Tired and dusty from the long automobile ride from Mojave, Mayor A.C. Harper, General A.R. Chaffee of the Board of Public Works, Major John H. Norton of the Water Board and Superintendent William Mulholland arrived from their tour of inspection over the route of the Aqueduct yesterday.

“We had a successful trip, and I believe everybody was satisfied,” said Mr. Mulholland.

“Barring the breakdown of the automobile we did not meet with a single accident, and I think we showed General Chaffee everything there was to see. . . .”

“We went all the way to the Rickey ranch, stopping at all the camps, the site of the cement mill, the tunnels and, in fact, personally inspected every point along the line where work is in progress. . . .

“We left Mojave this morning at 8 o’clock and came back by way of the Elizabeth Lake tunnel, stopping at both headings.” . . .

[See the Mojave-Elizabeth Lake leg on a modern map here and the final leg here. Today a driver could do the first leg in an hour and the second in about an hour and a half.]

Water Stores Ample

The snows in the mountains have made of Owens River a magnificent stream that is capable of supplying more water than Los Angeles will need for years to come.

And there is no danger that the supply ever will fail. [But see box for later info.]

This was the information given out yesterday by A.F. Mairs and N.C. Grider, two prominent residents of Big Pine on the Owens River.

In the 21st Century the Owens River supplies half the city’s water needs through the L.A. Aqueduct

In 2006 the city has three principal water supply sources: the Los Angeles Aqueduct, local groundwater and purchased water imported by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

Aqueduct deliveries have on average supplied about half of L.A.’s water needs over the last ten years. Court decisions to provide additional aqueduct water to benefit the environment in the Mono Basin and the Owens Valley have limited the aqueduct deliveries. 

As a result, the median annual aqueduct delivery over the next 20 years is expected to be approximately 321,000 acre-feet, which will satisfy about fifty percent of the city’s water needs.

Source: L.A. Department of Water and Power