The Return of Owens Lake

Mjollnir

I won't get into the entire history of the lake, but suffice it to say that the city of L.A. drained this massive lake more or less dry since the early part of the last century, through rather famously nefarious and swindling ways, by diverting the Owens River into the California Aqueduct. For decades, until just a few years ago, the lack was a dry, toxic wasteland, until the LADWP decided, under the guise of dust abatement, to start reintroducing water to the lake. The hundreds of thousands of birds that used to nest/migrate there are now return beyond all expectations, but the lakebed itself still resembles a post-apocalyptic, nuclear deathscape. It's salt flats, odd single-cell organism pools and wasteland. There are HUGE sand/dust storms still on the lake, although the watering is starting to work.

The town I posted about, Keeler, is on the eastern shore of this former lake.

The lake itself is at 3500 ft, with the surrounding mountains going over 14,000 ft, and quite suddenly, so the differential can be quite dramatic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owens_lake

We're there most weekends for a grant project my g/f is doing about the restoration of the Owens Lake. There are a LOT of birds returning since they've brought water back, which is a big photo subject for her.

I tend to take non-bird shots, as it were, since I find them boring, but love the landscape.

Entering the lakebed from the LADWP plant.


Continuing on


The peak in the background is Olancha Peak, over 12,000 ft.






Just for a bit of perspective, here's a shot of a distant vehicle, taken this past weekend while out in the middle of the Owens Lake, in the salt flats. The building to the right is an derelict/mothballed PPG chemical plant. It's a BIG place, surrounded by BIG mountains.


This is practically in the middle of the lake, it's the remains of dead trees and washed up wood, decades old, all preserved in salt. For perspective, again, look to the left and right of the center of the pile. The little black dots on the line are cars, miles and miles away.


The next two are taken from the far west 'shore', up on some bluffs. The town of Keeler is miles away on the other side of the lake, through (and in) the dust storms.

Lagnagoushee

Thanks for posting, fantastic shots that show the sheer scale of the landscape and how a small dot on the landscape (namely mankind) can do So Much Damage to nature. Glad to hear that efforts are being made to reverse some of the damage done.
Please keep posting on this project.

101001

Nice... thanks for the knowledge, that is some fascinating scenery

Mjollnir

Lagnagoushee wrote: »

Thanks for posting, fantastic shots that show the sheer scale of the landscape and how a small dot on the landscape (namely mankind) can do So Much Damage to nature. Glad to hear that efforts are being made to reverse some of the damage done.
Please keep posting on this project.

Thanks!

Going there today to accompany the Eastern Sierra Audubon Society out onto the lake for their annual bird population count.

Which requires us to be in Lone Pine at 0730 hours. Which is why I'm leaving at 0400 hours in a few minutes.

Ugh.

RichieO

Great pic's but I'm still looking for the lake, can only see one or two small puddles, not the inland sea that was there originally...

Mjollnir

RichieO wrote: »

Great pic's but I'm still looking for the lake, can only see one or two small puddles, not the inland sea that was there originally...

36.433269°N 117.950916°W in Google Earth.

There's only a lakebed there now. The lake that was will likely never again be.

theboat

Lagnagoushee wrote: »

Please keep posting on this project.

Seconded!

Fascinating stuff; looks like an amazing place. Likewise on the shots from Keeler