Water Agreement

 
well-image-left3.jpg (34660 bytes) "No groundwater has been exported from the valley in about the last 15 years" 1

"Yes, it is true some water pumped from the Owens Valley makes its way into the Los Angeles Aqueduct..."2

"[Gerald] Gewe told the DWP board he hopes Los Angeles can pump more Owens Valley groundwater in the years ahead."3

1DWP spokesman Chris Plakos as quoted in the Inyo Register,
Dec. 4, 2003
2DWP spokesman Gene Coufal as quoted in the Inyo Register,
Dec. 23, 2003
3DWP Assistant General Manager Gerald Gewe as quoted in the LA Weekly, April 30- May 6, 2004

 well-image-right3.jpg (34758 bytes)
Well 380 pumping groundwater into the LA Aqueduct, October 19, 2003   Well 380 pumping groundwater into the LA Aqueduct, October 19, 2003

INTRODUCTION
  What's all the fuss about?  An Introduction to the Inyo-LA Long Term Water Agreement

BACKGROUND
  Legal and political
  The texts of the Inyo-LA Long Term Water Agreement (LTWA) and MOU are available at the website of the Inyo County Water Department .
  The text of the EIR to the LTWA contains much important material clarifying DWP's obligations under the LTWA but is not available electronically -- contact the Inyo County Water Department or the Inyo County Library to see a copy.
  A brief history of the development of the Water Agreement and MOU
  Definitions of some of the terms, acronyms, and concepts in the LTWA
  Link to the Owens Valley Committee website, which has much information about the LTWA and MOU.   The OVC was a party to the MOU (signed in 1997) which was intended to remedy deficiencies in the EIR to the LTWA.
 
  Scientific
  A brief description of groundwater dependent vegetation on the floor of Owens Valley  
  Monitoring Owens Valley vegetation and groundwater
  A long term record of groundwater pumping in Owens Valley
  A conceptual diagram of the Owens Valley Aquifer System
  Common Misconceptions about pumping and vegetation
 
  Case Studies
  The well test that wouldn't die: testing of wells 380 and 381, 1996 - 2004
  The affair of the enlarged wells
 
  DWP becomes the Technical Group: jeopardizing Reinhackle Springs
 

THE PROBLEMS
  In ecological terms
  Excessive Groundwater Pumping
  Inadequacy of the ON/OFF management protocol
  Mitigation projects which cause new, unmitigated impacts
 
 
  In political terms
  The imbalance of financial and political power between Los Angeles and Inyo County: might makes right
 
  Excluding the public from the decision-making process: Inyo County as its own worst enemy
 
 
  In Legal terms
  Evading "avoiding":  DWP's refusal to acknowledge its obligation to "avoid" significant pumping impacts
  The uncertain fate of the Drought Recovery Policy
 
  Bad faith
 

WHAT IS BEING LOST: Beauty, biodiversity, meadows, and sinks

  Threatened area #1: Parcels Blackrock 94, 99 and 69
  Threatened area #2: Parcel Blackrock 9
  Threatened area #3: Parcels Tinnemaha 50 & 68
  Threatened area #4: Parcels Laws 85 & 107
  Threatened area #5: Parcel Blackrock 16

THE SOLUTION: a dream!
  Letters to write, phone calls to make!
  An educated and engaged public
  A reformed DWP