there it is. take it

THERE IT IS. TAKE IT.The history of LA water

Municipal Water Uses?

Drinking Bathing Household chores Irrigation Fire hydrants Recreation

Start in 1874

LA has rights to all water in the Los Angeles River

“If you don’t get the water, you won’t need it”

Increasing water means increasing population and economic growth: social goal

1903, the city takes over control Board of Water Commissioners Annexation and increasing water supply 1904, need for augmenting the LA River

William Mulholland1855-1935

Fred Eaton1856-1934

Visionaries or Villains

Creativity or Chicanery? Bring water from the Owens Valley

235 miles to the north Enterprising or Evil? Need to collect the water rights Politicians or Polecats? Need to convince the public

Water Rights

Eaton procured most of the rights in the Valley

Reclamation Service had plans for a local irrigation program (320 acres per farm)

Conflict of interest: Lippincott All in secrecy Mulholland procures the rest of the rights July 29, 1905: TITANTIC PROJECT TO GIVE

CITY A RIVER

Eaton’s Situation

Sell LA all resources at cost Hold onto one ranch What is necessary for a reservoir?

Describe the topology of the land Sold to LA for $450,000 – twice the

current value as a ranch. Now Crowley Lake

Mulholland

How the heck do we pay for this? $25 million (1905) $1.5M in bonds in 1905 to finish

buying the rights $23M in 1907 for construction Overwhelming public approval Scare tactics and growth dreams? Timing of vote

Other Issues

Needs for right-of-ways from Federal Government

Teddy Roosevelt: “The greatest good for the greatest number.”

LA has many more people than the Valley

1906 legislation Electricity production

Huntington: real estate profits

Jeremy BenthamWhat ought to be the object of the legislator? He ought to assure himself of two things; 1st, that in every case, the incidents which he tries to prevent are really evils; and 2ndly, that if evils, they are greater than those which he employs to prevent them.

1748-1832

First Pipe

Construction begins in 1908

November 5, 1913 Water arrives

An engineering, political and social marvel

The Villains?

Profiteering San Fernando Valley

Unproven, but Commissioner was also a syndicate

owner Dates are simply too coincidental

It was known that excess water would become available

Owens Valley

Mary Austin WAR= dynamite Confrontation Depopulation Infracommunity

conflict Loss of economic

activity Death of Owens Lake

St. Francis Tragedy

A dam that should not have been built

No outside consultation http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MdB_s6KhwA

Mulholland resigns in disgrace What is the measure of a life?