An Energy Bridge of Water Links Mammoth Lakes to Los Angeles, California
In the fall of 2012, El Niño and La Niña global weather systems battled to a draw. Now it is anybody’s guess if this will be a big snow season in California’s Sierra Nevada. On Monday October 22, a friend in Mammoth sent pictures of the season’s first snowfall at Mammoth Lakes.
After an extreme lack of snow at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area last
winter, locals like Phil are hoping that snowstorms will visit again
soon.
In
August 2012, I visited Mammoth Lakes for the first time since the
1990s. I was surprised to see how little the core of the town had
changed. Still, rampant development of the sub-alpine meadows around
the edge of town looked unsustainable to me. In 2012, the town went bankrupt.
At the same time, the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power
(LADWP) made plans to exert its Mammoth Creek water rights. As has
happened several times before, Mammoth headed deeper into an economic
recession.
During the winter of 2011-2012, Mammoth Lakes experienced the economic
ripple effect of ski area layoffs. With the semi-permanent closure of June Mountain Ski Resort
in 2012, it will take more than one great snow season for Mono County
and its economy to rebound. Still, as the town of Mammoth Lakes goes, so
goes Los Angeles. As a persistent western drought continues, few in
Los Angeles stop to think how much of their water originates in Mono
County.
Collectively,
we spent the past fifty years moving Los Angeles to Mammoth Mountain.
Now, over-development and under-supply threaten water sources for both
city and town. Perhaps a good 2012 – 2013 snow season will allow us to
ignore both the economic and environmental realities for yet another year. Go Sierra snow!
By James McGillis at 03:04 PM | Environment | Comments (0) | Link
