In
its 1991 environmental impact report, LADWP identified numerous areas in the Owens Valley
that were adversely affected by groundwater pumping or other activities from 1970 to 1990.
The EIR commits LADWP to mitigate these impacts by establishing pasturelands, supplying
water to create wildlife habitats, and planting native vegetation. The following is a
brief review of the status of these mitigation measures by the Inyo County Water
Department (ICWD).
| Laws/Poleta
NativePasture E/M (216 acres) |
Annually provide
water to about 220 acres in two locations to enhance and maintain existing vegetation and
increase livestock grazing capacities while continuing the activity that caused the
impact. |
Although these
pastures are irrigated, large areas have low vegetation cover. ICWD recommends that the
water supply to these pastures be evaluated. |
| McNally Ponds
andNative Pasture E/M(348 acres) |
Create waterfowl
habitat by providing water to ponds Sept.–Jan. Enhance and maintain existing
vegetation and increase livestock grazing capacities by irrigating about 200 acres of
native pasture and 100 acres of native vegetation. |
Partially completed.
Ponds west of Hwy 6 have not received water annually during the waterfowl season. Pastures
on the east side of the river are completed. |
| 640 Acres Near
Laws |
Standing Committee to
consider revegetating with non-groundwater dependent native plants and continuing the
activity that caused impact. |
The Standing
Committee has not evaluated the need for mitigation. |
| Five Bridges
Area(300 acres) |
Manage pumping to
restore water table levels, supply surface water, and restore meadow and riparian
vegetation through active revegetation. Inyo and LA responsible for plan development and
implementation. |
Mitigation has not
been implemented by LADWP as described in the mitigation plan. ICWD recommended revisions
to the plan, but no action has been taken. Also, ICWD believes an impacted area north of
Owens River requires mitigation, but mitigation of the area has not been approved by the
Technical Group. |
| Farmers Pond |
Provide wet habitat
by maintaining operation of seasonal pond. |
ICWD recommends an
operations plan be developed to better track compliance with the EIR. |
| 140 Acres Near
Laws |
Native plant
revegetation. |
ICWD recommends
amending the mitigation plan to include a 10-acre study plot in lieu of planting container
plants over a larger area. |
| Laws Museum
Pastures E/M (21 & 15 acres) |
Enhance the museum
grounds by irrigating pastures east and west of museum. |
Not completed. These
pastures do not currently receive irrigation water. |
| Laws Area |
Monitor and reduce
groundwater pumping where suspected impacts have occurred. Mitigate according to the Water
Agreement, if necessary. |
County and LADWP
disagree about effects of groundwater pumping and the operation of the McNally canals to
avoid impacts to vegetation. ICWD annually monitors vegetation cover on approximately 20
parcels in the Laws area. |
| Millpond
Recreation Area |
Pay costs of running
well to provide water to pond and thus create wet habitat. |
Ongoing. |
| Buckley Ponds |
Provide habitat for
warm-water fishery and waterfowl by maintaining a year-round pond. |
ICWD recommends an
operations plan be developed to better track compliance with the EIR. |
| 120 Acres Near
Bishop |
Revegetate with
non-groundwater dependent native vegetation. |
The site was fenced
to reduce disturbance and increase native vegetation recruitment and survival. Vegetation
will be sampled in 2003 to determine whether active revegetation is needed. |
| Saunders Pond |
Provide wet habitat
by maintaining operation of year-round pond. |
ICWD recommends an
operations plan be developed to better track compliance with the EIR. |
| Klondike Lake |
Improve waterfowl
habitat and provide recreational opportunities in the Big Pine area. |
The water supply to
this project was reduced from the planned amount. A waterfowl nesting and feeding habitat
area along the south shoreline has not been supplied with water. |
| Big Pine Northeast
Regreening E/M (30 acres) |
Manage pumping in
accordance with Agreement, establish irrigated crop. |
Not implemented. ICWD
recommends a mitigattion plan be developed and the project be implemented as required by
the MOU. |
| Big Pine Ditch
System |
Establish/restore
ditch system through Big Pine. |
Evaluation of water
supply for the ditch system is underway. |
| 20 Acres Near Big
PineE/M |
Establish irrigated
crop while continuing the activity that caused the impact. |
Not implemented. ICWD
recommends a mitigattion plan be developed as required by the MOU. |
| 160 Acres Near Big
Pine |
Continue activity
that caused impact and revegetate with non-groundwater dependent native species. |
Revegetation behind
schedule. Test plots scheduled for 2001 have not been implemented. |
| Steward Ranch |
Compensation
agreement with ranch owner. |
Mitigation agreement
is in place. |
| Big Pine general |
Valley-wide
mitigation through the Water Agreement. |
Groundwater
management under the Water Agreement was implemented in 1989. |
| Fish Springs |
CDFG fish hatchery
and the LORP serve as compensatory mitigation. |
Hatchery in place and
LORP Final EIR/EIS in preparation. |
| Tule Elk Field |
Provide water in
summer to field near Tinemaha Reservoir used by Tule Elk. |
ICWD recommends an
operations plan be developed to better track compliance with the EIR. |
| Big and Little
Seely |
Provide waterfowl and
shorebird habitat by maintaining year-round pond. |
ICWD recommends an
operations plan be developed to better track compliance with the EIR. |
| Calvert Slough |
Maintain small pond
and marsh. |
ICWD recommends an
operations plan be developed to better track compliance with the EIR. |
| Hines Spring |
Create 1-2 acres of
aquatic, riparian, and marshland habitats. Project will serve as a restoration research
project. Manage pumping according to the Water Agreement. |
Behind schedule. The
MOU required plan and schedule in 2001. ICWD commented on draft reports released in
Sep./Dec. 2000. Completion date for revised draft report unknown. |
| Taboose/Hines
Spring Area (80 acres) |
Manage pumping and
revegetate with native species. |
Impact area consists
of 3 sites totaling about 115 acres. Tin 54 (0.3 acres): 108 alkali sacaton plants
were planted in 1999 and irrigated every growing season. LADWP’s irrigation plans for
2003 growing season are unknown. Monitoring of grass survival is ongoing. Blk 16E
(7.2 acres): Monitoring indicates active revegetation not yet necessary. However,
vegetation will be re-sampled in 2005. Hines Sp S. (about 100 acres): Plan and
schedule for area is linked to implementation of the Hines Spring restoration project.
Thus, there has been a delay in implementation of mitigation here (see Hines Spring
above). |
| Little Blackrock
Spring |
Water provided to
maintain pond at original spring site. |
ICWD recommends an
operations plan be developed to better track compliance with the EIR. |
| Big Blackrock
Springs |
CDFG fish hatchery
and the LORP serve as compensatory mitigation. |
Fish hatchery in
place; final LORP EIR/EIS in preparation. |
| Thibaut/Sawmill
Marsh Habitat |
Blackrock Waterfowl
component of LORP will provide compensatory and some on-site mitigation. Vegetation
impacts will be mitigated under the Water Agreement |
Final LORP EIR/EIS in
preparation. |
| Independence
Pasturelands E/M (460 acres) |
Develop irrigated
pasture or alfalfa fields. |
Ongoing. |
| Billy Lake |
Maintain wet habitat. |
This project is a
component of the LORP; final LORP EIR/EIS in preparation. |
| Independence East
Side Regreening E/M (30 acres) |
Manage groundwater
pumping and establish irrigated crop. |
Pumping managed by
Water Agreement. Regreening project has not been implemented. ICWD recommends a mitigation
plan be developed and the project be implemented as required by the MOU. |
| Independence
Woodlot E/M (21 acres) |
Create irrigated
crop. |
ICWD recommends an
operations plan be developed to include existing management guidelines. LADWP not
following management guidelines for site maintenance and tree harvesting. |
| Independence
Springfield E/M (283 acres) |
Manage groundwater
pumping and establish native pasture or alfalfa. |
Project in place,
though irrigated pasture needs to be expanded to include about 40 acres that currently
lack vegetative cover. |
| 60 Acres in
Symes/Shepherd Wellfield |
Manage pumping
according to the Agreement and supply water to restore vegetation to natural composition
and cover through active revegetation. |
Impact area consists
of 3 sites totaling about 115.2 acres. Ind 105 (13.6 acres): At present, ICWD does
not recommend active revegetation due to increase of native cover. The site will be
re-sampled in 2006 to re-evaluate progress. Ind 131 (73.2 acres): vegetation test
plots implemented in Dec. 2001 by a contractor. Ind 123 (28.4 acres): Behind
schedule. Test plots scheduled for 2002 have not been implemented. |
| Shepherd Creek
Alfalfa Field E/M (185 acres) |
Manage groundwater
pumping and establish irrigated crop on approx. 200 acres. |
Cultivated crops
maintained on 185 acres. |
| Expand Shepherd
Creek Alfalfa E/M (60 acres) |
Expand E/M project to
east of Hwy 395 if vegetation cover in that area remains sparse. |
No monitoring has
occurred and no plan for this measure has been developed. The Standing Committee has not
evaluated the need to implement this mitigation. |
| Reinhackle Spring |
Manage groundwater
pumping to avoid reductions in flow and monitor and maintain vegetation to avoid
significant change or decrease as provided in the Water Agreement and the Green Book. |
LADWP monitors flow
from Reinhackle Spring. Spring-dependent vegetation is not monitored. The Technical Group
is developing a monitoring protocol and interim management plan for the spring. Ecosystem
Sciences completed a draft inventory of springs and seeps that may provide some baseline
data (see page 13). |
| Lone Pine Ponds |
Water provided via
releases from Los Angeles aqueduct spillgates. |
This project is a
component of the LORP; final LORP EIR/EIS in preparation. |
| Lone Pine East
Side Regreening E/M (11 acres) |
Create irrigated
pasture. |
Irrigated pasture is
being maintained. |
| Lone Pine Woodlot
E/M (12 acres) |
Revegetate and
provide irrigation. |
ICWD recommends an
operations plan be developed to include existing management guidelines. |
| Richards Field
E/M(189 acres) |
Create irrigated
pasture or alfalfa field. |
Irrigated pasture is
being maintained. |
| Van Norman Field
E/M (171 acres) |
Create irrigated
pasture or alfalfa field. |
A portion of the
project is not capable of being irrigated. ICWD recommends this portion of the project be
evaluated for possible revegetation. |
| Lone Pine West
Regreening E/M (7 acres) |
Create irrigated
pasture. |
Irrigated pasture is
being maintained. |
| Diaz Lake |
Provide supplemental
water to recreation area and create wet habitat. |
ICWD recommends an
operations plan be developed to better track compliance with the EIR. |
| Lower
OwensRewatering Project E/M |
Re-water the Owens
River to create wet habitat for wildlife. Project included off-river lakes and ponds. |
Implemented in 1986.
By agreement, flows were discontinued between Blackrock and Billy Lake in 1991 due to
drought conditions. This project will be replaced by the LORP. |
| Lower OwensRiver
Project |
Re-water about 60
miles of Owens River channel. Project includes the delta habitat area, off-river lakes and
ponds, and a 1500-acre waterfowl habitat area in the Blackrock area. |
LORP EIR/EIS in
preparation. MOU required establishment of river flow by June 13, 2003. Date for
initiation of project uncertain. |
| Meadow and
Riparian Vegetation Dependent onAgricultural Tailwater |
LORP to serve as
compensatory mitigation. |
Final LORP EIR/EIS in
preparation. |
| Saltcedar
Invasion in Water Spreading Basins East of Independence |
Implement saltcedar
control program in accordance with the Water Agreement. |
Program implemented
in 1997. Continuation of saltcedar control program beyond Spring 2004 depends on
acquisition of funding from sources other than Inyo County. Without continued funding,
program will not address the areas impacted by water spreading. |
| Irrigated
Fields,Including Cartago and Olancha |
Continue irrigation
practices that occurred in 1981-1982 or thereafter. |
Some lands in the
Laws area have not been irrigated for nearly 10 years. ICWD recommends Technical Group
develop procedures to track compliance with this mitigation requirement. |
| Springs/Seeps |
Monitor and maintain
vegetation to avoid significant change or decrease as provided in the Water Agreement and
the Green Book. |
Ecosystem Sciences
has completed a draft inventory of springs and seeps. When satisfactorily completed, the
inventory will provide spring vegetation baseline data (see page 13). |