Conflict Over Water Rights Involves Los Angles Agriculture and Forestry Industries
November 21st, 2008 Posted in noodtarareid.com | editThere is contemporary regional dispute of longstanding in southern California that involves water rights. The so-called California Water Wars refer to the fight between Los Angeles and the Owens Valley over such rights. The entire dispute stems from Los Angeles location in a semi-arid area, and the abundance of water from the Sierra Nevada runoff which collects in the Owens Valley.
Looking back to the 19th century, it was in 1833 that Joseph Walker led a party of explorers into the region that would later become known as the Owens Valley, situated in central California. He noted that the valleys soil was inferior to that on the other side of the Sierra Nevada mountains, and that the water running off of the mountains was completely absorbed by the arid ground.
After the U.S. took control of California in 1848, the first public land survey represented one of the first steps in securing government control of the valley. It was initially reported that the areas soil was not good for agriculture with the exception of the land near streams. Others, though, saw more potential after making contact with the Paiute Indians and their utilization of irrigation ditches to divert large amounts of water from streams.
A majority of settlers came to the region hoping to become rich from mining. Once they reached the Owens Valley the dream became unrealistic and most turned to farming and raising livestock instead. The Homestead Act of 1862 provided settlers five years to take title of their land at little more than a dollar per acre. The Act limited the amount of land an individual could own to 160 acres in order to ensure the creation of small farms. Settlers utilized the Indians knowledge of farming and irrigation to engender fertile ground for crops.
During and after 1866 accelerated acquisition of land had started and by the mid-1890s the majority of the land in the Owens Valley was owned. The large number of claims by land speculators slowed the regions development because they would not construct irrigation canals.
The water wars were initiated in 1898 when Frederick Eaton became mayor of Los Angeles. He selected William Mulholland as the superintendent of the newly-established Department of Water and Power. Eaton and Mulholland shared a vision that the city would become far greater than its then-current dimensions. The only limiting factor on its growth was the lack of a consistent water supply. Eaton and Mulholland postulated that since the Owens Valley profited from a large amount of runoff from the Sierra Nevada, an aqueduct could deliver the Owens water to Los Angeles.
