Events

DWP water export now exceeds 4,500 acre-foot commitment

Mono Basin water exports by the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (DWP) reached—and then exceeded—the 4,500 acre-foot level this week, a surprise given Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’s decision to hold exports at the same 4,500 acre-foot level…

Water exports from the Mono Basin begin

This year, in a significant change of operations, the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (DWP) is moving less water out of the Mono Basin than the maximum allowed. Existing California State Water Resources Control Board rules allow for…

Two people stand along the shore of Mono Lake with snow capped mountains large in the frame behind them.

Another drought year for Mono Lake

Hydrologic forecast shows lake level dropping into risky territory As California enters another year of drought, the Mono Lake level forecast for the 2021–2022 runoff year is in, and the outlook is not good. The lake is projected to drop…

Windblown dust on the north shore of Mono Lake in the distance, the town of Lee Vining is in the foreground.

Mono Lake not rising on schedule

Low lake vulnerable to drought & climate change; rule changes needed to accomplish lake protection On a warm fall day in 1994, I walked into the state capitol building alongside a crowd of Mono Lake advocates. We assembled in a…

About 60 people holding handmade signs supporting Mono Lake and the Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve cheering and waving and showing a lot of spirit and joy while standing on the small platform at County Park overlooking Mono Lake.

4: The water story

Where you stand now is the management level for Mono Lake—6,392 feet in elevation above sea level. One day, Mono Lake’s water will again reach this level, but ensuring this was a long struggle. In 1976, a group of researchers, including…