Los Angeles

How the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) is trying to reverse this desertification of Owens Lake.

1 minute read

June 4, 2004, 11:00 AM PDT

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech


It's a sunny, clear Sunday--not a dust plume in sight, to the disappointment of our guides. We are on a weekend tour of Owens Valley, ground zero of the California water wars. In our white whale of a bus, we lumber incongruously through the small town of Keeler, California. Once a bustling port, the town now houses only about 90 residents; they live on the shores of what used to be Owens Lake, but now is just a bowl of dust. We're here to see how the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is trying to reverse this desertification of Owens Lake, which it introduced in 1913 with the creation of the L.A. Aqueduct.

Thanks to Julie Taraska

Saturday, May 29, 2004 in MetropolisMag.com

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 18, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Two people walking away from camera through pedestrian plaza in street in Richmond, Virginia with purple and white city bus moving in background.

Vehicle-related Deaths Drop 29% in Richmond, VA

The seventh year of the city's Vision Zero strategy also cut the number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes by half.

June 17, 2025 - WRIC

Woman and young girl looking at subway map, woman pointing.

Can We Please Give Communities the Design They Deserve?

Often an afterthought, graphic design impacts everything from how we navigate a city to how we feel about it. One designer argues: the people deserve better.

June 9, 2025 - John Pobojewski

Close-up of yellow and black goldspotted oak borer beetle on blade of grass.

Southern Californians Survey Trees for Destructive Oak Pest

Hundreds of volunteers across five counties participated in the first Goldspotted Oak Borer Blitz, surveying oak trees for signs of the invasive beetle and contributing valuable data to help protect Southern California’s native woodlands.

June 22 - UC ANR Green Blog

New five-story apartment building under construction.

Opinion: How Geothermal HVAC Lowers Costs, Improves Grid Resilience

Geothermal heating and cooling systems can reduce energy costs and dramatically improve efficiency.

June 22 - Greater Greater Washington

Close-up on clipboard with pre-tenancy application and red pen.

Tenant Screening: A Billion-Dollar Industry with Little Oversight. What’s Being Done to Protect Renters?

Reports show that the data tenant screening companies use is often riddled with errors and relies on information that has no bearing on whether someone will be a good tenant.

June 22 - Shelterforce Magazine