100 years of water - Exploring LA's Aqueduct

Recently I flew to LA to visit an old friend, Lou Pesce, who works at the Metabolic Studio with artist Lauren Bon.  He is instrumental in coordinating and planning for the many projects that the Metabolic Studio has produced, which focus on bringing awareness to community issues in the Los Angeles area.  Lou and I traveled to Owens Valley where 100 years ago an aqueduct was built to carry water to the tiny city of Los Angeles.  Because of the water that the aqueduct brings to the area, Los Angeles has grown into the metropolis that it is today. 

In celebration of the centennial of the aqueduct's opening on November 5, 1913, the Metabolic Studio is organizing a 100 mule march along the entire length of the water's journey. Without the labor of the mules the aqueduct would not exist.




The final portion of the expedition will take place in the San Fernando Valley and the City of Los Angeles. The procession will arrive at the Cascades, where the Aqueduct ends, on Nov. 5, 2013, to mark the 100th anniversary of the opening of the aqueduct.

We traveled up Highway 395, which trails alongside the Aqueduct, to the beginning of LA's water supply at Owens River just north of Independence. Owens Valley is an arid valley with the Owens River nestled between the Sierra Nevadas to the west and the White Mountains and Inyo Mountains in the east.  The Sierra Nevadas create a rain shadow in the Owens Valley, creating a desert-like climate through which the Aqueduct runs.  This place is the setting for the California Water Wars, which  began when the Aqueduct was being planned and continued during construction.

Lou had already been to most of the places we visited, but he was also scouting new locations for events along the journey of the mule team.  We explored the headwaters of the aqueduct, where large gates control the flow of water from the Owens River, and where all the mules will begin their journey. We visited the Eastern California Museum in Independence which has a commemorative photography exhibit about the building of the Aqueduct. 

We ended up back in LA at the Cascades, the terminal end of the Aqueduct and the most visually appealing part.  The builders constructed an artificial waterfall by lining the bottom of the Aqueduct with concrete steps, creating a turbulent "cascade" as the water rushes down the mountains into Los Angeles.  The whole journey really brings an appreciation of the complex and delicate system that brings water to millions of people.  Exactly the kind of appreciation the Metabolic Studio is trying to create with the 100 mule march along the path of the LA Aqueduct.

The Cascades in 1913

The Cascades in 2013