the Owen’s Valley Water Project
Construction of the Owens Valley Project (the Los Angeles Aqueduct) began in the first decade of the 20th century. It was considered one of the engineering marvels of the era, rivaling the Panama Canal.
How Los Angeles Gets Its Water
Completed on November 5, 1913, the 233-mile Los Angeles Aqueduct stretches all the way from California’s Owens Valley to the city of Los Angeles–delivering somewhere in the neighborhood of 260-millions gallons of water per day to a thirsty city. The aqueduct stands as a testament to early 20th-century engineering might, however, the project set off a decades-long civil war between Owens Valley farmers and Los Angeles.