Water levels at Mono Lake, nestled in a stunningly beautiful location on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevadas that provides the eastern gateway to Yosemite, have fallen to a critical level of a local population of nesting gulls.
The nonprofit Mono Lake Committee recently filed a request with the State Water Resources Control Board that asks for the suspension of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s (LADWP) water diversions from Mono Lake, located about 330 miles away from Los Angeles, east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
According to an article by Louis Sahagún for the Los Angeles Times, the Mono Lake Committee hopes to alleviate a threat to natural habitat at the lake.
In its request, the nonprofit Mono Lake Committee argues that the combination of drought and diversions from streams that feed the lake are exposing the lake bottom near islands that host one of the world’s largest nesting gull populations. Unless this is addressed, they say coyotes will be able to access the islands and feast on the eggs of 50,000 California gulls.
Sahagún also provides a history of the city’s diversions from the lake:
Los Angeles […] has been importing water from this eerie, hyper-saline lake since World War II. Last year, the DWP rejected a committee request that it voluntarily cease its diversions of 4,500 acre-feet of Mono Lake water each year. One acre-foot of water is enough to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool halfway.
The water diverted from Mono Lake amounts to roughly 1% of the water consumed by Los Angeles residents in a year. While the city got good news about a recovered source of drinking water at the end of 2022 thanks to a superfund project in the San Fernando Valley groundwater basin, the city still relies on imported water from various environmentally troubled sources, including Mono Lake, the Colorado River, and the Owens Valley. The Owens Valley provides a regional example (located about 70 miles south of Mono Lake) of the environmental risks of L.A.s water supply diversions. The Owens Valley is completely dry, kicks up dust that is a public health risk to local residents, including the indigenous Bishop, Big Pine and Lone Pine tribes of Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone Indians.
Meanwhile the number of gull nests around Mono Lake declines. “The largest number of gull nests ever recorded at Mono Lake was about 32,000 in the early 1990s. In 2019, 11,075 nests were counted, the lowest number recorded over the 34-year course of one of the longest studies of birds in North America,” reports Sahagún.
FULL STORY: Conservationists fight to end Los Angeles water imports from Eastern Sierra’s Mono Lake
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US
The ambitious 6,000-acre project will combine an 800-watt solar farm with crop and livestock production.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
California Grid Runs on 100% Renewable Energy for Over 9 Hours
The state’s energy grid was entirely powered by clean energy for some portion of the day on 37 out of the last 45 days.
New Forecasting Tool Aims to Reduce Heat-Related Deaths
Two federal agencies launched a new, easy-to-use, color-coded heat warning system that combines meteorological and medical risk factors.
AI Traffic Management Comes to Dallas-Fort Worth
Several Texas cities are using an AI-powered platform called NoTraffic to help manage traffic signals to increase safety and improve traffic flow.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.