WSP02201

• File Number: 8200.766
• Description: Gunnison River General Publications-Correspondence-Reports
• State: CO
• Basin: Gunnison
• Water Division: 4
• Date: 1/1/1984
• Author: Various
• Title: CRWCD Publications - Waterlogue-1984 - Compensatory Storage-1985 - Waterways-1985 Annual Report
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

",. 4.0! r'1

Thp Owens Hi\"er Valle\" lies alx)Ut 225 miles due north
of Los Ang('le~ Iwt Wl't'n thl! Sif'rra :\p\.udas and the
\\.hitc and Inyo mountains. The \'aUe\" about 100 miles
long and I;) to ~o miles ....'ide. paralleis and is nt'ar the
:\{>vada border. The \'alle\' is bounded bv desNtSo and
1.1.000 mile peaks includin'g .\tount Whitney. Il ",ncom.
passes the small towns of Lont' Pint', Big Pint'. Inde-
pt'ndt'ncp and Bishop; nears Death Valley and rea<:hps
towani th", t'mvonml'ntallv acdainwd \hmo Lake to thp
nurth. \\'hilt. tht; ft"(leral go\'ernrnl:'nt is the major land
holder in the \'a11t.y. Los '\nb"E'les Wat.l?r and Power owns
and controls most of thl' watt'r and private land. ,\
fjuartl'r of the Valley was once under culti\'ation produc,
inJ;{ prv.t' appll's. pears. aHalfa. corn. watermelon and
grain.

* * *

From its intakt' in OWl'ns Vallt.\., at the foot of .\Iount
Whitney, hight'st point in thf' Urutl'd StalE'S, the aque-
duct pasSl'S o\'t'r foothills across the .\Iojave DeS(.rt and
into Los Angl'lt.s. Thp aqut>duct gOt'S through 142
Sl:'paratt> tunnt>ls totaling 53 miles in It'nhrth. There are
12 miles of inn-rtt-d stt'.l'I siphons. 37 miles of open lined
conduit. 2--l miles of open unUnt't! t'Onduit. and 97 miles
of t'O\"t'nod conduit. AquKluct .....ater emptit's into 2~
storage rest'r\'oirs al(jng its route and at its tt'rminus.
In addition. walt'r is pumped to more than a down watt'r
storagl> tank~ within thl' ('it......

For two Yl>ars. t>nhrinf:'t'rs sought the most feasihle
route and anolhpr l--l months was USt'({ in pn>paration
for construction. And, .....hl.n construction began in
(klOlx>r. 190~. it mo\'t'(! s....'iftl.... along thl' :!;J:> mill"S. from
I'lt>\.ation :J.~12 in Owens Vall~v, tht> intake. to elevation
I..Hil in San Fernando Valle.\:. the outlet.'

While the omlt.t was at l.--ltll in tht' San Fernando
Valle..... tht, systl'm was nuih to provide a /.,.'Tavity flow
throughout ....'ith power gt'npratlOn to boot. Elevation of
Los Angell'S Cit~. !fall was 276 ff'{,t. Sft..tions of stP('1
plating wt're carrit'd to ltll' joh sit I:' on SfX'l'ially built
wagons drawn b.... 12 to 50 mull:'s carling the plates
ht.t W{'l'n seven and :Jf> miles to canvon bottoms. For six
wars. sonw .1....)00 mt'n workl'ti dir;'t.tlv for .\tulholland.
din'(.tl.... for till' clt..... building the massive aquK!uCl and
the ancillar.... rail. phone and road syst('ms~. The proj{'Ct
rt'f.juired l.j(1O barrels of Cl'mpnl' and 15,fJ96 fl't!t of stt'pl
plating that rangl-d in diameter from ~.,') to 11 ft't't and
in thkknt'ss from a quartt'r-inch to I'f,. inch'. .\lulhoUand
brought thl' projt'(.t in on tinw and on tht' .'324.5 million
budgl't and prt<(fictld that IXlwt'r ~'l'rn'ration .....ould n'pa....
the cost .....ithin:W ....l>ar:-'.

* * *

Both expansion of tht' I.os :\n/.,.,,-'lt'S lhirst and \'iolenc{'
ebbed and flo.....ed since the aquf>duct was slarted. l,AlS
Angell-s took tht' (h\"l'ns Hin'r. built a st'cond aqut-dm'l.
began pumping ground water and has reacht'd onward
to.....ard .\tono !.akt,. And. the \'iolence

"As Owens \'all(..... water canl{> down thl:' aqlll'({ucl.
thirst \' I.os Anglo'lt'S rejoiced. Hut angry farn1l'rs wt>re
buying. dynamite and clpaning b'1Jns . Yirtually mer.
night. Los Angelps mon'(l from watl'r famine lo .....ater
flo<ltl. The San Ft>rnando \'allev .....a~ transformed from
a b'Tain-raising ~:ommunity dePt-'ndent on intt'rmittt>nt
rainfall to an l'mpin' of truck gardt'lls and orchards -
ont' of tht, rieht'!'! a,l.'Tlcultural c(lmmunjtil'~ in th(, nation.

In 1915 practically the entire valley joined the city. With
their sure supply as a lure. the Los An~"E'les boosters
w/;>re alll/;> to annex one communit \' after another to
Crf'ale thf' big-gest municipal area i~ the .....orld..'o.

"The situation was still in this unsettled state last .Mav
wht'n a St'etion of the aqueduct .....as damagt->d with d:vrlli,
mite and a little later a Los Angeles attorney was kid-
napped and ordered to leave tht> valley, Then, on
~o\'{'mber 16 1I92--l1. a raiding party of Owens Valley
ranchmt'n seized lhe aqueduct at a point a few miles
north of O.....ens Lake. opt'nKj the wa<>t.e gates and turnoo
lhe wah'r into the O.....ens Hi\'er at an estimated loss of
$15,(X)() a da\'." On the 20th. the raiders went home. ., 'In
seizing the' aqueduct: says the editor of The Inyo
I'kgister IBishop], 'the citizens of tht' valley only invoked
the la..... of self.defense. The city of 1..05 Anb"E'les,' it
asSf'rt.s. 'ha<; wmporiz.t>d for years, making promises only
to gain timp for furtht'r undermining eommunities and
making good boasts of gecuring property at half
price.' "II

"At the hl.ight of the water war, on :\Iay 27. 1927,
Owens Valley farmers blew up a -150-foot section of No
i\ame siphon. The repair bill came to $500.000. When
dynamiters struck again at anoth€'r spot the follo....;ng
night. the city sent in anm'<i guards. But the d~truction
continued. "I'

"I..os Angeles has maintaim.-d an almost feudal con-
trol o\"t'r the Owens Valley sinCl~ it sent:'lly began buy-
ing the water rights more than 70 years ago. In a
reht,llion in the 1920s, \-'igilantes clashed with posses of
L,A. detectives armed ....'ith Winchest.er rifll'S and ordl'rs
to 'sh(Xlt to kill' ..myone caught near Ow('ns Valley's
aqul>duct. The detf'l'tives won When L.A. city offi-
cials decided they nt't:'<:ied more of the O.....ens Valley
.....ater. they announct-d plans to double the amount
pumped out of valley's streams and underground reser-
voirs. They told h>nants on Los Angeles-ownoo land that
tht'v .....ould not automaticallv bt. allow~ to renew their
If'tL<WS and said thev doubu.>d'that the citv would be able
to continue fet--'<ling water into a small rrt'reationaJ lake.

"The valley's residents fought back - with court
action and \'iolenee. They won a court order temporarily
forcing l..os Angeles to reduee the amount of .....ater it
pumps oul of the valll:'Y. When I..os Angeles locked the
Rates through .....hich .....att>r flows to Lakt' Diaz, angry
Owens VaJlt'y d.....ellers took welding torch~ to the gates
and forero them open. And the day after the aqueduct
spill gate was blown up - which a sheriffs deputy con.
eedt->d .....as done bv a valle\-" n'sident - a stick of
dynamite tied lo an' arrow wa's firt'd into a Los Angeles
fountain named after William ~Iulholland. the enginl'.er
who desiwwd the O.....(>ns Valley aqurouct and pipeline
system. \'aIIt'y dwellers are openly hiuer about the
renewal of the decades-old feud."u

At differenl timt's through the saga. a ~Iolotov
co('ktail .....as tossed at the L.A. Water and Power office
in Indl'pl'ndem'e. armor-pit'rcing bullets haw bt>t>n used
on L.A. pumps, ....'indo.....s smashed on L.A. cars and
trucks and bags of cement poured into meter pits
installf>d by Los An~l"(>les as a reprisal against residents.
The metering of O.....ens Valley residents is significant
Ix"'('ause: II L.A. studif>s sho.....ed such installation~ to he
l't'onOlnkally imprat'tkal: 2) Los Angelet-::'s flagrantly
.....asteful use of ".ater was \\'idely known Iln the 1976'77
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