Los Angeles Aqueduct

Los Angeles Aqueduct. 100-Year Anniversary. , On February 13, 1913, a small group of people from Los Angeles converged on the newly completed Los Angeles Aqueduct intake in the Owens Valley. In a modest ceremony that was captured on film and in photographs, they opened the intake gates, sending the first Eastern Sierra water hundreds of miles south to the growing city. On November 5, 1913, thousands of people cheered as the water arrived. These historical events forever linked Los Angeles and the Owens Valley, led to the growth and prosperity of Los Angeles and Southern California, and helped spur an economy that today rivals that of many nations and supports a distinct culture synonymous with invention, creativity and entrepreneurship. , , The entirely gravity-fed Los Angeles Aqueduct remains one of the engineering marvels of modern times and continues to supply water through effective and responsible management by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. To protect the watershed, Los Angeles owns a significant amount of Eastern Sierra land and that ownership has preserved vast expanses of undeveloped, wide open spaces that are made available to the public for recreational and community uses. The Los Angeles Aqueduct remains a vital part of Los Angeles' future water supply even as the city plans to meet its water needs for the next century by expanding local water supplies through increased conservation, water recycling, groundwater cleanup and replenishment and stormwater capture. , , For the centennial anniversary of the opening of the Los Angeles Aqueduct intake, representatives from Los Angeles and Inyo County commemorated that historic event 100 years ago. They dedicated this plaque to a future of cooperative stewardship of the natural resources of the Owens Valley and Eastern Sierra for the benefit of people here and in Los Angeles. , , Dedicated February 13, 2013