Owens RiverArticle Free Pass Owens River, river, eastern
California, U.S. Located in Mono and Inyo counties, it rises in
the Sierra Nevada southeast of Yosemite National Park and flows
about 120 miles (200 km) generally west-southwest to Owens Lake
(now dry). The river was among the first (1913) to be diverted
to provide water to the city of Los Angeles. The aqueduct
spurred widespread opposition from Owens Valley residents,
particularly farmers whose production was harmed by a lack of
access to water; drought in the Owens Valley during the 1920s
prompted violent reaction, with opponents dynamiting the
aqueduct in an unsuccessful attempt to destroy it. The diversion
of the river essentially drained Owens Lake and resulted in
severe alkaline dust storms, causing serious ecological damage
and health problems and sparking continued disputes over water
rights. Roman Polanski’s 1974 movie Chinatown was a
fictionalized account of this controversy. The Lower Owens River
Project called for Los Angeles and Inyo counti