This is just one post in the Owens Valley & Mono Lake Category

DWP releases it’s groundwater pumping plan for Owens Valley; “just about what we expected” says official

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 10, 2008 at 6:10 am

From the Inyo County Register:

Described as typical of recent annual activity, the coming year’s groundwater pumping in the Owens Valley is slated to remain aligned with prior levels. This latest plan from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power calls for pumping 66,800 acre-feet in the Owens Valley during the coming 12 months. This projected pumping output conforms to the approved levels established when the Interim Management Plan (IMP) was put into effect back in March, 2007.

The annual groundwater pumping plan for the Owens Valley was released in mid-April by the LADWP and was subsequently reviewed by the Inyo County Water Department. Under terms of the Water Agreement between the City of Los Angeles and Inyo County, the LADWP is directed to publish its groundwater pumping plan in April of each year. The “water year” upon which the pumping plans are based runs from April 1 to March 31.

To a significant degree, pumping levels correspond to the amount of precipitation during the winter season. The current Owens Valley Runoff Forecast is based upon the actual survey of snow gauging stations located along the Eastern Sierra Mountain front. The long-term average Owens Valley runoff is 415,725 acre-feet, based upon actual data from 1956-2005.

For the period of April 1, 2008 through March 31, 2009, according to the LADWP report, the forecasted Owens Valley runoff is 356,100 acre-feet, or 86-percent of the long-term average. This includes runoff from streams in Long Valley, Round Valley and the Owens Valley.