| Owens Lake | |
|---|---|
| Patsiata (Mono) | |
 View of partially-filled Owens Lake (top-right) from Whitney Portal | |
  Owens Lake | |
| Location | Sierra Nevada Inyo County, California, United States |
| Coordinates | 36°26′00″N 117°57′03″W / 36.4332°N 117.9509°W |
| Type | Flat |
| Primary inflows | Owens River Natural springs and wells |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 17.5 mi (28.2 km) |
| Max. width | 10 mi (16 km) |
| Max. depth | 3 ft (0.91 m) |
| Surface elevation | 3,556 ft (1,084 m)[1] |
| References | GNIS feature ID 272820[1] |
Owens Lake is a dry lake in the Owens Valley on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada in Inyo County, California. It is about 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Lone Pine. Unlike most dry lakes in the Basin and Range Province that have been dry for thousands of years, Owens held significant water until 1913, when much of the Owens River was diverted into the Los Angeles Aqueduct, causing Owens Lake to desiccate by 1926.[2] In 2006, 5% of the water flow was restored. As of 2013, it is the largest single source of dust pollution in the United States.[3]
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey (January 19, 1981). "Feature Detail Report: Owens Lake". Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). U.S. Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on September 4, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2009.
- ^ Reheis, Marith C. (April 11, 2006). Owens (Dry) Lake, California: A Human-Induced Dust Problem. Impacts of Climate Change and Land Use in the Southwestern United States (Report). U.S. Geological Survey. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ^ Siegler, Kirk (March 11, 2013). "Owens Valley Salty as Los Angeles Water Battle Flows into Court". NPR. Archived from the original on September 4, 2024. Retrieved April 3, 2018.