L.A. Aqueduct
The Second Los Angeles Aqueduct Cascades, Sylmar
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| Official name | Los Angeles Aqueduct Second Los Angeles Aqueduct Mono Extension |
|---|---|
| Begins |
First Aqueduct Owens River, Inyo County 36°58′32″N 118°12′38″W / 36.975678°N 118.210541°W Second Aqueduct Haiwee Reservoir, Inyo County 36°10′57″N 117°57′30″W / 36.182600°N 117.958470°W Mono Extension Upper Lee Vining Creek, Mono County 37°56′10″N 119°08′04″W / 37.936151°N 119.134426°W |
| Ends |
First & Second Aqueduct Upper Van Norman Lake (Los Angeles Reservoir), Granada Hills, Los Angeles 34°18′46″N 118°29′35″W / 34.312860°N 118.492988°W Mono Extension Owens River, Mono County 37°45′25″N 118°53′27″W / 37.756910°N 118.890911°W |
| Maintained by | Los Angeles Department of Water and Power |
| Length | 419 mi (674 km) |
| Diameter | 12 ft (3.7 m) |
| First section length | 233 mi (375 km) |
| Second section length | 137 mi (220 km) |
| Capacity |
First Aqueduct 422 cu ft/s (11.9 m3/s) Second Aqueduct 290 cu ft/s (8.2 m3/s) |
| Construction began |
First Aqueduct October 1908 Second Aqueduct September 1965 |
| Opening date |
First Aqueduct November 1913 Second Aqueduct June 1970 |
| References: | |
The Los Angeles Aqueduct system, comprising the Los Angeles Aqueduct (Owens Valley aqueduct) and the Second Los Angeles Aqueduct, is a water conveyance system, built and operated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The Owens Valley aqueduct was designed and built by the city's water department, at the time named The Bureau of Los Angeles Aqueduct, under the supervision of the department's Chief Engineer William Mulholland. The system delivers water from the Owens River in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains to Los Angeles, California. In 1971 it was recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers on the List of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks.
Its construction was controversial from the start, as it is alleged that water diversions to Los Angeles all but ended agriculture in the Owens Valley. Since then its continued operation has led to public debate, legislation and court battles over the environmental impacts of the aqueduct on Mono Lake and other ecosystems.
The aqueduct project began in 1905 when the people of Los Angeles approved a US$1.5 million bond for the 'purchase of lands and water and the inauguration of work on the aqueduct'. On June 12, 1907 a second bond was passed with a budget of US$24.5 million to fund construction.
Construction began in 1908 and was divided up into 11 divisions and a cement plant. The number of men who were on the payroll the first year was 2,629 and peaked at 6,060 in May 1909. In 1910 employment dropped to 1,150 due to financial reasons but rebounded later in the year. Between 1911 and 1912 employment ranged from 2,800 to 3,800 workers. The number of actual laborers working on the aqueduct, at its peak, was 3,900. In 1913 the City of Los Angeles completed construction of the first Los Angeles Aqueduct.
The aqueduct as originally constructed consisted of six storage reservoirs and 215 mi (346 km) of conduit. Beginning three and one half miles north of Black Rock Springs, the aqueduct diverts the Owens River into an unlined canal to begin its 233 mi (375 km) journey south to the Lower San Fernando Reservoir. This reservoir was later renamed the Lower Van Norman Reservoir.
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