By Lynn Boulton

Every April 20th, per the Long Term Water Agreement, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) releases its annual report with their plan on how much groundwater they will pump and from where. With this huge, unprecedented runoff year, you'd think LADWP wouldn't need to pump at all, but incredibly, they are. The water streaming down out of the Sierra will be almost one million acre-feet. That is double the capacity of the LA Aqueduct. They plan to send 395,000 acre-feet of it to Los Angeles and to spread the rest up and down the Owens Valley. The primary spreading areas are in the LAWS and Big Pine, but they will spread water wherever they can. Spreading doesn't always mean the water recharges the aquifer. LADWP expects 150,000 acre-feet of water will flow onto the Owens Lake, much more than they want to see there.

LADWP expects to be pumping from 40,130-51,470 acre-feet this year. Pumped water is used by the towns, the two fish hatcheries, lessees who irrigate with sprinkler systems, stock water, and some mitigation projects that are supplied only by well water (i.e., that aren't connected to an existing ditch or stream diversion trench). There are areas where LADWP isn't able to get surface water to without digging new ditches to do so. But, here's one that is benefiting from this big runoff year. Check out Calvert Slough which is fed from a diversion off of Taboose Creek to irrigate a pasture and is very full this year!

LADWP is also not providing extra surface water to mitigation projects beyond the usual amount. Yet vegetation did get a lot of rain this year. Look what a difference a year makes. Here are photos at the Hines Spring/Well 355 mitigation project. The watercress is unbelievable. It is two feet high! Sadly, the original spring is still not flowing.