LADWP often makes claims about Mono Lake that are misleading, false, and confusing. Here we dive in to some frequently made claims with more background and context.
FALSE
“…Mono Lake is in a healthy condition.”
-LADWP Director of Water Operations, Los Angeles Times, August 4, 2025
Mono Lake still needs to rise nine feet to be at the state-mandated healthy ecosystem level. Ongoing stream diversions are holding the lake back from rising, and scientific evidence shows that the longer it takes, the more the ecosystem suffers. For example, in 2024 California Gull nesting success was the worst on record due to not enough available brine shrimp—a sign of an impaired ecosystem.
MISLEADING
“Mono Lake has, on average, been trending up for the past 30 years.”
-LADWP email to its customers, April 1, 2025
While it is true that 30 years ago five wet winters benefited the lake, for the last 25 years, the level of Mono Lake has been trending down due to LADWP’s maximized water diversions.
MISLEADING
“[Mono Lake] is a healthy and thriving ecosystem, in comparison to a lot of other lakes, like the Great Salt Lake, which is going through many, many challenges today.”
-LADWP Director of Water Operations, Los Angeles Times, August 4, 2025
A Mono Lake Committee member said it well in a comment on the LA Times article: “When an ecosystem is described as ‘healthy and thriving’ ONLY when compared to ecosystems on the brink of collapse, the designation is disingenuous, at best. The legal ruling LADWP agreed to mandates 6392 feet. Pretending that half the agreed upon restoration of water in the lake is now sufficient is ridiculous. The people of Los Angeles County have already shown they can conserve water. The drop in the bucket water from Mono Basin represents can be, and should be, replaced with conservation methods.”
TRUE
“[The State Water Board] decision … is considered one of the greatest environmental success stories in the history of the State of California.”
–2023–2024 LADWP Briefing Book, page 41
Yes, that’s right! Let’s get the job done by raising Mono Lake to the healthy management level of 6,392 feet above sea level, as mandated in that decision.
MISLEADING
“[Mono] lake is being managed in an environmentally responsible way,” Perez said. “We feel that there is a balanced approach for Mono Lake.”
-LADWP Director of Water Operations, Los Angeles Times, August 4, 2025
LADWP maximizing water exports every year holds the lake back from rising—that is not environmentally responsible management. The balanced approach is the State Water Board’s requirement of 6,392 feet, which the lake is a decade late and nine feet shy of reaching.
FALSE
“The field report showed that the lake remains at steady and encouraging levels.”
-LADWP email to its customers, April 1, 2025
More accurate would be to say that Mono Lake’s level is falling in 2025 and is chronically too low. It is nine feet shy of the healthy level the State Water Board mandated more than 30 years ago. Since 1994, the lake has only been as close as seven feet below the healthy level, and during dire situations has dropped as low as 15 feet below.