Ryan Garrett
Education Director of the Mono Lake Committee
Mono Lake & the LA aqueduct in the Mono Basin
October 4 - 5, 2024
Amongst the arid Eastern Sierra Nevada sits a blue, saline lake sitting at 6383 feet above sea level. On the briney, frothy shores of Mono Lake, Ryan Garrett, Education Director of the Mono Lake Committee, tells us why Mono Lake’s water level has receded 34 feet since the tributaries of Mono Lake started being diverted in 1941. As the city of Los Angeles exploded in population in the early 20th century, so did its demand for drinking water. As a result, the city constructed the LA aqueduct spanning from the Eastern Sierra, through the Mojave Desert, traversing nearly 330 miles. As the lake level recedes, the salinity increases, threatening the wildlife that relies on the lake ecosystem. The two organisms that can thrive in the salty waters of Mono Lake are small brine shrimp and alkali flies. Kutzadika’a people of the Mono Basin harvested the alkali fly pupae. Also known as kutsavi, these pupae are rich in fat and protein and are dried to be used in stews. These species support up to 2 million birds that stop at Mono Lake as they migrate through North and South America on the Pacific Flyway every year. Ryan leads us on a walk around the tufa towers of the lakeshores. Tufas are fossilized freshwater springs that grow under the surface of the lake, ultimately revealed by its lowered levels. As we walk along the shore, we see clouds of alkali flies swarm at our feet.
We meet Ryan for the second day at the Mono Lake Committee building in Lee Vining; an array of nature books and Mono Lake postcards taunt us. After browsing, we begin our journey. Ryan takes us to the first stop of the day: West Portal, a former town of 1500 people, built for the purpose of tunneling the LA aqueduct through the Mono Craters. Among the concrete remnants, we put our ears to the metal roof that covers the rushing water of the aqueduct, straining to hear. Ryan then takes us to our second stop of the day: Grant lake, a reservoir nestled in the Sierra foothills. Standing upon the earthen dam, a cool breeze cuts through the heat as we listen to Ryan’s engaging tour. He leaves us with cliffhangers at every place we stop, asking us questions and leaving us to ponder in the short car rides. Grant lake is one of multiple sources of water from the Mono Basin into the LA aqueduct. Rush Creek and Lee Vining Creek are two of the original 4 creeks that are still diverted for LA's water supply, which makes up only 1% of the total water diverted. At the next couple of stops, looking out over the sagebrush and the distant gray-blue Mono Lake, Ryan explains the important role that water plays in the Mono Basin ecosystem.
by Johanna Duncan and Antonia Prinster