gates located just north of Lone Pine, water can be diverted
from the aqueduct into a spillway that leads to the Owens River.
The Alabama Gates are also notable as being the scene of one of the more
colorful episodes in the history of the aqueduct.

The diversion of water from
the Owens Valley to Los
Angeles met with resistance
from many of the local
residents who were seeing
their way of life dry up as the
water left the valley.
In 1924, locals took over the facility and
opened the gates, sending the entire flow
of water down the spillway and back into
the dry river channel.
Photo from collection at the
Eastern California Museum.

Lawmen sent to retake the
facility were rebuffed, and soon
a party atmosphere ensued,
lasting for days.
The crowd swelled to as much
as 1500 as wives brought picnic
dinners for their husbands and
local businessmen closed up
shop to join the crowd.
A film star working on a film in
the area even sent a band.
Eventually order was restored,
the gates were closed, and
water once again flowed south
to Los Angeles.


Photograph courtesy of
Rich McCutchan

But unfortunately, that wasn‟t the end of the conflict. When the long and often
bitter negotiations broke down, angry residents responded by dynamiting
the aqueduct numerous times, even at one point prompting the City to
send out armed guards to patrol the aqueduct system.


Eventually, the disputes between the valley residents and city officials moved to the
courts, where most issues were resolved. However, while relations between the
residents and DWP have improved over the years, disputes and wrangling over the
valley‟s limited water resources still continue even today.
For more on Owens Valley issues, click here: http://www.ovcweb.org/


Aqueduct

Alabama Gates

South of the Alabama Gates, the aqueduct leaves the valley floor and begins to
run along the hillsides. The floor of the valley and the Owens River continue
dropping towards Owens Lake. The difference in elevation between the
aqueduct and the river begins to grow.

When the aqueduct leaves the
valley floor, it also leaves the
water table below it. In order to
not lose all its water to
seepage, the aqueduct now
travels in a concrete-lined canal.

Photo by flickr photographer calwest.


The path of the aqueduct now travels
through several Pleistocene-era
shorelines of Owens Lake. The gravels
and sand in this area were used to make
the concrete needed for canal lining.

Aqueduct


The aqueduct passes by
Diaz Lake, a natural lake
formed by the 1872 Lone Pine
earthquake, when the ground
dropped 20 feet, giving the
creek a basin to fill.


The lake is located just south of
Lone Pine, and is used for fishing,
water sports, and camping.


Owens
Lake

The Owens Lake is part of a chain of ancient Pleistocene lakes that extended
from Mono lake south down into Death Valley. Since that time, the lake‟s level
had been diminishing, but by the late 1800s, Owens Lake was still one of
California‟s largest natural lakes, covering 110 square miles.
It was a saline terminal lake with a salinity
1 ½ times greater than that of the ocean.

Photo courtesy of Great Basin Unified
Air Pollution Control District.

After the entire flow of the
Owens River was diverted to
Los Angeles in 1913, the Owens
Lake began to shrink, and by
1928, the lake bed was dry.



The dry lake bed became notable for being the largest single source of
particulate matter in the U. S., emitting over 80,000 tons per year of
particulate matter into the air with 24-hour concentrations as high as
130 times the federal air quality standards.


In the five years from 2000 to 2004, 78 of the 100 highest 24-hour PM-10
concentrations (or dust events) measured in the United States
occurred at Owens Lake.
21 of the remaining 22 days occurred at Mono Lake.


The PM-10 particulate matter from the
Owens Lake bed is a toxic mix of arsenic,
cadmium, nickel and sulfates, affecting up
to 40,000 residents and visitors.
If the conditions are right, Owens Lake
particulate emissions can even travel to
the more densely populated areas of
Southern California.

PM-10 particles are small enough to penetrate the lungs deeply, and can cause
a variety of breathing problems, especially in sensitive populations.
During dust events, residents of the surrounding area are advised to stay inside
and avoid outdoor strenuous activities.


Picture courtesy of Great Basin
Unified Air Pollution Control District.

In 2000, DWP began dust control measures on the lake bed to bring
the area into compliance with federal air quality standards.


Dust control measures being applied
include shallow flooding….

… native vegetation,


and laying down a gravel blanket.


Saltgrass, a locally adapted
native plant, is being cultivated
on parts of the lake bed.
Drip irrigation and micro
sprinklers are used to minimize
water consumption.


To date, DWP has spent $600 million on dust control measures for 19,000 acres
of dry lakebed; this will expand to 29,000 acres over the next 2 years. Ongoing
operations are expected to cost DWP $20 million and
65,000 acre-feet of water annually.


Photo by Mike Prather

It is making a difference.
Ten years ago, federal air quality standards were violated over 30 times.
Last year, there were only 9 violations, and
peak 24-hour PM-10 levels have been reduced 90%.


The shallow flooding of the lake
bed is also bringing back the
wildlife.


In April of 2009,
Eastern Sierra Audubon Society
volunteers counted 61,983 birds
of 74 different species using the
dust control areas.


Visit the Eastern Sierra Audubon Society
online at: http://esaudubon.org/


DWP is looking at other measures of controlling dust, such as using trenches
and berms in a technique called „moat and row‟, or pumping the brackish water
from underneath the lake and spreading it on the dry lake bed. DWP is even
considering installing solar panels to act as a windbreak.

For more on Owens Lake dust control, click here: http://www.gbuapcd.org/

The Cottonwood Creek Power Plant starting generating power on
November 13, 1908, supplying energy for aqueduct construction.
The very same generators remain in operation today.



The power plant generates its power by
diverting Cottonwood Creek into a flume
4 miles up the canyon. The water then
flows into a forebay. through the
penstocks into the power plant, and
directly into the aqueduct.

Past Owens Lake and just south of
Olancha, the aqueduct turns
underneath Highway 395 and
heads towards Haiwee Reservoir.



Originally, Haiwee Reservoir was a single reservoir.
It was separated as part of the building of the second
aqueduct to increase operational flexibility.

There is a dam and another
power plant at the south end
of the reservoir.

Photo from the Library of Congress,
Historical American Engineering Record

The second aqueduct is fed by North
Haiwee Reservoir and enters steel
pipe and concrete conduit after
leaving Haiwee.

The first aqueduct is normally fed by
South Haiwee Reservoir and enters
a buried conrete conduit after
passing through the power plant.
A bypass channel is used to divert
water around South Haiwee
Reservoir when needed.

Bypass
Channel


The concrete top of the first aqueduct‟s conduit can be seen above
ground, while the second aqueduct‟s conduit is buried.

From the Library of
Congress, Historic
American
Engineering
Record.

The first aqueduct will now make
its way to Los Angeles through 98
miles of concrete conduit, 12 miles
of steel & concrete pipeline, and
52 miles of tunnels.

The solid line represents the
path of the first aqueduct; the
dotted line represents the path
of the second aqueduct.

Tunneling was used extensively during
construction of the first aqueduct because at
the time, labor was cheap and plentiful, but
materials, such as steel pipeline, were much
more expensive.
Tunneling was the more economical choice.


The pipeline portions of the original aqueduct were constructed of reinforced,
cast-in place concrete pipe and riveted steel pipe, both of which are still in use.

The original coating is black.

In other areas, it has been repainted.
All of the coating of the steel pipe is
being replaced.


About 12 miles of steel and concrete pressure
pipelines were used to cross twenty-three canyons
and valleys on the original aqueduct where other
methods would have been more expensive.

Mojave
Desert

Nine mile siphon

The pressure pipelines used to cross
canyons and valleys use varying amounts
of head differential to push water through
them. The amount of head varied with the
length and diameter of the pipelines.

In some cases, tapered-diameter steel
pipelines were used to minimize the
tonnage of steel required compared to
constant diameter pipelines.


Water flows
through the
aqueduct pressure
pipelines in the
desired direction
because the
upstream end of
each pipeline is
higher than the
downstream end.

Direction of travel

Photo from the Library of Congress

From the Library of
Congress, Historic
Record.


The pipeline at Jawbone Canyon
is about 8,000 feet long and is the
deepest on the original aqueduct
at 850 feet.

The Antelope Valley siphon is
the longest siphon at 4.11 miles
in length.

The first Los Angeles Aqueduct crosses the State Water Project‟s
California Aqueduct near Neenach at the southwestern end
of the Antelope Valley.

For more information on the State Water
Project, click here:
http://www.water.ca.gov/swp/index.cfm

The second aqueduct travels through
64 miles of concrete conduit, 69 miles
of steel pipeline, and 4 miles of other
facilities.

It is made of welded steel and is painted desert tan.

Second Aqueduct at Jawbone Canyon

It runs mostly underground,
only emerging when
necessary to cross washes
and canyons.

When the surveys and studies were done to
assess the best route for the second aqueduct,
engineers chose a path very similar to that of
the first aqueduct.



First aqueduct

Second aqueduct

However, changes in relative costs of materials and labor meant the greater use
of steel pipe and less tunneling compared to the original aqueduct.


The second aqueduct added
50% capacity to the aqueduct system.
By providing more flow over longer periods of
time, it also added 200 million kWh
of hydropower generation.

Because pipe was cheaper when
the second aqueduct was built, a
shorter, more direct path across
the Antelope Valley was
taken, rather than the circuitous
route that was necessary when
building the first aqueduct.
The solid line represents the
first aqueduct; the dotted line
represents the second aqueduct.

The Second Aqueduct in the Antelope Valley

From the Library of
Congress, Historic
Record.

Both aqueducts meet at the Fairmont Reservoir in the south
Antelope Valley. The output from this reservoir is a gate tower to
the North Portal of the Elizabeth Tunnel.

California
Aqueduct


The Elizabeth Tunnel carries water through the Coast
Range, traveling 5 miles and 250 feet below Elizabeth Lake.
The tunnel was the longest on the first aqueduct.

Elizabeth
Tunnel



With an incentive program in place for working fast, the tunnel drillers set the
world‟s record for hard rock tunnel drilling at 604 feet in one month,
and even finished 20 months ahead of schedule,
saving thousands of dollars in the process.
The five-mile tunnel was drilled from both ends simultaneously. When the two
tunnels met in the middle, the center line was only off by 1-1/8”,
and the grade was off only by 5/8”.

The outlet of the Elizabeth
tunnel is a pressure canal
into the penstock of
San Francisquito
Power Plant #1.


This power plant is the largest on the aqueduct.
It began generating power on March 19, 1917,
and was DWP‟s first source of municipally
generated power for the city.

An inlet/outlet line is
connected from below the
surge chamber of power
plant #1 to the Bouquet
Reservoir, allowing water
to be stored at the reservoir
for hydroelectric power
generation.

The 36,500 acre-foot Bouquet Reservoir also
provides critical storage downstream of the
San Andreas fault.


The water then flows through a
tunnel from the first power
plant to San Francisquito
Power Plant #2.

Next to Power Plant #2 is a
historical marker
commemorating the collapse of
the St. Francis Dam, considered
one of California‟s worst
disasters.
Over 450 people were killed in
1928 when the 185-ft concrete
dam structure failed, sending a
wall of water down the
Santa Clara River valley
54 miles to the sea.


Behind the power plant is a
hiking trail which will take
you to see what is left of
the dam.

Photo by flickr photographer tkksummers.

More on the St. Francis Dam disaster at this site:
http://www.sespe.com/damdisaster/index.html

Photo by flickr photographer tkksummers.

The aqueduct passes through
Santa Clarita, an area that has
developed around the
aqueduct‟s infrastructure.


Soledad Siphon
‘Photo by Chris Austin.

Cascades

The water enters the San
Fernando Valley at the
Cascades facility at the
north end of the
San Fernando Valley.
The cascades from the top of
the hill were built for the
second aqueduct.

Off to the side and lower on
the hillside are the cascades
for the first aqueduct.



This is where William
Mulholland stood and spoke
his famous words “There it is,
take it!” as the Owens River
water flowed into the San
Fernando Valley for the first
time.


At the Cascades, the water flows
over the cement blocks and stones
in the process of aeration and
energy dissipation.

The cascades for the Second Los Angeles
Aqueduct were built 350 feet higher than the
original, which made a gravity supply possible to
areas of the north San Fernando Valley that had
previously needed a pumped supply.


The journey ends at the filtration plant
and the Los Angeles Reservoir.
It has taken up to three months for
water originating from the Mono Lake
basin to arrive here.


In 1971, the First Los Angeles Aqueduct was named as a
National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

Mulholland Fountain
Griffith Park, Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Aqueduct made
the growth of the city of
Los Angeles possible. It was
conceived and built in the days
when settling the west was a
national goal and the “greater
good for the greater number” was
the predominant way of thinking.
Some say that Los Angeles stole
the water from the Owens Valley,
and whether this is true or not is a
subject of debate. Others say that
the land management policies of
the DWP have discouraged
extensive urban development, and
have thus preserved the Owens
Valley as a rural recreational
paradise.


Deprived of the water necessary
for economic growth and
urbanization, Inyo County remains
one of California‟s least
populated counties.

Picture by ah zut (flickr)

The Eastern Sierra is so much more
than just the aqueduct!
Visit these websites for more information:
http://www.monocounty.org/
http://www.theothersideofcalifornia.com/
http://www.visitmammoth.com/


Photo by extremeline.com

Picture by Ko Kong (flickr)


Los Angeles Dept. of Water & Power Resources:

DWP Website: http://www.ladwp.com/ladwp/cms/ladwp004409.jsp

Aqueduct operating conditions & reports:
http://www.ladwp.com/ladwp/cms/ladwp007321.jsp

DWP‟s Owens Valley Operations Report, May 2009:
http://www.ladwp.com/ladwp/cms/ladwp012189.pdf
Engineering reports:

The engineering report for the first aqueduct is available for checkout at the
County of Los Angeles Public Library.

The engineering report for the second aqueduct is available only as a reference
book at the California History Resources Center at the Rosemead branch of the
County of Los Angeles Public Library.
Library of Congress:

Information & pictures available from the „American Memory‟ and „Built In
America‟ collections at the Library of Congress. Search “Los Angeles Aqueduct”
on this page: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/browse/index.html
Los Angeles Aqueduct in Elsmere Canyon:
http://www.elsmerecanyon.com/aqueduct/aqueduct.htm

From the DWP:

The Story of the L. A. Aqueduct:

History of Water and Power in L.A.:

Historical collection of pictures archived at the City Library:
http://www.lapl.org/resources/en/dwp.html

Slideshow on William Mulholland and the building of the aqueduct:
http://www.ladwp.com/ladwp/cms/ladwp007239.pdf
Other resources:

Owens Valley history pages:
http://www.owensvalleyhistory.com/ov_aqueduct1/page18.html

Owens Valley wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owens_Valley

Historical collections of pictures archived at the Water Resources Center Archives:

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/WRCA/aqueduct.html
Books:
Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner
The Water Seekers by Remi Nadeau
Water & Power by William L. Kahrl
Owens Valley Revisited: A Reassessment of the
West's First Great Water Transfer by Gary Libecap








The Owens Valley Committee: http://www.ovcweb.org/
Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District:
http://www.gbuapcd.org/
 Also see this Owens Lake 2005 status report:
http://www.gbuapcd.org/owenslake/OwensLakeStatusAug2005.pdf
Inyo County Water Department: http://www.inyowater.org/
 LA DWP groundwater pumping:
http://www.inyowater.org/pumping.htm
 Lower Owens River Project:
http://www.inyowater.org/LORP/default.htm
Eastern Sierra Audubon Society: http://esaudubon.org/












The Mono Lake Committee: http://www.monolake.org/
The Mono Basin Clearinghouse (research & legal documents):
http://www.monobasinresearch.org/
GORP: Mono Basin National Scenic Area:
http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_national_forest/ca/see_in
y2.htm
Mono Lake State Natural Preserve:
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=514

USGS Long Valley Observatory: http://lvo.wr.usgs.gov/
Owens Valley and Mono Inyo Craters: Photography of a geological
journey: http://www.its.caltech.edu/~meltzner/owens/
Cenozoic/Mesozoic Volcanism of the Eastern Sierra Nevada :
http://geology.csupomona.edu/docs/sierra.html

This has been an exclusive presentation
by Chris Austin and
Maven‟s Manor Productions

Check out my California water, science,
and policy blog:
www.MavensNotebook.com
And my photoblog at
www.MavensPhotoblog.com

Thank you for looking!
© Chris Austin, 2009. All Rights Reserved.

Also available online

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River, through the fertile fields of the Imperial Valley
and on to the Salton Sea by clicking here.

How is electricity generated and delivered to
our homes? Click here to find out!

In the world of California water, we‟re always arguing
about the Delta. What is the Delta and why is it
important? Find out by clicking here.

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these. Check out the wonders of Death Valley by
clicking here.

From Mono Lake to Southern California: The Story of the Los Angeles Aqueduct

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From Mono Lake to Southern California: The Story of the Los Angeles Aqueduct