The Los Angeles Aqueduct, explained

*
THE  dams and aqueducts that make modern life possible in Southern California — Hoover Dam (1931-36), the Colorado River Aqueduct (1933-1941) and the State Water Project (1957– __) — all owe their existence to the Los Angeles Aqueduct (1905-1913.) This gravity-fed canal extending from high in the Eastern Sierra 223 miles southwest to Los Angeles proved that 20th century Californians needn’t go to water, water could be brought to them. Cities could be built in the sand. Call it a water grab, call it ingenuity, the story of the Los Angeles Aqueduct foretold the story of the modern West.

In a boon for teachers, conservationists and anyone with a passably curious mind, Chris Austin, editor of the Water Education Foundation’s newsfeed Aquafornia, has produced a sweeping photo essay on the Aqueduct. Moreover, she has allowed us to imbed it here. Congratulations to Chris and many thanks to her
…

The week that was, 9/27-10/03/2009

T*H*E  triptych is vast; it’s over 40 feet long when you take the three paintings together. And it is part of an effort by Monet to make a work, and in fact a whole set of works, that surround the viewer with water — with the view of water, the surface of the water, the reflection of the clouds on the water, the lily pads and, at the edges, the shadows of the weeping willow trees by the edge of the water. — amNew York, Sept 29, 2009 on “Monet’s Water Lilies” at the Museum of Modern Art through April 12, 2010

“I applaud Secretary Salazar and the Obama administration for calling upon the National Academy of Sciences for an independent review of the biological studies that put a tiny fish over hard-working Californians,” said Schwarzenegger, ignoring the fact that the studies also address salmon …

The Dry Garden: Bird baths

Click for a larger image. A Cooper's hawk cools its feet in an inner city fountain. Photo: Emily Green

This being the height of migration season for Western songbirds, and conditions around Los Angeles being bone-dry or fire-scarred, here’s a proposal for even the driest of dry gardeners: Get out your hoses.

There is no better time to set up a birdbath. To keep reading The Dry Garden on bird baths, click here to be taken to the Los Angeles Times.…

David Nahai out at LADWP

The Los Angeles Times has the story of the sudden resignation of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power general manager David Nahai, which was announced in a morning statement from the Mayor’s office. LA Observed has the mayor’s statement and Nahai’s resignation letter. It is expected that stepping up as temporary replacement will be deputy mayor S. David Freeman. According to Freeman, Mayor Villaraigosa is interested in forming a coalition of urban mayors on water issues.

10/3/2009 UPDATE: for a follow-up story from the Times, click here.

10/7/2009 UPDATE: The Los Angeles Times has a scathing editorial on the political maneuvering behind Nahai’s dismissal. An excerpt: Nahai’s “lukewarm support for Measure B, a flawed initiative on the March ballot, attracted the ire of its architect — Brian D’Arcy, the head of the DWP’s powerful electricians union. A key aim of Measure B was to ensure that …

“Just get it done” – Expediency over extinction

X
THE US DEPARTMENT of Interior yesterday bowed to pressure from Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and other California legislators to submit key federal protections afforded to endangered fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta for review by the National Academy of Sciences.
X
The clear hope is that the academy will discredit opinions from federal scientists in the Department of Interior and US Chamber of Commerce that have led to cuts in water deliveries to Central Valley farmers.
X
Whether or not the National Academy ultimately contradicts conclusions of federal scientists used in enforcement of the Endangered Species Act, the San Francisco Chronicle today quotes Feinstein as demanding that the Endangered Species Act itself be waived in order to increase water deliveries to
…
« go back — keep looking »

  • After the lawn


  • As you were saying: Comments

  • As I was saying: Recent posts

  • Garden blogs


  • Contact

    Emily Green by e-mail at emily.green [at] mac.com

  • Categories