Pamela Brunskill - Californias Complex Water System

Not Just a Splash! Oroville Dam is the tallest d am in the United States. At 770 feet (235 meters), it is even talle r than the Golden Gate Bridge! Th e dam controls more than 1 t rillion gallons (3. 7 trillion liters) of water. In 2017, heavy rainfall damaged one of Oroville Dam's emergency spillways.77page0007page0007.xhtmlWater from Owens Valley! Through the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Los Angeles used its own river for water. As the city grew, that river could no longer support the amount of people who lived there. Growth of Los Angeles In 1842, gold was found near Los Angeles. People came in search of wealth. In 1850, the city was home to 1, 610 people. Ten years later, 4, 385 people lived there. More and more people moved to the city. By the turn of the century, more than 100, 000 people had moved to the area! Businesses boomed. People liked living in the area. But there wasn't a lot of local water. Local streams and wells were being used up. The Los Angeles River was not enough for the growing population. The city feared a water crisis. The people needed more water. Leaders looked for a way to bring water in from outside the city. That way, the city could grow. People could come to Los Angeles and dream of riches. Fool's Fool's Gold In 1848, the first pieces of gold were found on John Sutter's property. He tried to keep it a secret, but word got out. His land was overrun with men seeking fortunes. He lost everything by 1852, while other people got rich.88page0008page0008.xhtml Gold! The discovery of gold near Los Angeles was not huge news. Six years later, in 1848, more gold was found in Northern California. This discovery led to what became known as the Gold Rush. Los Angeles in the late 1880s99page0009page0009.xhtmlOwens Valley William Mulholland was in charge of getting water for Los Angeles. He was concerned. So was Fred Eaton, the city's former mayor. The two men came up with a plan to get water from Owens Valley. This valley is in the eastern and central part of the state. They thought they could bring the water south with an aqueduct. But there was a problem with their idea. People in Owens Valley already had plans for their water. Farmers and ranchers wanted the water for their crops and animals. They wanted to improve their irrigation systems. Shady Tactics Eaton spoke with people in power. He advised them that the water would be better used in the south. Eaton also bought land and water rights in Owens Valley. The people from Owens Valley thought Eaton was buying those rights for their project. But he wasn't. The rights were for Los Angeles.1010page0010page0010.xhtml