Eager to push their latest Owens Dry Lake plan, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power will send their Water Operations Director Martin Adams back to the Inyo Supervisors meeting Tuesday.
Put simply, that plan could accelerate past the Owens Dry Lake Planning Group, would seek to eliminate any more dust controls at the lake bed, and could put more water into the aqueduct. Adams presented the plan to the Supervisors on April 2nd and promised to come back in two weeks.
Adams has also promised that DWP will take steps to protect bird habitat under a Dry Lake Master Plan but only if LA can quit spending money on dust controls. Supervisors pointed out to Adams that they have no jurisdiction when it comes to dust abatement at the dry lake. They also pointed to the Owens Lake Master Plan Committee of dozens of agencies that have spent a couple of years on a plan for that area and need to be a part of the process.
Adams and DWP have not let those issues stop their new agenda. Adams planned to talk to the Inyo Board at 9:30am Tuesday about the DWP plan, even though the Supervisors do not have the power to approve it. Adams is apparently seeking political sway from the Board. Two of its members sit on the APCD Board. All of this is happening against the backdrop of a major lawsuit filed by DWP to try to eliminate their dust control responsibilities at the dry lake.
Individual supervisors have said they want some confirmation that if water is saved at the lake bed, it will stay in the Owens Valley for ranchers and other uses. Sources from within the Owens Lake Master Plan group say Adams and other DWP officials have made it clear in the past that saved water will go down the aqueduct, not stay in the Owens Valley.
Air Pollution Control District Director Ted Schade has said that whatever activity DWP engages in, they must comply with “local, state and federal air quality requirements.” After Adams had earlier revealed his new dry lake plan, Schade said, “The Master Plan process or any project does not supersede the Great Basin requirements over air pollution.”
Benett,
This thread is one of my all time favorites! I love the way we have the ability to network and share info on a issue a lot of us are deeply concerned about. Thanks.
Benett, are there local organizations already formed that are trying to fight DWP on our behalf? If so, maybe we can try to help them.
The Owens Valley Committee.
And scarier still …
Each year, the population grows
and grows
and grows
and …
Throwing out these numbers and not being accurate does not serve anyone’s purpose or knowledge base. After speaking with Bob Muir the public information guy at MWD it seems that some of my numbers in the previous post are bit exagerated . LADWP has a plan for the purchase of… Read more »
We can’t control what DWP does, but we can control what we do. A good place to start would be the belief that we can stand up for and defend our own environment and well-being. No one else will do it.
Benett Kessler
The shadows sway and seem to say, tonight we pray for water, cool water And way up there He’ll hear our prayer and show us where there’s water, cool, clear, water Keep a-movin’ Dan don’t you listen to him Dan, He’s a devil not a man and he spreads the… Read more »
Marty Adams’ Board request is not in the BOS packet for tomorrow. Technically, anyone can request to make a “presentation” to the Board without a written form and without any documentation on the presentation. A simple phone call within 72 hours of the meeting is all that is necessary. I… Read more »
Part of the reason LADWP is up here lobbying is that their allocations of MWD water are in danger of being cut. On the Colorado River, fully 85% of the developed fresh water used in Southern California belongs to the Imperial Irrigation District and every bit of it comes from… Read more »
Too little – too late. The myth that we can promote growth in areas that have to put their tentacles out in order to suck water resources from other areas in not sustainable. That myth of nonstop growth is perpetuated by our politicans and, in fact, is the basis for… Read more »
Considering the cost of water in LA, the work to build and maintain their aquaduct and the economic prowess of the region (LA County is the 20th largest economy in the world, and among US counties derives the greatest income and enjoys the largest employment in manufacturing) LA is in… Read more »
Dear Desert, There is a position between taking back all of the water and giving it all up. It’s called balance and defense of our home to the best of our ability.
The rest is just so much complaining.
BK
Considering that LA has reduced water usage in absolute terms back to their 1979 level while growing it’s population by 1 million and it’s economy in suit, I don’t see anyone bending LA over further on water issues. What Owens Valley, based on the correspondence here, seems blithely unaware of… Read more »
First, when you chose to build a metropolis in a desert, the cost is high. LADWP did have to implement water saving measures. Water use is the same as it was in 1988, according to figures I found. Seond, check out the Los Angeles Urban Water Management Plan and see… Read more »
LA is no desert. It is a Mediterranean climate with about 15 inches of rain annually. Deserts get 4-5 inches of rain per year. The San Fernando Valley was a grassland before becoming a farming and ranching region during Spanish and later Mexican rule. There are a series of artesian… Read more »
The fact remains that Los Angeles did not have enough water in its territory to support the development of a City. They got it here. My figures on water use were from the LA Times. Water restrictions are appropriate. In all the years that we have called the Los Angeles… Read more »
Martin Adams is responsible for nearly a $500 million dollar water budget for about 1 million acre feet of water that he needs to supply to the users and rate payers of the LADWP. These numbers are based upon a very loose average interpretation of an ever changing supply, demand,… Read more »