Owens River Restoration Project Moves Forward with Settlement Agreement; Ambitious Project Will Replenish River and Enhance Habitat Areas.

Business Editors

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 10, 2004

Los Angeles Mayor Jim Hahn and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) applauded an agreement filed today in Inyo County Superior Court that gives the green light for a major environmental restoration effort to send water back down a 62-mile stretch of the Lower Owens River.

"The City of Los Angeles and the LADWP are pleased that all parties have come together in a new spirit of cooperation. While the city relies heavily upon the Owens River for our high-quality drinking water, preserving the Eastern Sierra and Owens Valley environment is just as important," said Mayor Hahn. "This agreement demonstrates our commitment to protecting the Eastern Sierra watershed in the Owens Valley."

"The LADWP must continually balance the city's need for a reliable, high-quality drinking water supply with responsible land management and environmental enhancement in the Owens Valley," said Jerry Gewe, chief operating officer -- water. "We also commend the citizens of Los Angeles for their dedicated water conservation efforts, such as installing low-flow toilets and showerheads. These efforts are a great help in meeting the city's water demand while achieving our environmental goals in the Owens Valley."

The LADWP Board of Water and Power Commissioners had approved the tentative agreement on Dec. 17, 2003. Since then, Inyo County, the Sierra Club, the Owens Valley Committee, the California Department of Fish and Game and the California Lands Commission have all approved the agreement.

The Lower Owens River Project (LORP) will return a steady flow of water to the Lower Owens River from the Los Angeles Aqueduct, below Big Pine down to the Owens Lake Delta. The project will create a healthy riparian ecosystem along the river as well as spread additional water into basins to create wetlands habitat for waterfowl and shore birds. With water flowing year-round, the LORP will provide thousands of acres of habitat for fish and wildlife. That in turn will enhance recreational opportunities -- such as fishing, hiking or bird watching -- and also help the Owens Valley economy, Gewe said.

Essentially, the agreement sets deadlines for completion of environmental reviews and for the release of water flows to the river, as well as resolves outstanding issues that have stalled settlement discussions. The settlement requires LADWP to complete the final environmental documents by June 23, and present the documents to the LADWP Board of Water and Power Commissioners for certification by the first meeting in August. The document is being prepared jointly by LADWP, Inyo County and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Under the agreement, LADWP expects to release the first water back into the river by September 2005, and achieve the baseflows of 40 cubic feet per second by April 2006. The LADWP also agreed to build a pump station with a capacity of 50 cubic feet per second, allowing LADWP to pump water from the LORP back to the aqueduct or to the Owens dry lakebed for dust mitigation.

The LORP represents one of the most significant river habitat restoration projects undertaken in the United States, according to LADWP Watershed Resources Manager Brian Tillemans "This is an unprecedented project," said Tillemans, who is a wildlife biologist. "We'll be sending water down the entire 62-mile reach of the river with a base flow as well as sending seasonal habitat flows -- which are higher flows that mimic the natural snow runoff. This will create a flourishing river system, with native wetland habitats and warm-water fisheries. The birds and fish will love it."