Los Angeles Aqueduct

For the historical aqueduct of the 19th century, see Zanja Madre.
Los Angeles Aqueduct
The Second Los Angeles Aqueduct Cascades, Sylmar
Coordinates36°58′32″N 118°12′37″W / 36.9756°N 118.2103°W / 36.9756; -118.2103
BeginsFirst Aqueduct
Owens River, Inyo County
36°58′32″N 118°12′38″W / 36.975678°N 118.210541°W / 36.975678; -118.210541
Second Aqueduct
Haiwee Reservoir, Inyo County
36°10′57″N 117°57′30″W / 36.182600°N 117.958470°W / 36.182600; -117.958470
Mono Extension
Upper Lee Vining Creek, Mono County
37°56′10″N 119°08′04″W / 37.936151°N 119.134426°W / 37.936151; -119.134426
EndsFirst & Second Aqueduct
Upper Van Norman Lake (Los Angeles Reservoir), Granada Hills, Los Angeles
34°18′46″N 118°29′35″W / 34.312860°N 118.492988°W / 34.312860; -118.492988
Mono Extension
Owens River, Mono County
37°45′25″N 118°53′27″W / 37.756910°N 118.890911°W / 37.756910; -118.890911
Official nameLos Angeles Aqueduct
Second Los Angeles Aqueduct
Mono Extension
Maintained byLos Angeles Department of Water and Power
Characteristics
Total length419 mi (674 km)
Diameter12 ft (3.7 m)
First section length233 mi (375 km)
Second section length137 mi (220 km)
CapacityFirst Aqueduct
422 cu ft/s (11.9 m3/s)
Second Aqueduct
290 cu ft/s (8.2 m3/s)
History
Construction startFirst Aqueduct
October 1908
Second Aqueduct
September 1965
OpenedFirst Aqueduct
November 1913
Second Aqueduct
June 1970
Location
Map
References
[1][2][3][4][5]

The Los Angeles Aqueduct system, comprising the Los Angeles Aqueduct (Owens Valley aqueduct) and the Second Los Angeles Aqueduct, is a water conveyance system, built and operated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.[6] The Owens Valley aqueduct was designed and built by the city's water department, at the time named The Bureau of Los Angeles Aqueduct, under the supervision of the department's Chief Engineer William Mulholland.[7] The system delivers water from the Owens River in the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains to Los Angeles.

The aqueduct's construction was controversial from the start, as water diversions to Los Angeles eliminated the Owens Valley as a viable farming community.[8] Clauses in the city's charter originally stated that the city could not sell or provide surplus water to any area outside the city, forcing adjacent communities to annex themselves into Los Angeles.[9]

The aqueduct's infrastructure also included the completion of the St. Francis Dam in 1926 to provide storage in case of disruption to the system.[10] The dam's collapse two years later killed at least 431 people, halted the rapid pace of annexation, and eventually led to the formation of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to build and operate the Colorado River Aqueduct to bring water from the Colorado River to Los Angeles County.[9][11]

The continued operation of the Los Angeles Aqueduct has led to public debate, legislation, and court battles over its environmental impacts on Mono Lake and other ecosystems.[12]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference USGS1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference USGS2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Merritt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Facts was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "The Story of the Los Angeles Aqueduct". Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Archived from the original on 2009-02-01. Retrieved 2009-02-07.
  7. ^ "DWP – Name Change Chronology". Water and Power Associates.
  8. ^ Smith, Genny; Putnam, Jeff; James, Greg; DeDecker, Mary; Heindel, Jo (1995). Deepest Valley: Guide to Owens Valley, its Roadsides and Mountain Trails. Genny Smith Books. ISBN 978-0931378140.
  9. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference LAgrowth was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Weingarten2019 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Fulton was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference monolitigation was invoked but never defined (see the help page).