Owens Valley Disaster Could Be Sac Valley Future

Failed ground water extraction mitigation project in Owens Valley — this used to be a wet meadow.

Owens Valley has been subjected to groundwater pumping and surface water diversions by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power for a century, with disastrous results. As many of you are aware, there are efforts afoot here to take more water from the Sacramento and Feather Rivers and begin incorporating groundwater into these water sales.  Members of the Owens Valley Committee (OVC) spoke at AquAlliance’s November 2012 water conference, which provided us with a view of our future if we don’t stop the State of California and the Bureau of Reclamation’s plans. To learn more about the OVC’s efforts to protect and restore the formerly well-watered Owens Valley, go to www.ovcweb.org.