Skip to main content

Currently Skimming:

3 Natural Resources and Environmental Context
Pages 45-70

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 45...
... Surface Water The complex and altered surface water system of the Owens Valley includes the Owens River, tributary streams, the Los Angeles Aqueduct, reservoirs, interbasin transfers from the Mono Lake watershed, and Owens Lake itself (see Figure 3-1)
From page 46...
... via the Mono Craters Tunnel. The Los Angeles Aqueduct begins south of the Tinemaha Reservoir, about 40 miles north of Owens Lake.
From page 47...
... . The Los Angeles Aqueduct exports surface water along with additional water from groundwater pumping out of the Owens Valley (see Figure 3-1)
From page 48...
... when aqueduct capacity is exceeded, does significant surface runoff reach Owens Lake. Under extreme flood conditions, unmanaged flows can enter Owens Lake from the north through the Owens River or via numerous smaller mountain drainages to the east or west of the lake.
From page 49...
... Shallow groundwater (<50 feet) directly beneath Owens Lake is saline to hypersaline, reflecting the evaporation and concentration of salts that occurred in recent history and following the diversion of the Owens River and subsequent near desiccation of Owens Lake.
From page 50...
... . LADWP is currently investigating the potential use of groundwater withdrawn from beneath Owens Lake for dust control efforts as part of the Owens Lake Groundwater Development Program using an adaptive management approach.2 Additional detail on Owens Valley hydrology and groundwater budgets can be found in Hollett et al.
From page 51...
... , primarily through water conservation efforts in the Owens Valley, including at Owens Lake. Owens Lake water conservation is intended to complement LADWP investments in recycled water, stormwater, and groundwater storage and additional efforts to reduce per capita water use through water conservation and efficiency projects to reach LADWP's overall water supply goals.
From page 52...
... SOURCE: Cortez-Davis, 2018. Climate Change and Water Management Climate change in the 21st century is expected to have significant impacts on the hydrology and water resources of California, the Sierra Nevada, which supplies runoff to the Owens River, and to the Owens Valley itself.
From page 53...
... Over the medium to long term, prolonged droughts will further reduce the availability of water for dust mitigation and downstream water use, as was seen in 2015 when LADWP halted flow through the Los Angeles Aqueduct to ensure that legal obligations for Owens Lake dust control and Owens River minimum flows were met (Barragan, 2015)
From page 54...
... The locations and details of these archaeological and sacred sites are exempt from public disclosure, according to the California Public Records Act. Under the 2014 Stipulated Judgement for Owens Lake, "cultural and biological resource protection and mitigation shall be incorporated to the extent feasible as required by law into the design of dust control areas."3 Local tribes who originally inhabited the Owens Valley are an integral part of the ecosystem and have a strong sense of ownership and stewardship in the valley.
From page 55...
... In planning any future dust control areas beyond the current ordered areas, advance consideration of traditional focal points of cultural activities, such as springs and wetlands, could help avoid inadvertent damage of cultural resources. The tribes have requested that culturally and historically significant sites not be subjected to heavy machinery and leveling operations typically associated with DCM construction and that LADWP and the District secure roads leading to or near the sites to minimize looting and inadvertent destruction (Bancroft, 2013)
From page 56...
... In addition, the department's 2010 Habitat Management Plan for Owens Lake (LADWP, 2010) requires no net loss of riparian or aquatic habitat functions, values, and acreage, with implementation of the dust control areas outlined in the 2008 SIP (GBUAPCD, 2008)
From page 57...
... Bird populations in particular have increased since dust control management began, with the heterogeneous mix of habitat types providing foraging and nesting habitat for more than 100 bird species, leading the National Audubon Society and American Bird Conservancy to designate Owens Lake as an Important Bird Area. The following sections describe the key habitats of the current Owens Lake system.
From page 58...
... These high inver FIGURE 3-8  Shallow flooding for dust control creates low to moderate salinity pools that provide a robust food web that attracts thousands of birds to Owens Lake. SOURCE: Photo courtesy of Valerie Eviner, panel member.
From page 59...
... Dust control features provide three-fold more shoreline habitat than the historic lake shoreline (Robinson, 2018)
From page 60...
... . These saltgrass meadows are key habitat for bird species that are distinct from those benefiting from shallow flooding, such as the Savannah sparrow, northern harrier, American kestrel, and horned lark.
From page 61...
... population of lizards utilize alkali meadows in Owens Valley, but they have not been detected in managed vegetation areas of Owens Lake (LADWP, 2010)
From page 62...
... EFFECTIVENESS AND IMPACTS OF DUST CONTROL MEASURES FOR OWENS LAKE FIGURE 3-12  Diverse shrublands at lake margins (top) and surrounding the lake (bottom)
From page 63...
... Because of shallow flooding dust control efforts, Owens Lake is now one of the most important breeding sites in California for Snowy Plover, a state species of special concern that breeds from March to July (Oring et al., 2013)
From page 64...
... Understanding the wildlife effects of changes in water-based dust control requires quantification of the spatial extent of standing water, the depth of that water, and the seasonality of its application relative to specific bird species that are being managed. A habitat suitability model is currently being used to track changes in potential habitat of the different bird guilds and to aid in long-term landscape-scale planning.
From page 65...
... . Two important shorebirds, the Snowy Plover and American Avocet, commonly breed in Owens Lake dust control areas and perimeter wetlands, but use distinct habitats (Roberts et al., 2016)
From page 66...
... . Shallow flooding dust control has significantly increased the presence of gulls from spring through fall, and although they have attempted to nest, whether they have successfully bred at Owens Lake is unknown.
From page 67...
... Another challenge is to ensure that future water management decisions related to providing dust control on Owens Lake do not compromise important habitats in the landscape beyond the lake. For example, groundwater pumping and water diversion can disrupt seeps, springs, streams, and rivers, compromising key perennially wet habitats (e.g., marshes, meadows, riparian areas)
From page 68...
... found no significant impact of dust control on mining, LADWP is not allowed to infringe or impact mineral lease areas, either through dust mitigation or releases from the Owens River. Because the deposit consists of evaporite minerals and a sodium-­ carbonate-rich brine, they are sensitive to flooding or dilution from excess water inflows, potentially from flash floods or by surface drainage or enhanced groundwater flows from the dust control areas.
From page 69...
... Therefore, management of Owens Lake should not disrupt water sources to these habitats. Mineral Resources Conclusion: The western portion of the lakebed, including mineral leases covering a large portion of this area, are hydraulically connected to the current dust control areas as well as the Owens River.


This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More information on Chapter Skim is available.