Owens Valley

Owens Valley (Mono: Payahǖǖnadǖ, meaning "place of flowing water") is an arid valley of the Owens River in eastern California in the United States. It lies to the east of the Sierra Nevada, west of the White Mountains and Inyo Mountains, and is split between the Great Basin Desert and the Mojave Desert. The valley is very deep, with mountain peaks on its west side (including Mount Whitney) rising above 14,000 feet, while the valley floor is at about 4,000 feet.

The Sierra Nevada creates a rain shadow over the valley, making it very dry, often called "the Land of Little Rain." The bed of Owens Lake, now mostly dry, sits at the southern end of the valley.

Today, the dryness of Owens Valley is largely because the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power diverts its water. This water feeds the Los Angeles Aqueduct, providing one-third of the water for the city. This diversion caused Owens Lake to dry up completely by 1926, just 13 years after Los Angeles began taking the water. The struggle over this water was a big part of the California Water Wars and even inspired parts of the film Chinatown.

Several towns are home to about 25,000 people, including Bishop, Lone Pine, Independence, and Big Pine. The main road through the valley is U.S. Route 395.

Geology

About three million years ago, the Sierra Nevada Fault and the White Mountains Fault systems became active. This caused many earthquakes that shaped the land, creating the tall mountains around the northern Owens Valley-Mono Basin area.

Owens Valley is a special kind of landform called a graben. This means it is a block of land that dropped down between two faults. It is part of a larger area called the Basin and Range Province, stretching from Oregon to Death Valley.

Many parts of the valley have piles of rocks and dirt called moraines. These were left behind by glaciers during the last ice age. You can see a good example along State Route 168 as it goes up into Buttermilk Country.

The valley was formed by many earthquakes, like the 1872 Lone Pine earthquake. These earthquakes lowered the valley and lifted the Sierra Nevada higher. Underneath the valley, there is a lot of sedimentary rock, and a steep cliff is hidden under the western part of the valley. The top of this cliff can be seen at Alabama Hills.

Owens Valley also has small volcanoes, such as Crater Mountain in the Big Pine volcanic field. Smaller rock formations, similar to the Devils Postpile, can be found near Little Lake.

Ecology

The Owens Valley is home to many different plants and animals, split among four main natural areas. These areas are called ecoregions. Two of these are part of the Great Basin Desert, and the other two are part of the Mojave Desert.

The valley floor has gently sloping land and level areas. Plants here include big sagebrush, rabbitbrush, and several types of grasses. Near the Owens River, some areas have been restored with cottonwoods, willows, and wetlands. The eastern slopes have rocky soil and plants like black sagebrush and blackbrush. In the southern part, you can find creosotebush and white bursage. Owens Lake, a dry lakebed, has very salty soil that makes it hard for plants to grow, except for some sparse saltbush around the edges. The valley also has a special plant called Owens Valley checkerbloom, found only here. Tule elk were brought to the valley in 1933 and are now carefully managed.

History

The Owens Valley was home to the Timbisha and Mono tribes long ago. They lived near Owens Lake and along the rivers fed by snow from the Sierra Nevada. These Native American groups traded with tribes living along the coast.

In the 1800s, explorers like Joseph R. Walker and John C. Fremont traveled through the valley. Later, the area saw tension during the Owens Valley Indian War.

During World War II, a camp was set up at Manzanar to hold Japanese Americans.

Water diversion to Los Angeles

Further information: California Water Wars

In the early 1900s, Los Angeles built a long aqueduct to bring water from Owens Valley. This caused big changes for the land and its people. Over time, much of the valley's water was used, drying up Owens Lake and affecting the environment. After many years of legal battles, steps were taken to bring water back to parts of the river. In recent years, efforts have focused on controlling dust from the dry lake bed.

Radio observatory

The Owens Valley Radio Observatory is near Westgard Pass. It is one of ten dishes that are part of the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA).