City Council OKs Pact on Owens Valley Water
Settling 19 years of legal dispute, the Los Angeles City Council on Friday unanimously ratified an agreement with the Inyo County Board of Supervisors regulating the amount of water the city can pump from the Owens Valley.
Under the landmark agreement, the city can drill new wells and pump as much water as it needs--provided the extraction does not adversely impact the valley’s environment, city officials said. If monitoring of pumping operations reveals damage to surface vegetation, for example, mitigation measures will go into effect, officials said.
The agreement, along with an associated environmental impact report, will be submitted to the 3rd District Court of Appeal in Sacramento on Oct. 21 for final approval.
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