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William Mulholland, Architect of LADWP's Owens Valley Aqueduct System Local supplies having been fully used, Los Angeles approved a $23 million bond issued in 1907 to import water from the Owens Valley. 1913-First water arriving from Owens Valley 12 CALIFORNIA WATER The year 1877 was pivotal in the history of Southern California's water supply. In that year, William Mullholland arrived in the City of Los Angeles and became superintendent of the system. He rapidly upgraded the open ditch system, first with wooden flumes and then with steel mains. In 1902, the city purchased the water system and named Mullholland chief engineer. By 1905, the City of Los Angeles was diverting the full normal runoff of the Los Angeles River. To augment that supply, it had built underground galleries across the narrows of the river to collect subterranean flow. Since the supply was still insufficient, a study of potential new water sources was undertaken. Among the rivers studied was the Mojave, but it appeared that obtaining water from this river would have entailed costly litigation. An investigation in 1904 determined that the best source of water was the Owens River, and, in 1905, a bond issue of $1.5 million was ap- proved for preliminary engineering and the purchase of water rights and rights-of-way. In 1907, a $23 million bond issue was ap- proved to cover construction of the project, and, in 1913, the Owens River Aqueduct was completed16 Only ten years after the completion of the Owens River Aqueduct, the demands of increasing population and industry and a dry cycle in the Sierra Nevada made this supply inadequate to fill the aqueduct. Once again, Los Angeles was forced to search for a new supply- With present sources being overdrawn continually, it was clear that new importation to meet the needs not only of Los Angeles but of the entire Southern California metropolitan area must be made. The only new source found availahle was the Colorado River17 In October 1923, Mullholland recommended to the City of Los Angeles that a survey be conducted to investigate the feasibility of importing the Colorado River water into Southern California. His recommendation was accepted, the feasibility of an aqueduct from the Colorado River estahlished, and, on June 28, 1924, the City of Los Angeles filed with the State of California for 1,500 cubic feet per second (cfs) of water from the Colorado River18 Thus, the Colorado River Aqueduct was planned, not only as a Los Angeles project, but as a Southern California enterprise. 16 First Annual Report, pages 12-14, 18-19. 17 First Annual Report, page 20. 18 First Annual Report, page 36.