Los Angeles Water Time Line
From
http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Reseda_HS/Waterweb/aquilarwtr/lawaterpg.html
1769:
On the exploration from San Diego to Monterey, Gaspar de Portola
discovered and named the Rio Porciuncula. He recognized it as
ideal for settlement because of the ample water supply.
1854: The primitive water
system for Los Angeles was large enough to become a city department.
This department became the Los Angeles City Water Company. |
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1878:
William Mulholland, the man who would shape the city of Los Angeles
came to work for the Los Angeles City Water Company.
1886: Mr. Mulholland at age
31 became superintendent of the company.
1889: The first water meter
was installed at Mulholland's instigation.
1902: The city of Los Angeles
purchased the Los Angeles City Water Company for 2 million dollars.
1904: Mulholland and J.B.
Lippincott teamed up, they knew the city needed water and the
only way to get it was from the Owens River. |
1905:
After all the planning, in March Fred Eaton went to the Owens
Valley to buy land options and water rights.
1906: Los Angeles had the
law which would permit the Owens River to reach Los Angeles.
1907: Voters of Los Angeles
gave their overwhelming endorsement to the project, approving
a 23 million dollar bond issue for the construction of the California
aqueduct. |
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1913:
A carnival atmosphere prevailed for the dedication ceremonies
at the "Cascades" on November 5th. The aqueduct was
finally up and running.
1916: This year the Summary
of all the work appeared, it was known as the "Complete Report".
It stated the total of deaths which was 43, and 1,282 accidents.
1921-1929: Five important
aqueducts were built which were: Tinemaha on the Owens River,
Upper San Fernando (Van Norman), Stone Canyon, Encino, and Hollywood.
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1923:
By spring once again both Los Angeles and the Owens Valley were
facing severe water shortages. The residents of the Owens Valley
blamed this trouble on the aqueduct for stealing their water.
They decided they had to bring water from the Colorado River.
1924: The first violence of
the dispute erupted against the aqueduct. Forty men dynamited
the Lone Pine aqueduct spillway gate. This same year Mark Watterson
led 60 to 100 people to occupy the Alabama Gates, closing the
aqueduct.
1925: The Department of Water
and Power (DWP) was established and the voters of Los Angeles
approved a 2 million dollar bond for the Colorado River Aqueduct.
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1926:
Between 1926 and 1927 there had been 10 instances of dynamiting
to the aqueduct. The people of northern Californians, were totally
against the aqueduct because they stated it was being stolen from
them.
1928: William Mulholland left
the DWP, shaken by the tragedy of the St. Francis Dam, 40 miles
north Los Angeles. On March 12th of that year, Mulholland inspected
the dam, the construction of which he had supervised. Hours later
it collapsed, killing 450 people in the ensuing flood. He accepted
full responsibility and resigned. Also in this same year the Metropolitan
Water District of Southern California was created. |
1935:
The Famous Hoover Dam was completed. Also this year the death
of the man that made Los Angeles what it is today, William Mulholland
1975: The DWP established
a wildlife management staff including wildlife biologists and
vegetation specialist. |
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State Water Project Milestones
From
http://www.water.ca.gov/swp/history.html
1956:
Special
session of the Legislature, called by Governor Goodwin J. Knight,
creates a single State Department of Water Resources. It replaces
the State Engineer's Office, the Water Project Authority, the
State Water Resources Board, and the Division of Water Resources
of the Department of Public Works. (Water rights jurisdiction
are assigned to another new agency--the State Water Rights Board.
In 1967, its functions are taken over by the State Water Resources
Control Board.)
- On July 5, 1956, the State Department of Water Resources comes
into existence.
- The new Department is organized with a Division of Resources
Planning, Division of Design and Construction, Division of Administration,
and a Southern California District.
- DWR also acquires the duties of the State Water Board, later
renamed the California Water Commission.
- Governor Knight appoints a distinguished consulting engineer--Harvey
O. Banks--to be its first Director. Banks serves as DWR Director
from 1956-1961. |
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1957:
The
Department completes the California Water Plan (Bulletin No. 3).
It presents preliminary plans for developing all of the state's
water resources to meet its ultimate water needs. Those plans
include a system of reservoirs, aqueducts, pumping and power plants
that would transport water from areas of surplus in the north
to the water deficient south.
1959: State engineers recommend
alternative routes for aqueduct systems to serve Southern California.
- The Legislature enacts Burns-Porter Act, providing initial funding
of $1.75 billion in general obligation bonds and authorizing construction
of its facilities. |
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1960:
California voters approve the Burns-Porter Act to finance construction
of the State Water Project.
- Whale Rock Dam, located near San Luis Obispo, is completed
to meet the county's water needs. It was the first major dam
designed and constructed by DWR.
1961: On January 1, William
E. Warne is appointed Director. Warne serves until December
31, 1966. (Mr. Warne died March 9, 1996.)
- The Department is reorganized with the Division of Resources
Planning split into four branches situated in Sacramento, and
a headquarters staff. The branches were the Bay Area, Delta,
Northern and San Joaquin Valley, and a Technical Services Office.
The Division of Operations and Maintenance is added, as well
as the Division of Design and Construction was established,
approved and financed by the Burns-Porter Act.
- Construction begins on State Water Project facilities, including
Oroville Dam, key water storage facility on the Feather River
in the upper Sacramento Valley.
- California and the U.S. Government sign an agreement to build
the San Luis Joint-Use Facilities for storage, pumping and conveyance
for state-federal water operations.
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1962:
President
John F. Kennedy and Governor Edmund G. Brown, Sr. join in a dedication
ceremony for the San Luis Dam and Reservoir in the San Joaquin
Valley west of Los Banos. (Governor Brown, a leader in developing
the State Water Project, served as California's Governor from
1959 to 1967. The California Aqueduct was renamed the Edmund G.
Brown California Aqueduct in his honor in December 1982. He died
on February 16, 1996.)
1963: Construction begins
on San Luis Dam. The San Luis Reservoir is planned for joint use
by the SWP and the federal Central Valley Project, since both
systems require storage of surplus flows pumped from the Delta.
Construction begins on the Harvey O. Banks Pumping Plant in the
South Delta, starting point of the California Aqueduct.
- The Baldwin Hills Dam failure dramatically impacts and restructures
the Division of Safety of Dams.
- The Power Office is created in October.
- The San Joaquin District is established in Fresno. |
1964:
December
storms cause severe flooding along North Coast rivers, including
the Smith, Eel and Van Duzen. December flooding on the Feather
River is checked by the partly-completed Oroville Dam.
- DWR moves into the Resources Building from 19 locations in Sacramento.
The building is dedicated on January 8, 1965.
1965: Construction begins
on A.D. Edmonston Pumping Plant, largest pumping facility of the
State Water Project, to lift water almost 2,000 feet up and over
the Tehachapi Mountains into Southern California. At peak capacity,
the plant pumps almost 2 million gallons a minute through 10 miles
of pipeline across the Tehachapi Mountains.
- The new Division of Safety of Dams is created on July 1.
- Bay Area District is established in Vallejo. It closes in 1968
and merges with the Sacramento District to form the Central District.
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1967:
Effective January 1, Governor Ronald
Reagan appoints William R. Gianelli as DWR Director. Gianelli
serves until April, 1973.
- Feather River Salmon and Steelhead Hatchery below Oroville Dam
opens to help compensate for the loss of natural spawning areas
to the dam.
- Construction is completed on Oroville Dam. At 770 feet high,
Oroville Dam is the tallest earthfill dam in the nation. Its reservoir
is the largest in the SWP, with a capacity of 3.5 million acre-feet.
- Construction is completed on the San Luis Dam. With a capacity
of two million acre-feet, the San Luis Reservoir in the eastern
foothills of the Diablo Mountain Range, is the largest off-stream
reservoir in the United States. |
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1968:
Electric
power generation begins at Oroville Dam.
- On April 3, the Department sells $150 million in bonds to pay
for construction costs of the Oroville Division power facilities.
This is the first sale of revenue bonds to finance SWP construction.
(The Department was able to retire the 50-year bonds by April
1, 1994.)
- Banks Pumping Plant is completed. With seven units, its pumping
capacity is 6,400 cubic feet per second. (In 1991, four more units
are added, boosting total capacity to 10,300 cfs.)
1969: The Reclamation Board
staff and responsibilities are transferred to DWR. |
1971:
On October 8, Governor Ronald Reagan starts the first pump at
AD Edmonston Pumping Plant, as part of a ceremony celebrating
the first water deliveries to Southern California.
1973: Initial facilities of
the State Water Project are completed.
John R. Teerink, a career DWR engineer, is appointed Director.
He serves until 1975. (Teerink was killed in an automobile accident
on July 30, 1992.)
1975: Governor Edmund G. Brown,
Jr. appoints Ronald E. Robie, an attorney and legislative consultant
on water law and policy, as DWR Director. Robie serves until 1983. |
1977:
The
State Water Project Analysis Office is established to handle contract
administration and negotiations, as well as project repayment
and financial analysis for the SWP.
1979: The California Cooperative
Snow Survey Program celebrates its golden anniversary, as does
the Dam Safety program.
The Office of Water Conservation is established to bring together
urban and agricultural conservation efforts.
1981: DWR celebrates its 25th
anniversary at the Sacramento Convention Center.
1982: Voters reject Proposition
9 (SB 200) to build a Peripheral Canal along the eastern edge
of the Delta. (In 1977, DWR had proposed a combination of state-
federal programs and facilities, including a 42-mile canal to
bypass the Delta and more efficiently move water from the Sacramento
River south to CVP and SWP pumping plants. These later evolved
into Senate Bill 200) |
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1983:
David N. Kennedy, an engineer and water industry executive who
worked for DWR as an engineer in the 1960s, is appointed Director
of DWR by Governor George Deukmejian.
- DWR becomes a bulk power agency to better manage its power needs,
making the State Water Project the fifth largest electric utility
in California. (DWR is also the twelfth largest public-owned electric
system in the nation.)
1984: The Legislature authorizes
construction of Los Banos Grandes, a 1.75 million acre-feet offstream
reservoir south of the Delta. It would benefit the Delta by increasing
export pumping flexibility to offset impacts on Delta fish. (The
project is put on hold pending a Bay-Delta solution.)
1986: DWR and the Department of Fish and Game sign
an agreement to determine mitigation measures for the Harvey O.
Banks Pumping Plant. Often called the "4-Pumps Agreement,"
referring to the four additional pumps to be installed at the
Pumping Plant. The agreement's primary purpose is to offset the
direct losses of striped bass, chinook salmon and steelhead caused
by the pumping plant's operation. Funding comes from an initial
$15 million to support fishery improvement programs and an account
funded by the State Water Contractors to offset annual fish losses.
This engineering addition will add significant new capabilities
to the SWP's Delta export program.
- In February, DWR's Flood Operations Center becomes the headquarters
for many Northern California flood fights after torrential rains,
starting February 19, lashed much of the North State for more
than a week. Flooding occurs along several major Northern California
rivers. The toll: 12 dead, 67 injured, 1,382 homes destroyed,
and 12,447 homes damages. Total damage is estimated at more than
$500 million.
- The East Branch Enlargement begins to expand the capacity of
the aqueduct to move more water south during wet years for storage
in groundwater basins. The work includes raising the canal lining,
building a new power plant, and modifying other facilities.
- A ceremony marks the beginning of construction of the Suisun
Marsh Salinity Control Gates, which will allow fresh water into
the marsh to preserve it as the largest contiguous brackish water
marsh remaining in the US The gates are declared operational on
November 22, 1989. |
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1987:
The California Legislature recognizes 1986-87 as a critically
dry water year and requests that DWR provide drought contingency
planning assistance to the water industry.
- The Office of Public Information and Communications (now known
as the Office of Water Education) is established.
- On November 24, after more than 25 years of negotiations and
Congressional approval, Director Kennedy and David Houston, Regional
Director, US Bureau of Reclamation, sign the Coordinated Operation
Agreement. It ushers in a new era of cooperation in operating
the State Water Project and the Central Valley Project.
1987-1992: Major California
drought impacts SWP water deliveries. DWR operates the Drought
Information Center and expands water conservation education efforts. |
1988:
After
more than two years of planning and negotiating, the Department
purchases 19,900 acres adjacent to the Kern River, establishing
the Kern Water Bank, a SWP groundwater recharge program.
1989: The week of May 1-7
marks the first statewide celebration of Water Awareness Week.
The event is later extended over the entire month of May.
1991: Governor Pete Wilson
reappoints David N. Kennedy as DWR Director.
DWR initiates a California Water Bank to facilitate transfers
and sales of water during drought to meet water needs. The Water
Bank was activated in the drought years of 1991, 1992 and 1994. |
1992:
In April, Governor Wilson announces a long-term comprehensive
water policy that takes account of the needs and concerns of each
of the major interests in water use and development. It includes
fixing the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, protecting groundwater
resources and fish and wildlife, and promoting water marketing,
water conservation, and water recycling.
1993: In December, DWR begins
construction on a 100-mile Coastal Branch. This pipeline project
will allow State Water Project water to be transported to Santa
Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties---a drought- vulnerable area---as
a supplemental water supply. Completion of this $530 million project
is expected in 1997. |
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1994:
In
July, state and federal agencies sign the Framework Agreement,
whose principles set into motion processes to provide more reliable
water supplies for Northern and Southern California, protect wildlife
in the Bay- Delta ecosystem, and prohibit the listing of more
endangered species. To help fulfill the agreement, the CALFED
Bay-Delta Program was established and charged with developing
long-term solutions to problems in the Bay-Delta estuary.
- On December 1, negotiators for DWR and the State Water Contractors
reach an agreement, known as the Monterey Agreement, to modernize
the way the State Water Project allocates, stores and sells water.
These changes represent the most significant since contracts were
signed in the early 1960s.
- As a leading state agency, DWR signs on December 15 "The
Principles for Agreement on Bay-Delta Standards," a major
agreement on Delta water supplies, water quality and environmental
protection. The Department will also serve as an active partner
in the CALFED Bay-Delta Program process created by the agreement
to develop solutions to Delta water supply and quality challenges. |
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1995:
DWR relocates operational headquarters for the SWP from the Resources
Building in downtown Sacramento to a renovated building north
of the downtown. The new Joint Operations Center is shared with
the US Bureau of Reclamation, operators of the Central Valley
Project, and the National Weather Service, a partner in DWR's
new Flood Center.
1996: Heavy rain and snowfall
during January and February assure ample water supplies for 1996.
On March 8, DWR announces it will deliver 100 percent of the water
amounts requested (about 2.7 million acre-feet) by its 29 long-term
water supply contractors in 1996.
- DWR and USBR releases environmental documents for a South Delta
Program to improve flows for fish habitat, agriculture and water
exports. It includes installing three permanent flow control structure
and a fish barrier, dredging channels, and constructing a new
intake to Clifton Court Forebay. |
1997:
The 100-mile-long Coastal Aqueduct was completed and the project
was dedicated on July 18, 1997. The pipieline project transports
State Water Project water to Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo
Counties.
1999: Thomas M. Hannigan was
appointed as Director of the Department of Water Resources by
Governor Gray Davis.
In December, the State Water Project Atlas was published. This
multi-color, highly-illustrated reference book describes the major
features of the State Water Project and is available for purchase
by the public. |
2000:
The CALFED Bay-Delta Program published a plan to fix Delta water
problems and address its major water challenges over the next
30 years. Agreement on the plan was jointly announced on June
9, 2000, by California Governor Gray Davis, US Secretary of the
Interior Bruce Babbitt, and California Senator Dianne Feinstein.
The plan was formalized in a Record of Decision issued on August
28, 2000.
- DWR assumed a leading role in the implementation of the CALFED
plan, including programs related to water storage, Delta conveyance,
Delta levee system integrity, watershed management, water use
efficiency, and water quality
2001: The CALFED Environmental Water Account, or EWA,
completed its first year of operation. The EWA provided 287,000
acre-feet of water for environmental purposes without reducing
Project deliveries. |
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