Owens River

Owens River, river, eastern California, U.S. Located in Mono and Inyo counties, it rises in the Sierra Nevada southeast of Yosemite National Park and flows about 120 miles (200 km) generally west-southwest to Owens Lake (now dry). The river was among the first (1913) to be diverted to provide water to the city of Los Angeles. The aqueduct spurred widespread opposition from Owens Valley residents, particularly farmers whose production was harmed by a lack of access to water; drought in the Owens Valley during the 1920s prompted violent reaction, with opponents dynamiting the aqueduct in an unsuccessful attempt to destroy it. The diversion of the river essentially drained Owens Lake and resulted in severe alkaline dust storms, causing serious ecological damage and health problems and sparking continued disputes over water rights. Roman Polanski’s 1974 movie Chinatown was a fictionalized account of this controversy. The Lower Owens River Project called for Los Angeles and Inyo counties to jointly manage the river’s water rights and sought to restore the wetland habitats of birds and waterfowl along approximately 60 miles (100 km) of the river.