So I spent the weekend with some of my fellow CSULB students in the Owens Valley. (No it wasn't as bad as this guys picture, but then again it wasn't windy). I'm sure most of you already involved in the water world are quite familiar with this issue, but for those who are not, basically in the late 1800's, early 1900's as LA was developing, they needed water, so they bought up Owens Valley along with the water rights subsequently diverting water from the only tributary river for Owens lake. Since this lake has no outlet, it has increased in salinity over thousands of years. Since the dewatering of the lake, the lake bed has dried leaving very fine sediment containing toxic salts and minerals which have caused massive dust storms or white outs over the last 75 years. Los Angeles has been forced to deal with some of the environmental impacts of these decisions made long ago by the four-fathers of this now great city. Without LA, Owens Valley would have surly been developed by now and obviously not remained as pristine. However, they have created a desert where a once lush valley has existed for 100's of years. Although each lawsuit seems to lead to a step in the right direction the fact that LA has a lot of financial and social interests at stake with this water, has lead to a severe lag time implementing sustainable solutions. I have just been exposed to this, and there are many who have been living through it for decades. For more information on this topic, please visit any of the following sites: Owens Valley Comitee, Inyo County Water Department, Manzanar National Historic site, LADWP.
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