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MONDAY: Come join us at the

Inyo/LA Standing Committee Meeting

Let's speak up to LA decision-makers

for our water!

Patsiata (also known as Owens Lake). Photo by Santeena Pugliese.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) just finalized its groundwater pumping plan for the next 12 months. Inyo County asked for LAWDP to lower its planned pumping by about 20,000 acre-feet (AF), to a similar pumping total as last year. LADWP refused. Instead, their planned exports will cut significantly into recent groundwater gains that our valley's ecosystems desperately need.

The Inyo/LA Standing Committee consists of decision-makers from both Inyo County and Los Angeles. For this meeting, two LADWP Commissioners and one LA City Councilperson will come up to Inyo County in person. This is one of only TWO opportunities we have each year to give public comment to this committee. Let's make it count!

The Standing Committee meeting will be held MONDAY, May 19, at 11am. 

Let's tell these Los Angeles decision-makers what we'd like to see:

a meaningful reduction in water extraction!

Give a verbal comment. Attend the meeting and provide a public comment. We’ll show LADWP that Angelenos AND Inyo County residents both care about reducing water extraction from this region. This will be a hybrid (in-person + online) meeting. 

• Attending In-Person: Inyo County Administrative Center, 224 North Edwards St., Independence, CA 
• Attending Online: 
  • This meeting will be held on Zoom. Raise your hand to give a public comment.
  • If you're phoning into the Zoom, press *9 to “raise hand" to give a public comment.

Submit a written comment. If you can’t make it the meeting, submit a written comment. Every comment counts!

• Email your comment to lpiper@inyocounty.us by 11am on Monday, 5/19.
• Your comment should be 250 words or less.
• Your comment may or may not be read aloud at the meeting. Regardless, it will become part of the public record.

Get as specific as you can in your comments! If you would like some guidance for planning your comment, here are some suggestions:

• The system of collaborative management between LADWP and Inyo County is NOT WORKING. We need to see meaningful change.

  • If you attended the Inyo/LADWP Technical Group meeting last week, please share your experience: the LADWP Commissioners need to hear how their staff made the public feel shut down and dismissed, including their own rate-payers. 

  • The Long Term Water Agreement (LTWA – governs water decisions in the valley) requires collaborative management between LADWP and Inyo County. However, LADWP staff are failing to engage as a real partner.

  • We would like to see many, but here are a few changes we would like to see from the Standing Committee:

    • #1: Meet at LEAST three times a year, rather than skipping your typical summer meeting. More meetings will allow for discussion about structural change.

    • #2: Instruct the Technical Group to use its decades of vegetation data to develop a new pumping management system with better monitoring strategies to reverse drying vegetation across the valley. LADWP passed a motion supporting biodiversity in 2024, but its land and water management here is destroying the rich biodiversity that used to exist.

    • #3: Instruct LADWP Eastern Sierra staff to pump under their minimum pumping estimates. LADWP did not try to resolve Inyo County’s concerns, as they agreed to in the LTWA, so they should take less water.

• We ask for Los Angeles to engage in good faith negotiations with Owens Valley tribes about their unresolved water rights.

  • As residents of Los Angeles and Inyo County, we’re encouraged to see LADWP support the tribes by providing a letter that helped secure a federal assessment team to address the long-standing water rights issues stemming from the 1937 Land Exchange. The next critical step is the formation of a dedicated negotiation team, which will require firm commitment from decision-makers within the City of Los Angeles to engage in good faith negotiations with Owens Valley tribes. 

  • We stand with our tribal relatives in urging the City and LADWP to honor their moral obligation and support this next step toward justice, healing, and accountability. It is time for meaningful, government-to-government dialogue rooted in respect, justice, and repair.

• Share a personal story about why you want LADWP to reduce its water extraction. By making it clear why LADWP’s groundwater pumping matters to each speaker, we show them folks care across both regions.

  • For Angelenos:

    • How do you feel about LADWP’s conduct? Why does it matter to you that they do better in stewarding this valley?

    • Why do you care about the impacts of LADWP’s water extraction?

    • Why did you take the time out of your day to join this public meeting? If you drove here, why was it worth the five-hour drive?

       

  • For Inyo County residents:

    • Are you compelled by a specific topic related to water in our valley, such as vegetation getting drier, a lack of effective monitoring for impacts, or dropping groundwater levels? Do you want to protect a particular place?

    • How does LADWP impact your life here? 

    • Why does it matter to you that LADWP does better in stewarding the lands and waters of this valley?

Other details to consider:

• LADWP’s pumping numbers are too high.

  • Inyo County recommended that LADWP reduce its groundwater pumping numbers to match last years’ pumping at 48,720 acre-feet (AF) or less. Many LADWP rate-payers asked LADWP to adopt this number. However, LADWP refused to listen to its ratepayers, deciding to pump between 62,160 – 83,760 AF instead.

  • 62,160 – 83,760 AF of groundwater equals 20,254,924,800 - 27,293,315,657 gallons. LADWP does not need to take this much water.

• Despite robust participation at the May 6th Technical Group meeting, LADWP refused to engage with Inyo County’s recommendations about its pumping numbers.

  • At the Technical Group meeting, fifty-five members of the public participated. This included Angelenos who drove up for the meeting and dozens online. 

  • The Long Term Water Agreement states that the parties are supposed to “resolve” Inyo County’s concerns at this meeting. Every commenter asked LADWP to accept Inyo County’s recommendations. Still, LADWP refused to seriously discuss Inyo County’s recommendations during this meeting. The meeting lasted 3.5 hours.

  • Participants agreed that LADWP staff had no intention of taking action based on our comments. They defended, rationalized, and dodged without serious consideration.

• LADWP plans to move forward with several wells that Inyo County residents stand firmly against. We ask LADWP Commissioners to direct their staff as following:

  • NO operational planning or pumping for Well 416 in Lone Pine. 

  • NO installation of  Well B2 or B5 in Bishop.

  • NO pump test on Well 386 north of Bishop. 

Check out the Eastern Sierra Water Alliance (ESWA) website to learn more about our water justice work in the valley!

If you have any questions, please email lauren@friendsoftheinyo.org.

Main Office:

621 W. Line St., Suite 201
Bishop, CA 93514

Satellite Office:

142 E. Bush St.

Lone Pine, CA 93545

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