Some of California’s biggest lakes are making dramatic comebacks as the state’s “big melt” of snowpack reshapes the landscape in historic — and perhaps unexpected — ways.
Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images file
The contrast between the two lakes, which are about 115 miles from one another, shows the complicated and differing impacts of the “big melt,” as meteorologists have nicknamed the process. Some areas are benefiting from the water now coming from this winter’s historic snowfall; others are struggling to handle flows, which are expected to peak soon in many parts of the state.
. The events — which touched off violent “water wars” between Owens Valley residents and city interests — were the inspiration for the 1974 film “Chinatown.”“By the early 1920s it completely desiccated and it effectively has been a dry lake since then,” said Steve Bacon, an associate research professor of geology at the Desert Research Institute., a pollution problem that hampered nearby residents’ health and forced Los Angeles — after legal agreements — to control pollution.
“When you look at what’s potentially forecasted for Owens Lake — we’re looking at 160,000 — 170,000 acre-feet of water,” Perez said, referring to a measure that describes how much water it takes to cover an acre of land with one foot of water. An acre-foot of water is roughly equivalent to the volume of two Olympic-sized swimming pools.
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