It has been an unusual summer for water. With just 104% of average runoff forecasted for the Mono Basin, sudden warmth the first week in June brought peak flows down the creeks more typical of a wet year. But despite the high flows in the creeks during June and July, the total volume is not representative of a wetter year.

Grant Lake Reservoir spilled from July 3rd until the (more…)

The Mono Fire on Tuesday afternoon. The fire was 70% contained Thursday morning when Hwy 120 reopened. Photo by Greg Reis.

This morning the Mono Fire is 70% contained at 1,200 acres. Highway 120 East reopened as well as South Tufa, Navy Beach, and Panum Crater. All regularly scheduled tours are occurring, including daily South Tufa Tours at 10:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 6:00 pm.

The fire is still burning at the north end of the Mono Craters with little potential for expansion, however Hwy 120 may close again if necessary. Stay clear of fire equipment and use caution – pilot cars may be needed for controlling traffic in some areas.

Re-opening notice

Fire photos

Fire movie

As of 5:00pm on Monday July 26th, 2010, a wildland fire was burning north from the West Portal area along the Mono Craters toward the north. Highway 120 East and Panum Crater are in the path of the fire. Highway 120 East of Highway 395 to Benton Crossing Road is currently closed. South Tufa and Panum Crater are closed and today’s tours are canceled.

Check for updates here.

Now available on the Mono Basin Clearinghouse are documents pertaining to the construction of the Mono Basin extension of the Los Angeles Aqueduct:

Map of the LA Aqueduct facilities from Lee Vining Intake to West Portal
A 4.3 megabyte download, this high-resolution JPG file shows the control stationing and original names of most of the features of the Mono Basin portion of the LA Aqueduct. Click on the image at right to enlarge, or click on the link above to download the full map.

1933 Map of Mono Basin property ownership, hydrographic stations, wells, test holes, gages, and streams
A 2.4 megabyte download, this high-resolution PDF file shows the Mono Basin as of 1933. Included on the map are (more…)

On Saturday July 3rd, Grant Lake Reservoir began spilling for the second time since the year 2000–it also spilled in 2006 after filling up in 2005.

Inflow is dropping as the melting snow runs out, although the warm weather is melting higher elevation snow, which could maintain high inflow for a few more days. Outflow is declining as well after peaking this morning at about 460 cfs (cubic feet per second). The spill peaked at 171 cfs on Thursday and Friday last week, but LADWP was still increasing the flow in the MGORD (Mono Gate One Return Ditch) until this morning. LADWP installed pumps at the spillway in order to ensure it would (more…)

We’ve just posted Lee Vining weather data for June 2010 on the Mono Basin Clearinghouse. It was a windy June, with an average wind speed of 4.7 mph–the highest average wind speed since 2001′s 5.1 mph (2005 came close with 4.6 mph). The maximum wind speed of 47 mph was unremarkable.

It was also warm at night in June. The lowest minimum  temperature of 37.6 F was the highest since 2003′s 40.6 F (unofficial data). The average minimum temperature (more…)

The pay phone at the Tioga Gas Mart, at the corner of Hwy 120 and Hwy 395, is the only pay phone “in” Lee Vining.

When I arrived in Lee Vining 15 years ago, there were at least five pay phones in town (there were also about four restaurants that no longer exist). Cell phone reception is (more…)

For the last four days, Lee Vining residents and visitors strolling down the Lee Vining Creek Trail could hear boulders knocking against each other over the roar of the whitewater in Lee Vining Creek. The “clunking” sound is coming from the creek—it is the sound of large “bedload” moving—rocks moving along the bottom.

Yesterday Lee Vining Creek peaked at 512 cfs. This is the highest flow in the creek since 1998. Maximizing the peak flow below the DWP diversion dam is the primary tool used to restore the creek from damage done by (more…)

The official word is that Tioga Pass (Hwy 120 to Yosemite National Park) will open at 8 am Saturday June 5th, 2010. All facilities along Tioga Road will remain closed indefinitely. The snowpack is quite deep for this late in the season along the road.

Access to Yosemite is also free this weekend in honor of National Trails Day. Other free days this year will include August 14-15, September 25, and November 11.