It has been a truly remarkable year seeing Mono Lake rise so fast and so much—five feet so far in 2023!
The last time Mono Lake had a similarly impressive rise, back in 2017, I remember the elation we felt and the excitement visitors expressed. I remember it as such a joyous summer.
This year feels different. It’s wonderful to see the lake rise so much… What a relief that Mono has so much water this year… How cool to see so much dry shoreline submerged…
But.
Will the impressive rise stick? Doesn’t this mean DWP can divert more water? What happens if next year is dry? How do we preserve this rise? What about the State Water Board hearing?
People walking into the bookstore and calling on the phone have asked these questions. We ask them as a staff every week. As you’ll see in the pages that follow, leaders in Los Angeles and members of the media have been asking them too.
While these follow-up questions have dampened the joy of Mono Lake’s rise this year, they actually feel reassuring to me, because they’re all things we can do something about. As you’ll read in this Newsletter, our policy team is modeling scenarios that show how it’s possible to preserve the lake’s gain. Community groups in Los Angeles are asking their elected officials to stop relying on water imported from the Mono Basin. Mono Lake Committee members and staff are reminding the State Water Board that their hearing to revisit stream diversions is key to keeping Mono Lake on the rise.
There’s a lot of work to be done. Thankfully, joy and determination go together well. We can visit the lakeshore and marvel at the rising water, which strengthens our resolve to keep saving Mono Lake.
Top photo by Elin Ljung, Newsletter cover photo courtesy of Rick Kattelmann.