Water and Power Associates Informing the Public about Critical Water and Energy Issues facing Los Angeles and California

Introduction

The Los Angeles Aqueduct is one of the most important public works projects in the city’s history. Completed in 1913, it brought water from the Owens Valley to a rapidly growing Los Angeles and made large scale urban expansion possible.

The aqueduct is also one of the most debated projects in California history. It stands as a major engineering achievement, but it also triggered long lasting conflict, environmental change, and deep resentment in Owens Valley. The images and notes in this section trace both sides of that story.

The Owens River flows through a dry valley east of the Sierra Nevada and once carried enough water to sustain farms, ranches, and Owens Lake at the south end of the valley. For generations, the river supported a small but stable agricultural economy in an otherwise arid region.

By the early 1900s, Los Angeles was searching for a new water supply to support rapid growth. The Owens River, distant and seemingly abundant, became the focus of plans that would permanently change both the valley and the city.

This panoramic view shows the aqueduct settled into the Owens Valley landscape fifteen years after water first reached Los Angeles. What began as a massive construction effort had become a permanent part of the valley’s geography.

The aqueduct followed the natural contours of the land, relying on careful surveying and gravity flow rather than pumps. Its visibility across the valley made it both a symbol of engineering achievement and a reminder of water leaving the region.

William Mulholland was the chief engineer of the Los Angeles water system and the driving force behind the aqueduct’s design and construction. Largely self educated, he rose from ditch tender to one of the most influential water engineers in the American West.

Fred Eaton, a former mayor of Los Angeles, played a key role in identifying Owens Valley as a water source and acquiring land and water rights. Together, their actions helped launch a project that reshaped Southern California and ignited lasting controversy.

In 1905, Mulholland formally recommended the Owens River as the best available long term water supply for Los Angeles. The city soon applied for access across federal lands, an essential step since much of the route crossed public territory.

The scale of the plan was unprecedented for Los Angeles. The aqueduct would stretch hundreds of miles and rely almost entirely on gravity to move water from the Sierra Nevada to the city.

The Board of Water Commissioners oversaw the legal, financial, and administrative decisions behind the aqueduct. Their approval was required for land purchases, contracts, and overall direction of the project.

Some board members were also involved in land development, especially in the San Fernando Valley where aqueduct water would emerge. This overlap later fueled accusations of insider advantage and remains part of the debate surrounding the aqueduct’s history.

By 1907, Los Angeles had secured major financing for the project and began pursuing the permissions needed to build across large stretches of federal land. The aqueduct could not be built without access through public territory, and this required approval at the national level as well as careful legal planning.

This view also points to an important part of the story that unfolded over time. Owens Lake is a closed basin lake with no outlet to the ocean. As aqueduct diversions increased after 1913, much less water reached the lake. Over the following years the lake level fell dramatically, becoming one of the most visible and debated environmental changes linked to the aqueduct era.

Once funding and approvals were in place, construction became a race against distance, terrain, and time. The route crossed deserts, mountains, and wide open basins, requiring new roads, work camps, supply lines, and constant surveying to keep the gravity flow design on grade.

Much of the aqueduct was built in remote areas with little existing infrastructure. Heavy pipe, cement, tools, and supplies were hauled by mule teams across deserts and rough terrain.

The image highlights the physical challenge of the project. Construction depended not only on engineering skill, but also on enormous human and animal labor under harsh conditions.

Thousands of workers were employed during construction, drawn by steady wages and the promise of long term work. Camps, supply depots, and support systems were built along the route to sustain the workforce.

The job was dangerous and demanding, involving tunneling, concrete work, and exposure to extreme heat and cold. Despite this, the aqueduct was completed ahead of schedule.

Where the aqueduct crossed deep canyons, engineers used inverted siphons that dropped water down and forced it back up using pressure. These structures allowed the system to maintain gravity flow across uneven landscapes.

The siphons were among the most technically complex parts of the aqueduct. They remain one of the reasons the project was considered a major engineering achievement of its time.

Click HERE to see more on the Construction of the LA Aqueduct.

The completion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct marked a defining moment in the city’s history. After more than six years of construction, the project moved from engineering challenge to public celebration.

The official opening of the Los Angeles Aqueduct took place on November 5, 1913 at the Cascades in the San Fernando Valley. Tens of thousands of people traveled by train, streetcar, wagon, and automobile to witness the event. It was one of the largest public gatherings Southern California had seen at the time and was treated as a major civic milestone.

William Mulholland addressed the crowd briefly before water was released into the Cascades. His short statement marked the completion of a project that took more than six years to build. When the gates opened, Owens River water began flowing south by gravity, signaling a new era for Los Angeles.

In the years immediately following the opening, the aqueduct allowed Los Angeles to grow at a pace that would not have been possible with local water supplies alone. Neighborhoods expanded, agriculture increased in the San Fernando Valley, and the city’s population rose rapidly. At the same time, the opening marked a turning point for Owens Valley, where the effects of water diversion would become increasingly visible and controversial.

Click HERE to see more on the Opening of the LA Aqueduct.

The opening of the aqueduct did not bring closure to the story. Instead, it marked the beginning of a new and difficult period for Owens Valley, as the long term effects of water diversion became increasingly clear.

After the aqueduct opened, the relationship between Los Angeles and Owens Valley grew more tense. As the city purchased more land and increased exports of water, many valley residents felt their local economy and way of life were being steadily weakened. The conflict was not only about water, but also about trust, power, and who controlled the valley’s future.

By the 1920s, resistance sometimes turned into direct action. There were protests, forced releases at aqueduct facilities, and repeated acts of sabotage, including dynamite attacks like the one shown here. These events did not end the aqueduct, but they became lasting symbols of the anger and loss that many people in the valley associated with the project.

Los Angeles Aqueduct History and Photos