Nature
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Owens Valley in eastern California follows the Owens River between the Sierra Nevada and the White and Inyo mountains, combining extreme vertical relief, arid climate, faulting, glacial landforms, and volcanic features. Long inhabited by the Timbisha and Mono, it later entered U.S. exploration and conflict in the 19th century. Its greatest modern significance lies in California’s water history: the Los Angeles Aqueduct, completed in 1913 and expanded in 1970, diverted river and groundwater south, helping spark the California Water Wars, dry Owens Lake, damage local ecosystems, and fuel long-running restoration efforts, lawsuits, and disputes over dust control and rewatered flows.
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Independence, California · United States
