By: Shanmukh Bachhu
An aerial view of the Delta-Mendota Canal (A section of the larger California Aqueduct)
Los Angeles, the city in the desert.
Los Angeles (LA) survives of three major water sources:
Ground water
The Colorado River Aqueduct
The California Aqueduct
For the sake of time, I will cover the California Aqueduct in this article. If you want to learn about the other systems LA survives, make sure to share this article, and I will write about them if this article gets over 5k views!
The California Aqueduct stretches across the state, carrying 2.5 billion liters of water a day. This engineering marvel stretches 705 miles from Clifton Court Forebay, in Northern California to Perris Lake, in Southern California. Crazy enough, I only live 20 minutes away from Lake Perris, and having a big piece of California history in my backyard is so cool!
Started in 1960, the aqueduct was constructed to address the emerging water crisis in Southern California (SoCal). With the rapid growth in cities across SoCal, the need for water was necessary. Originally, in 1960, the plan was a 444-mile-long aqueduct stretching from the original location of Clifton Court Forebay to the Tehachapi Mountains. After its completion date in 1974, more segments were added, stretching the aqueduct further south as well as other areas in the region to address the water needs of farmers.
The California Aqueduct is not only vital to California but to the rest of America. A little-known truth among the rest of America is that California provides the U.S. with half its fruits and vegetables. All this farming requires trillions of gallons of water per year, with 40% of that water going to agriculture. 50% of California’s water goes to the environment for lakes, storage, and recreation. Only 10% of California’s water is used for communities, meaning the city desperately needs more water to sustain a growing population. Currently, the city is relocating 50% of the water used for the environment to provide communities with water.
The main system providing LA with water is the Los Angeles Aqueduct, a section of the larger California Aqueduct system. This crucial piece of infrastructure takes water from Owens Lake as well as Northern California water. The history behind the Los Angeles Aqueduct is a dark one, built on corruption. This story is complex, and would take a long time to talk about. So instead of a 30-minute-long article, the main gist of the story is that LA officials in the late 1800s faked a water crisis in the region, and using that hysteria, they diverted water from Owens Lake to LA City. This brought the officials millions of dollars by selling that water.
Now, we live in a time where climate change has accelerated droughts across the world. LA was in one of its worst droughts in history, but due to the heavy recent rain, more rainwater has been captured, restoring lakes across the state. The future is uncertain for LA, and without more infrastructure developments for water, like its many aqueducts, the people may have their taps dry.
Works Cited:
Water Education Project. (2024, July 3). California Aqueduct. https://www.watereducation.org/aquapedia/california-aqueduct
Britannica. (2021, August 19). California Aqueduct. https://www.britannica.com/topic/California-Aqueduct
California Department of Water Resources. (2024, July 3). SWP Facilities. https://water.ca.gov/Programs/State-Water-Project/SWP-Facilities
Vankin, Jonathan. (2023, May 8). How California Agriculture has Shaped the State and the Country. https://californialocal.com/localnews/statewide/ca/article/show/36707-california-agriculture-dairy-wheat-fruit-vegetables
Explore Always. (2019, September 16). How Los Angeles Stole Its Water: A Complete History of The Los Angeles Aqueduct. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdhEZZKPqWw&ab_channel=ExploreAlways