Owens Lake: From Hazard to Habitat

© 2002 Wendy Dager

In 1913, the Mexican Revolution began, the first crossword puzzle was published, and the electric refrigerator made its debut. 1913 was also the year the Los Angeles Aqueduct opened for business, with water from Owens River pumped into its reservoirs hundreds of miles to the south.

That auspicious occasion marked the beginning of the end for Owens Lake, which had lost its primary source of water.

The lake’s undoing was primarily due to the ambitions of the late William Mulholland and the need for water in Los Angeles. At the aqueduct’s opening ceremony, Mulholland announced to Los Angeles officials: "There it is. Take it."

The Road to Destruction

Located east of the Sierra Nevadas and west of the White-Inyo mountain range, the 110-square-mile Owens Lake was once a formidable body of water, host to ore-hauling steamboats like the famous "Bessie Brady" in the 1800s. (For a related story on Mono Lake, see the Best of the LEAF-let, "California Water Woes: Losin’ It," californiawater.htm.)

In 1905, when Owens Valley farmers began diverting river water to irrigate their crops, the lake’s water level dropped. Still, this wasn’t enough usage to transform it into a veritable wasteland.

Five years later, Los Angeles officials acquired water rights through a series of shady property purchases. Three years after that, the fate of Owens Lake was sealed when the Los Angeles Aqueduct was completed.

Spanning nearly 250 miles and bringing water to the city at a rate of 27 million gallons per hour, the Los Angeles Aqueduct certainly did what Mulholland had proudly offered. It took and took, while Owens Lake died.

It dried up entirely by 1926, and a saline crust formed. Owens Lake had gone from continuously holding water for more than 800,000 years to a contemporary bio-hazard, a crusty alkaline dust bed containing arsenic, cadmium and other carcinogens.

Adding to the decimation is Mother Nature’s angry vengeance. When wild winds blow, dust storms destroy visibility at neighboring national parks, forests, and wilderness areas. Often, work is suspended at China Lake Naval Weapons Center because of the storms’ severity.

Ultimately, the dust storms arising from the dry lake bed created an environment where nothing could flourish, including the valley’s native vegetation—meadow grasses such as licorice and rushes, and scrubs like inkweed, buckwheat and sagebrush. Consequently, this has threatened the existence of the area’s native fauna, including antelope, sheep, and jackrabbits.

Pollution Solution

80 years after the demise of Owens Lake, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is seeking to provide a methodical fix, with human life as its main priority. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Owens Lake has become a toxic time bomb.

The EPA uses PM10 (particulate matter of 10 microns or smaller aerodynamic diameter) levels as an indicator of air quality. Owens Lake is the United States’ largest single source of PM10 pollution, with as much as ten times the daily standard during active storm periods, which generally occur in the spring and fall months. A single Owens Lake dust storm can whip up 11 tons of deadly particles, creating a swirling health hazard for local residents.

Nearly a century after the fateful decision was made that would dry up Owens Lake, it was determined that something had to be done.

The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendment required that California file a State Implementation Plan describing the process of reaching a PM10 standard.

In 1998, the County of Los Angeles and the Great Basin Air Pollution Control District agreed to deal with the dust problem and have the region meet federal air pollution standards by 2006.

The first step in meeting their goals was to authorize the DWP to irrigate part of the lake. The intention was not to completely refill the dry lake bed, but to keep the lake bed wet. Wet soil, as everyone knows, doesn’t blow away in the wind.

The task is not as easy as it sounds. In December 2001, the first course of action taken by the DWP was to flood 13.5 square miles of the lake bed, using, ironically, William Mulholland’s aqueduct tapped at two locations.

It was time for Owens Lake to take something back.

300 miles of underground pipe, 5,000 irrigation bubblers, and fiber optic control wiring will be installed to accomplish the slow process of turning Owens Lake from bio-hazard to possible habitat.

But mud pies aren’t on the menu just yet. The next step is planting saltgrass in the south end of the lake bed.

Salt of the Earth

Saltgrass (Distichlis spicada) was determined best for the dust control plan, and in 2000, seed was collected around the lake bed and aqueduct. 50 acres of saltgrass seed farms were established in the Owens Valley and at S&S Seeds’ test plots in Los Alamos.

By cultivating Owens Valley saltgrass, S&S teamed with Earthworks Construction & Design habitat consultant Margot Griswold and CH2M Hill project design engineers to assist the DWP in its efforts to turn Owens Lake into an area safe for humankind.

According to Griswold, not only is saltgrass a suitable plant species for dust control, but the fact that it is a perennial that spreads makes full coverage for dust control easier to achieve.

The saltgrasses produce runners (rhizomes) and shoots that allow transportation of water and nutrients to new growth.The ability of saltgrass to produce rhizomes enables it to spread in many soil types, including the high salt soil of the Owens dry lake bed.

As soon as the lake bed’s soil is leached and tilled, and the installation of drip lines is complete, mechanized planting of saltgrass will take place.

While the history of Owens Lake has been one clouded by past environmentally dubious decisions, S&S Seeds is proud to be assisting in turning the tide toward reclaiming the area for people and for Mother Nature.

Insecta-Flora A Wildflower seed mix, beneficial insect attractant and alternative food source. Use for chemical-free biological control of crop-destroying insects with the beauty of spring wildflowers. Call (805) 684-0436 to order or order online.

Albright Seed is a Division of S&S Seeds.

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