Information on environmental projects, and copies of environmental documents, related to the Los Angeles Aqueduct are available by selecting the links below. To view the Owens Valley Annual Reports and Owens Valley Water Uses and Pumping, please visit Owens Valley Annual Operations Plan.
Owens Valley Land Management Plan
Yellow-billed Cuckoo Habitat Enhancement Plans
Ad Hoc Yellow-billed Cuckoo Habitat Enhancement Plan Initial Study
In response to the 1987 through 1992 drought, the LADWP increased its groundwater extraction in the Owens Valley during 1988 and 1989 to augment water supplies for Los Angeles. Drought conditions, coupled with increased pumping, were presumed to have caused adverse impacts on Owens Valley vegetation. To provide an environment for vegetation recovery, the Inyo County/Los Angeles Standing Committee developed the Drought Recovery Policy (DRP, 1992).
The DRP outlines management goals and provides general guidance for the development of annual pumping plans during the drought and the subsequent recovery period. The stated goal of this policy is that "soil water within the rooting zone recover to a degree sufficient so that the vegetation protection goals of the Agreement are achieved." The DRP established a more conservative management approach than that provided by the Agreement in the Green Book (October 1991), and was expected to result in "reduced annual pumping programs as compared to annual pumping programs based solely on soil moisture conditions."