On March 17, the State Water Board will receive a report about a new Mono Lake hydrologic model and climate change analysis from the UCLA Center for Climate Science.
This is significant because the board commissioned the report to evaluate how climate change and water diversions affect Mono Lake water levels—information needed to proceed to a formal hearing to change water diversions and allow the lake to rise to a healthy level.
Additionally, the Board recently received a groundbreaking letter from retired Los Angeles Department of Water & Power Commissioner Richard Katz proposing that LA use a newly developed local recycled water supply to meet the water needs of Los Angeles while pausing water diversions from the Mono Basin to meet the water needs of Mono Lake.
This means the State Water Board has almost all they need to hold a hearing and take action to get Mono Lake rising—cutting-edge science, LA leader support, and a smart solution at their fingertips.
But they need one more thing: They need to know they have strong citizen support.
The board will not be voting at the March 17 meeting, but please send your letter by noon on March 12 for maximum impact.
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Top photo by Santiago M. Escruceria.