LADWP extends ranch leases for properties in Inyo and Mono counties
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 5, 2010 at 6:48 amFrom Bishop’s Inyo Register:
“It appears Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Interim General Manager David Freeman is making good on at least one of the promises made during a recent visit to the Owens Valley. The LADWP announced this week that, for the first time since the 1970’s, it has approved five-year ranch leases for 60 properties in Inyo and Mono counties.
This is a return to the LADWP’s practices of the 1940s and 1950s.
During his visit to the Owens Valley in January, Freeman vowed to look at several areas of concern for local residents and businesses, including LADWP land holdings and leases.While his agency has not yet moved forward on the land releases, Freeman said his department would meet with county officials in the coming months to work on that. In the mean time, the department decided to extend the local ranch leases. … “
Read more from the Inyo Register by clicking here.
L.A. takes a shine to another Owens Valley product: sun
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 2, 2010 at 7:32 amFrom the Los Angeles Times:
“Reporting from Lone Pine – First it was silver ore that streamed to Los Angeles from the rim of the Owens Valley, then the water from the valley floor.
Now, L.A. has come back for the sunshine.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the agency responsible for turning Owens Lake into a dusty salt flat and snatching up nearly every acre from Lone Pine to Bishop, has its sights on transforming the Owens Valley into one of largest sources of solar power in America.
Interim DWP Chief S. David Freeman says the valley on the dry side of the Sierra Nevada is blessed with the “best sun in the country.” He envisions a gigantic solar array that could cover 80 square miles of dry lake bed and nearby flatlands, a sea of photovoltaic cells roughly the size of Cleveland that would generate up to 10% of all the power produced in California while simultaneously calming the region’s fierce dust storms. … “
Read more from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.
DWP’s Freeman reaffirms goal of open Inyo-L.A. talks in solar power meeting; Inyo County supes steer solar talk toward land issues
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 15, 2010 at 7:01 am
From Bishop’s Inyo Register:
“Interim General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power S. David Freeman used his well-known charm on a crowd of more than 300 Monday as he and other DWP managers held a public discussion about a proposed solar park on the bed of the Owens Lake.
Freeman received some rounds of applause and several chuckles from the audience – a rare occurrence for the head of the utility that, as Freeman himself said, “stole the land” from the people of Inyo.
“I’m an honest guy,” Freeman said, adding that the meeting may sound a little strange as DWP has no details about the solar project, but that’s the point. He said that in the past DWP would not relay the details of a project until it was complete, but this time Freeman wanted to be upfront from the ground level.
He said this is an “historic period” as the utility goes from “dirty to clean,” moving away from coal toward renewable energy sources. … “
In a related story, the Inyo Register reports that the Inyo County Supervisors attending the meeting steered Freeman towards the local economy, land use, and DWP’s unfulfilled promises:
” … Second District Supervisor Susan Cash said that a major solar project on the Dry Lake would create a housing and infrastructure demand on Southern Inyo, and wanted to know how the department would handle that.
Freeman said that the LADWP would sub-let pieces of the lake bed to public entities, which would, in turn, pay taxes to support services.
More to the point, Cash said that there are several properties that the LADWP holds in downtown corridors throughout the valley that could be released to the public. That includes 70 acres that were slated to be released last year, but the LADWP claims it did not receive any reasonable bids during the auction.“Lone Pine, Independence and Big Pine have vacant DWP land on Main Street” that could be put into public hands, Fourth District Supervisor Marty Fortney added.
“I’m on your side on this particular issue,” Freeman said. “Let’s take every one of these pieces of land that are in a particular area and do something serious with them.” … “
Read more of this story from the Inyo Register by clicking here.
DWP chief pitches solar farm plans to Owens Valley residents
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 12, 2010 at 3:36 pm
From the Los Angeles Times’ LA Now blog:
“The head of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power tonight told Owens Valley residents that the utility plans to explore the viability of installing massive solar arrays near Lone Pine that potentially could generate the equivalent of a million households’ worth of power
S. David Freeman, general manager and the mayor’s top environmental advisor, met with community members for close to two hours inside a church hall in Bishop to provide details of the proposals, which he stressed were still in the very early stages.
The DWP is considering erecting a solar facility on Owens Lake, drained by the DWP nearly a century ago when it diverted its water supply to the Los Angeles Aqueduct, and also on DWP-owned land stretching from the lake bed north to the town of Independence.
Freeman told the crowd he made the trip in part to assuage any skepticism that Owens Valley residents may harbor against the DWP for its water grab, legal conflicts and clashes over its stewardship of its lands. … “
Read more from the Los Angeles Times’ LA Now blog by clicking here.
DWP head to float Owens Lake solar panel proposal
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 12, 2010 at 5:57 amFrom Bishop’s Inyo Register (note: this meeting actually occurred yesterday, but this story was not posted until this morning. However, it contains a lot of details about the project nonetheless):
The interim general manager for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, S. David Freeman, also known as the “Green Cowboy,” will be in Bishop on Monday to discuss a proposed five gigawatt solar park on Owens Lake.
In a phone interview Thursday, Freeman said that the meeting is also a way to open lines of communication with the residents of the Owens Valley. “I feel we’re entering a new era,” Freeman said, “and finally having a relationship with the folks in Inyo.”
He said as the former general manager for DWP from 1997-2001, he is fully aware of the relationship, or lack thereof, that has existed between Inyo and LADWP.
“In the past, DWP would do something and the people (of Inyo County) would be told what happened,” Freeman explained, adding that he hopes the public meeting will be a chance for community input and an opportunity for the residents to feel a sense of “ownership.” … “
Read more from Bishop’s Inyo Register by clicking here.
Coso pumps, Little Lake Ranch objects
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 8, 2010 at 6:45 am
From the Inyo Register:
“Just weeks after Coso Operating Company began pumping water from its Hay Ranch property, Little Lake Ranch has sent a formal letter of complaint to the Inyo County Water Department.
Coso is pumping water from Hay Ranch for reinjection into its depleting geothermal reservoirs. Basically, these reservoirs help create steam to drive turbines that generate electricity.
Little Lake had settled out of court with Coso in late August 2009 over disagreements about the project’s Environmental Impact Report, for an undisclosed amount.
Most of the opponents, such as the Sierra Club and the California Native Plant Society, did not have the money to file their own suits against Coso and were hoping to ride the coattails of Little Lake. But, when Little Lake settled, the other opponents had to back off.
Now, Gary Arnold, part owner of, and legal counsel for, Little Lake Ranch has sent the ICWD a formal letter objecting to the proposed groundwater baselines for the Coso Geothermal Plant Hay Ranch pumping. … “
Read more from the Inyo Register by clicking here.
Mono Lake hydrology update: Ice dam break!
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 15, 2009 at 7:37 amFrom the Mono-logue:
“When the temperature drops close to zero, some interesting things happen to the flowing water in Mono Lake’s tributaries. I shot this video on December 8th at Rush Creek right after measuring the flow in a side channel. Ominous cracking noises in the silent below freezing air preceded this dramatic burst of water and ice.
Why are we out there measuring the flow when it is so cold that our instruments–and toes–are freezing up?
The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) granted the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) a temporary change in the minimum flow requirements on Rush and Lee Vining Creek this winter. … “
Read more from the Mono-logue by clicking here.
Sunshine to help solve Owens Lake dust issues?
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 11, 2009 at 6:16 amFrom Bishop’s Inyo Register:
“Because Inyo County has more days of sunshine than almost any other place in the world, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is focusing on its local property, hoping to kick off a solar energy program.
Though no specific sites have been officially selected for construction, the LADWP is looking at two areas, one between Independence and Lone Pine and a second on Owens Lake, where the department hopes it can kill two birds with one stone by erecting solar panels. “We hope there is a future for solar power on Owens Lake and we can use that as part of our dust mitigation,” LADWP Head of Water Operations Martin Adams said.
In total, there are more than 100 square miles of lake bed on the Owens Lake. The LADWP uses between 90,000 and 95,000 acre-feet of water each year on dust control, a mandate handed down by the state.
Since the LADWP began working on dust control measures on the lake it has been working to find a way to keep dust down while conserving water. Solar, Adams said, could be a “win-win” for dust control and water conservation. … “
Read more from the Inyo Register by clicking here.
Dried-up Owens Lake to get remedial solar array
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 10, 2009 at 6:50 am
From Clean Technica:
“In probably the first ever example of using solar for environmental remediation, the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power wants to try using a small 50-MW photovoltaic plant at Owens Lake for dust control.
They want to see if it can help stabilize the swirling dust and toxic salts that remain on the dried-up lake, reducing the amount of scarce California water the LADWP must use to periodically flood the former lake. Owens Lake was drained dry to supply Los Angeles in the early 1900s, leaving behind a massive salt flat.
The initial project is small: a 616-acre solar farm that would use less than 1 percent of the 110-square-mile lakebed. … “
Read more from Clean Technica by clicking here.
Owens Lake as solar power plant? The DWP seeks to build a 660-acre pilot project on the dry lake bed — and avoid doing an environmental impact report
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 2, 2009 at 6:17 am
From the Los Angeles Times:
“Nearly a century after Los Angeles drained Owens Lake by diverting its water to the Los Angeles Aqueduct, the city now hopes to generate solar energy on the dusty salt flats it left behind.
The Department of Water and Power’s board of commissioners Tuesday unanimously approved a renewable energy pilot project that would cover 616 acres of lake bed with solar arrays — a possible precursor to a mammoth solar farm that could cover thousands of acres.
City utility officials hope that, along with generating power for L.A., the solar panels would reduce the fierce dust storms that rise from the dry lake bed. To comply with federal clean air standards, the DWP must control the dust that has plagued the Owens Valley for decades. Its efforts are part of a $500-million dust mitigation plan.
The solar project still must win approval from the California State Lands Commission, and that may be a difficult task. The commission’s executive officer Tuesday said he had serious concerns about the size of the “demonstration” project and the DWP’s plans to seek an exemption from a state environmental impact review. … “
Read more from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.
To learn more about the Los Angeles Aqueduct, check out Aquafornia’s slideshow:
DWP seed farm helping to make Owens Valley greener
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 21, 2009 at 7:53 am
From the Inyo Register:
“The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is getting into the gardening business.
Crews with the LADWP planted more than 2,000 native plants at Laws, north of Bishop, on Oct. 20 as part of its seed farm program.
For approximately five years the LADWP has been harvesting seeds from various species of native plants to grow at several parcels of land throughout the valley.According to Public Relations Manager Chris Plakos, the seed farm project is part of the Inyo-L.A. Long-Term Water Agreement, and will give some areas of the Owens Valley a hearty helping of native foliage.
Last month, construction and watershed management with the LADWP hand-placed 2,000 young plants in a 118-acre area referred to as the “Laws Seed Farm.” That was the first batch of plants to go into the seed farm that were grown in the LADWP greenhouse in Bishop.
Once the plants flower, they will be used to produce seeds, which will be harvested and taken to the greenhouse, where they will be grown into sproutlings before being transferred to on of the native plant project parcels in the valley. … “
Read more from the Inyo Register by clicking here.
Inyo County Supes to dive into DFG’s hatchery, stocking analysis
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 11, 2009 at 4:12 pmFrom Bishop’s Inyo Register:
“County officials are slated to discuss issues ranging from department hires to local fishing at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.
The Planning Department has prepared a letter to the California Department of Fish and Game on a draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement for the Hatchery Stocking Program. The board is scheduled to comment on that letter Tuesday.
In the letter, Planning Director Mike Conklin asks that the DFG notify the county of any environmental reviews or other activities that affect the county, as no one was notified of the Hatchery and Stocking Program EIR/EIS.
Conklin also points out that fishing, recreation and related tourism are important to Inyo’s economy, and that if the DFG reduces fishing in the area, it would significantly impact tourism.
“The draft EIR/EIS indicates the contrary,” Conklin said. “And therefore, inadequately analyzes the potential socioeconomic impacts of the alternatives that reduce access.” …”
Read more from the Inyo Register by clicking here.
Fall Mono Lake Newsletter now online for everyone
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 10, 2009 at 3:33 pmFrom the Mono-logue:
“The Fall 2009 edition of the Mono Lake Newsletter is now available online and in color. Can you find yourself in the crowd on the cover? Want to know the status of Willow Flycatchers on Rush Creek? … see the interview with biologist Chris McCreedy on page 6. Did you know that Outdoor Experiences groups helped with invasive plant species removal all summer long? … see more on page 10. …”
Read more from the Mono-logue and get the link to the newsletter by clicking here.
Control of Bishop’s city park now in local hands
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 28, 2009 at 10:32 pm
From Bishop’s Inyo Register:
“After decades of tugging and pulling with the City of Los Angeles, the City of Bishop finally has its hands on a long-term lease for the City Park. At 10:45 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, the Los Angeles City Council finalized a document that will allow a 40-year lease between Bishop and L.A., from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2049 for the 50-acre Bishop City Park.
The 40-year lease will not only open the door for big-dollar funding opportunities, but it also comes with added autonomy for Bishop. In the past, Bishop had to ask permission from the land owner, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, to stage any activity or do any work at the grounds. Now Bishop has the say.
City Administrator Rick Pucci had spent four days in L.A. in the past week, finalizing details on the lease. The lease agreement was in danger of expiring and Pucci was in L.A. when the item was fast-tracked and put on the L.A. City Council’s agenda. Pucci was available for the council and helped push the metropolis’ council to sign the long-term lease. …”
Read more from the Inyo Register by clicking here.
Klondike Lake debate proves unsinkable
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 15, 2009 at 7:52 am
From Bishop’s Inyo Register:
“Inyo County continues to keep the debate about motorized use at Klondike Lake at arms length despite cries for help from a number of concerned citizens.
When the Save Klondike Committee first formed this spring, the board assigned two members, Second District Supervisor Susan Cash and Fourth District Supervisor Marty Fortney, to work with the citizen group and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in hopes of keeping Klondike Lake opened to motorized use. The board has refused to demand that LADWP keep Klondike open to motorized use, saying it does not have the financial means to contribute to regulating the lake and that it is LADWP’s lake and responsibility.
The Save Klondike Committee has volunteered man-hours and money to regulate the lake, saying it feels it is everyone’s responsibility to guard local waters from invasive quagga mussels while enjoying the recreational opportunities local lakes provide.
During a heated discussion at last week’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Bishop resident Kammi Foote said that Klondike Lake is a mitigation measure in the Long Term Water Agreement, meaning the LADWP has a legal responsibility to keep the lake open for “reasonable” recreational uses, as stated in the LTWA. …”
Read more from the Inyo Register by clicking here.
You can find out more about the Los Angeles Aqueduct and the issues surrounding it by checking out the Aquafornia slideshow: The Los Angeles Aqueduct in pictures: From Mono Lake to Southern California
Nahai’s resignation leaves some questions for Owens Valley residents
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 13, 2009 at 7:39 amFrom Bishop’s Inyo Register:
“A change in management for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has raised some questions locally, specifically about Bishop’s attempts to obtain a long-term lease for the City Park property.
David Nahai, the LADWP general manager and CEO, resigned last week, leaving long-time Deputy Mayor and former LADWP Manager S. David Freeman at the utility’s helm as L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa seeks out a replacement.
Bishop City Administrator Rick Pucci said he has no idea how Nahai’s resignation will weigh on city attempts to obtain a 40-year lease on the park property. Though Nahai did support the lease proposal, Pucci said he hopes the changing of the guard will not affect the lease process. …”
Read more from the Inyo Register by clicking here.
You can learn more about the Los Angeles Aqueduct in this exclusive Aquafornia slideshow by clicking here.
Coso breaks ground in Southeast Inyo
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 30, 2009 at 7:34 amFrom the Inyo Register:
“Coso Operating Company broke ground on its water pumping project for its geothermal power generating plant last Thursday. When the project is completed, water will be pumped from Coso’s Hay Ranch property, near Coso Junction, nearly nine miles to the geothermal plant. This water will be added to the geothermal reservoir that is drying up, due to evaporation and other factors. This geothermal reservoir is basically the hot water that is turned into steam, pressurized and used to turn turbines, which in turn creates electricity.
According to Coso, the additional water will help generate an additional 50 megawatts of power, enough to supply 50,000 homes. Coso also claims that it is at the industry forefront of producing clean, renewable energy in a relatively benign way.
Opponents of the project, such as the California Native Plant Society and the Sierra Club, claim that the facility is not necessarily “renewable” if water must be pumped and shipped to keep the plant on line. …”
Read more from the Inyo Register by clicking here.
Coso ready to break ground at Hay Ranch
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 23, 2009 at 6:39 amFrom the Inyo Register:
“Coso Operating Company is inching ever so closer to begin pumping water from Hay Ranch to its geothermal plant.
On Thursday, Coso will be breaking ground on the nine miles of pipeline needed to get the water from Coso’s fallow Hay Ranch property for injection into its depleting geothermal reservoir. That water, Coso has explained, is needed to produce steam that drives turbines and creates electricity.
In May, Coso was granted permission from the county to pump, and in July, it was granted a right of way, or ROW, permit from the Bureau of Land Management to construct the pipeline. …”
Read more from the Inyo Register by clicking here.
Los Angeles’ Generation Power realizes the importance of their water conservation work at Mono Lake
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 10, 2009 at 7:54 amFrom the Mono-logue blog:
“The 2009 Outdoor Experiences season has been going strong all summer! It is the first season here for both me and my co-worker Logan Parsons and we are finding the program very fun and rewarding. I drove out to the Mono Basin from New Hampshire this spring and am still trying to get used to the stunning Sierra and vast open spaces of the west. As I get to know this place, it keeps opening up to reveal more and more beauty and mystery.
Two groups in particular have really blown us away as far as the maturity and attitudes of the students. Both were part of a program called Generation Power. All the students attended the Infrastructure Academy, a school sponsored by the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (DWP) that prepares students for jobs in city infrastructure. …”
Read more from the Mono-logue by clicking here.
Coso and Little Lake strike a deal
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on August 28, 2009 at 6:24 amFrom the Inyo Register:
“A deal has been cut between the two parties feuding over the water beneath Hay Ranch in southern Inyo County.
Coso Operating Company has come to a settlement with Little Lake Ranch, following concerns that Coso’s plan to pump water “upstream” from the lake could potentially spell the end for the lake on the east side of U.S. 395 near Olancha.
The settlement will, according to a press release from Coso, “provide improvements around Little Lake to ensure that water for recreational habitat conservation purposes remains available, consistent with historic conditions.” The details to the settlement are not being released.
Joe Greco, senior vice-president for Terra-Gen Power, Coso’s parent company, said Wednesday that any details as to the monetary compensation or “improvements” promised in the deal, are confidential. “The bottom line is, it’s equitable and we’re moving forward,” Greco said. …”
More from the Inyo Register by clicking here.
Critics fight DWP’s moat & row plan for dust control on Owens Lake
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on August 26, 2009 at 6:10 amFrom Bishop’s Inyo Register:
“Inyo County and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power are working together with the Great Basin Air Pollution Control District to push a dust control project at the Owens Dry Lake forward. Representatives from all three agencies met last week in Los Angeles for an informational session with the State Lands Commission regarding the proposed moat and row dust control project for the lake.
Though the meeting was only informational and the Sate Lands Commission will not make any decisions on the proposed plan until its October meeting, organizations such as the Sierra Club and Audubon Society were on hand to protest the LADWP’s Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement.
Before the LADWP can begin its moat and row dust mitigation project, which consists of digging a series of trenches and berms compacted with water, it must jump through a couple hoops. …”
Read more from the Inyo Register by clicking here.
Picture gallery of the Owens Valley and other waterscapes of California and Northern Nevada
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on August 18, 2009 at 8:11 am
I recently traveled to Reno for a week, stopping along the way and taking lots of pictures. I will be putting these pictures with other pictures I have taken over the years, and will be building another photo tour – this one of the Owens Valley and the L.A. Aqueduct system. This post is the pictures from my trip, and is just a sampling of the slideshow to come. Look for it in a couple of weeks.
This picture is of some wildflowers in the Owens Valley.
So … from the LA Aqueduct siphon at Jawbone Canyon to the alpine scenery of the Sierras, from the Lake Tahoe to Nevada’s Pyramid Lake, and even a picture of the very first dam ever built by the U.S. Reclamation Service, click ‘Read More’ to check out some pictures from my trip!
Mixed reactions to new marine protection zones
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on August 14, 2009 at 10:48 pmFrom the Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
For some, the new state marine protection areas on the North Coast are necessary to bring back depleted fisheries. For others, they impose an unfair hardship on fishermen near the border of Sonoma and Mendocino counties.
In the coming years, “we are going to see a comeback” in marine species and ecosystems, said Richard Charter, a Bodega Bay resident and environmental activist who served on the group that helped devise the final plan.
But fishermen said that too much of the coastline between Jenner and Point Arena will be placed off limits, especially for abalone divers and those who want to catch rockfish. “We’ve lost a lot of fishing grounds, more than our share,” said Allan Jacobs, a retired commercial fishermen in Point Arena.
Read more from the Press-Democrat by clicking here.
LADWP tries to keep Owens Lake dust down
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on August 14, 2009 at 10:00 pmFrom KABC Channel 7:
“Despite a serious drought, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has to pump fresh water into the desert, because of a court settlement. Now the DWP is looking for non-water alternatives to control the dust.
Besides providing water and electricity for L.A. residents, the LADWP has been in the dust control business for about a decade. Under the terms of a court-supervised settlement, the department diverts 68,000 acre-feet of clean, fresh water onto a dry lake near Lone Pine. Even during the worst drought in memory, water still flows onto Owens Lake.
“There is nothing in the agreement that would allow us to not meet our obligation in a drought year,” said Jim McDaniel, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. …”
DWP is looking at installing solar panels to not only produce power but to control dust on the dry lakebed as well. Find out more from KABC, or watch the video by clicking here.
Southern California waters the desert during a drought?
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on August 14, 2009 at 7:22 amFrom KABC Channel 7:
“As Southern California deals with its worst drought in recent memory, Los Angeles is paying a heavy price to put water back into the desert.
Owens Lake dried up 90 years ago after William Mulholland diverted the Owens River into the Department of Water and Power’s new aqueduct and brought the water to Los Angeles. A court-ordered project to cut dust from the dry lake is costing half a billion dollars and huge amounts of water.
“We have a legal obligation to control the dust,” said Jim McDaniels, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. …”
Read more or watch the video from KABC by clicking here.
Boating at Klondike possible all summer
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on July 14, 2009 at 7:27 amFrom Bishop’s Inyo Register:
Klondike Lake will be open to recreational use throughout the summer thanks to several dedicated citizens and the support of the Inyo County Board of Supervisors.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power announced Thursday that Klondike will be opened for motorized watercraft access every Saturday through Sept. 5. The department even went so far as to say that it is considering opening the lake to motorized recreation two additional days a week.
“We had a meeting with a couple members of the Board of Supervisors and the Save Klondike Committee on Monday, and we decided to keep the lake open then,” said LADWP Assistant Aqueduct Manager and Quagga Mussel Expert Clarence Martin.
Read more from the Inyo Register by clicking here.
Historic Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery to re-open to public
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 29, 2009 at 7:50 am
From Bishop’s Inyo Register:
After fires and floods, the Mount Whitney Fish Hatchery is ready to accept visitors – but, for now, just the human type. The hatchery is not yet ready, physically or financially, to return to the world-class egg producing hatchery it once was.
On July 5-6, 2007, the Inyo Complex Fire burned 55,000 acres west of the hatchery, then a year later, almost to the day, on July 12, 2008, a fierce thunderstorm in the area caused massive flooding damage to the hatchery. Two employee residences and two spawning buildings were lost and the water and pipe infrastructure of the hatchery was destroyed.
Thousands of volunteer man hours have gone into cleaning up the ponds and grounds at the hatchery site that were damaged or destroyed by the flood, according to Bruce Ivey, president of the Friends of the Mount Whitney Hatchery.
“It’s the most beautiful it’s looked in years,” Ivey said of the outside grounds. And to commemorate the reopening of the hatchery as a setting for small gatherings or weddings, the Friends are inviting the public to a reopening party and dinner at 5 p.m., Saturday, May 30, at the hatchery north of Independence. Tickets are $10.
Read more from the Inyo Register by clicking here.
Coso Geothermal to begin pumping at Hay Ranch
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 29, 2009 at 7:40 amFrom Bishop’s Inyo Register:
After four years of analysis, environmental review and multiple visits to court rooms and public hearings, Coso Operating Company is finally moving ahead with its Hay Ranch project after the Inyo County Board Supervisors approved the project on May 6. Coso representatives said that they are excited to finally be moving forward with the project designed to increase energy production at the Southern Inyo geothermal facility.
The project involves Coso pumping water from its Hay Ranch property, and piping the water more than nine miles to be injected into the power plant’s geothermal reservoir that has been depleted through evaporation over the 20 years of the plant’s life.
Opposition for the project has come from environmental groups and the owners of the Little Lake Ranch and Hunting Club, worried that the pumping will cause irreparable damage to the lake and surrounding riparian area.
Part of the Conditional Use Permit issued to Coso contains mitigation measures that would prevent the pumping from causing serious damage to the environment.
Read more from the Inyo Register by clicking here.
Well ordinance may be adopted in Mono County
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 23, 2009 at 8:14 amFrom the Mammoth Times:
Mono County Environmental Director Louis Molina and Assistant County Council Allen Berrey stood before the Mono County Board of Supervisors on May 5 with a report on how Mono County communities feel about an all-encompassing ordinance that would prohibit the drilling of personal water wells in the county if those wells are within the boundaries of an already-existing water district.
Back in November, the supervisors had asked county staff to go to the communities through the Regional Planning Committee meetings and find out how the communities feel about a new well ordinance. Community members in Benton, Chalfant, Walker and Long Valley were dead against a county-wide ordinance, stating that, since the problem is within the June Lake Area, it is a June Lake problem and not a county problem.
Members of the Mono Basin Regional Planning Committee in Lee Vining voted 6-1 in favor of a county-wide well ordinance. Meanwhile, Bridgeport already has its own water system in place with its own rules, so it was felt the county need not interfere.
Read more from the Mammoth Times by clicking here.
LADWP may have cure for Klondike closure
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 23, 2009 at 7:59 amFrom Bishop’s Inyo Register:
Good news for residents and visitors who water ski and recreate on Klondike Lake: The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has developed a trial schedule for motorized use that keeps the lake open on a limited basis. The new schedule, released by LADWP last week, keeps the lake open from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturdays from May 23 through June 13. If the schedule works out without costing the LADWP money, the department said it would consider keeping that schedule throughout the summer.
“We met with the Save Klondike Committee people a couple times last week and the week before and I hope they’re happy with this,” said Clarence Martin, LADWP’s quagga mussel expert. “We’re trying to get a feel for how much use there is, and how this is going to work.”
Martin has been working with Inyo County and the Save Klondike Committee to try to find a way to keep Klondike open to motorized recreation despite the threat of a quagga mussel infestation that could cost the department millions of dollars. If the invasive bivalves do get into Klondike, it wouldn’t take long for them to spread to the Owens River and cause millions of dollars worth of damage to the L.A. aqueduct, dams and other LADWP infrastructure on the river.
Read more from the Inyo Register by clicking here.
Committee will study options for Klondike Lake
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 17, 2009 at 7:42 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
Klondike Lake in Owens Valley is not much to look at. The shoreline is gooey, and the murky water has an unappealing greenish hue. Even the people who like Klondike Lake don’t have much good to say about it. “It’s just a mud puddle in the valley here,” said Greg Foote, a biologist in Bishop who likes to take his Yamaha Waverunner out to Klondike.
But make no mistake: In a desert valley where summer temperatures routinely hit 100 degrees and where most of the water tumbling out of the towering Sierra Nevada to the east is siphoned into an aqueduct and carried to Los Angeles, Klondike Lake is a beautiful thing.
“It’s 10 minutes from my house, so when it gets hot, which it is a lot, that’s the first place we go,” said Troy Senn, parts manager at Golden State Cycles in Bishop. “It’s not a place with a lot of nice beaches, but it’s a great place to take your boat out and do some water-skiing or wakeboarding and cool off for a while.”
Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here. Read coverage of this same story from Bishop’s Inyo Register by clicking here.
In the Owens Valley, resentment again flows with the water
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 16, 2009 at 10:00 amFrom the Los Angeles Times:
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is quietly prospecting once again for land and water rights in the Owens Valley, sparking tense disputes among residents over the agency’s influence on their economic stability. Unlike previous battles between Owens Valley residents and the DWP, which focused on the environmental and economic damage caused by L.A.’s pumping of local water supplies, the current campaign seeks to break the agency’s grip on land the locals say is needed for commerce, hospitals, parking and affordable housing along a 112-mile stretch of Highway 395 east of the Sierra Nevada.
“Sustainable communities — that’s what they are sucking out of this place along with our water,” said Scott Palamar, a photographer who moved to Lone Pine in July after his Malibu home was destroyed by a brush fire in 2007. “The DWP only wants just enough infrastructure to support its own operations. Beyond that, they don’t seem to care.”
The trouble started when a local real estate broker learned that the DWP, which already owns 25% of the Owens Valley floor, plans to buy 100 acres of privately held stream-side property just west of Independence, the Inyo County seat, for an estimated $4 million to $5 million.
On May 6, a group of Owens Valley residents sent a petition to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the Los Angeles City Council urging them to force the DWP to compensate for the loss of this private land by releasing an equal amount of its own holdings elsewhere. “They are creating a net loss of private land in Inyo County and destroying our towns in the process,” said Jenifer Castaneda, a Lone Pine real estate broker and community activist who helped write the petition. “If they are going to take what little available private land there is left in the valley out of circulation, they should make an equal amount of land available in communities that are struggling to survive.”
Read more from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.
Residents, boaters dive into Klondike Lake debate
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 16, 2009 at 9:35 amFrom the Inyo Register:
“Don’t mussel us off Klondike Lake,” the Save Klondike Committee said Tuesday before the Inyo County Board of Supervisors and representatives of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The fate of motorized recreation at Klondike Lake is uncertain because of the looming threat of a quagga mussel infestation in local waters.
The LADWP has decided to close Klondike, at least temporarily, to motorized use beginning Friday, but a dedicated group of lake users and water sports enthusiasts are trying to keep the lake open as much as possible this summer. The Save Klondike Committee, comprised of several local residents who use the lake for motorized recreation, recently asked the board to consider ways to keep the lake available for traditional uses, such as boating, water skiing and jet skiing.
“The county is not in control of anything with Klondike Lake,” Third District Supervisor and Board Chair Beverly Brown said.
Russ Markman, owner of Bishop MotorSports, asked the board to “operate Klondike as a concession, as you did with Diaz. The money coming in from the recreational users would support the county. The county does run Diaz, so there is already a blueprint for Diaz.”
The Save Klondike Committee said it estimates that it would take approximately $16,000 to $20,000 to get a concessionaire started at the lake, but the board was quick to point out that the state’s financial situation is having an impact on Inyo County, which was already strapped for cash.
Read more from the Inyo Register by clicking here.
Inyo County Supes split over Coso pump permit, but grants the permit with reduced amounts
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 12, 2009 at 6:41 amFrom Bishop’s Inyo Register:
After a marathon meeting Wednesday that started at 9 a.m. and finished at midnight, representatives from Coso Operating Company still managed to crack a smile when the Inyo County Board of Supervisors agreed to, essentially, grant the company a permit to pump water from its Hay Ranch property for injection into its geothermal power plant.
The meeting was set for the supervisors to hear arguments and decide on an appeal by the Little Lake Hunting Club against the county Planning Commission’s decision to grant Coso a Conditional Use Permit.
The commission had signed off on the program in March, but changed the amount of water to be pumped from the 4,800 acre-feet per year, as originally requested, to 3,000 acre-feet annually. The Planning Commission, supervisors and even the permit applicant, Coso, have decided to move forward, despite the county Water Commission testimony that the project is probably not feasible for the long term. There are some model predictions that the pumping cannot be sustained for more than one year.But, the supervisors found enough evidence to agree with the Planning Commission, 4 to 1, to grant the CUP with the reduced pumping amounts and for the full 30 years, as requested by Coso. Fourth District Supervisor Marty Fortney was the dissenting vote.
Read more from the Inyo Register by clicking here.
Coso pumping opponents appeal to Inyo supervisors
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 7, 2009 at 7:39 am
From the Inyo Register:
Coso Geothermal Plant has another hurdle to overcome before it can pump water from Hay Ranch.
Little Lake Ranch is appealing the Inyo County Planning Commission’s approval of the Conditional Use Permit for Coso to pump water from its Hay Ranch property to its geothermal power generating facility to replenish the underground geothermal reservoir. The water will be injected into the reservoir to bring capacity at the plant back up to maximum allowable levels.
This appeal is going to the Board of Supervisors for a special meeting and public hearing Wednesday to decide whether to certify, modify or deny the permit.
The special hearing is a “de novo” hearing, meaning the supervisors will be hearing and judging on the arguments as if it were the first time, or if the Planning Commission had never decided on the permit. This means the meeting is expected to be as long as the Planning Commission meeting/ public hearing on the permit in March. Staff will present their findings, opponents and proponents will make their arguments and summarize points of appeal and rebuttals. The March meeting went on for more than nine hours.
Read more from the Inyo Register by clicking here.
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