Why Los Angeles won't run out of water: The Aqueduct - IT'S HISTORY

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Second only to the Panama Canal, the Los Angeles Aqueduct was once the most extensive creation of its kind in human history. An unbelievably expensive and lengthy project, its benefits and consequences are still felt today. Other regions went dry to sate Los Angeles’s need for water, causing decades of turmoil in the so-called Water Wars. Without it, the city would have never prospered as it did. The Los Angeles aqueduct is one of the most important and overlooked water projects in American history. The massive aqueduct is an essential piece of Los Angeles — supplying the city’s residents with water and revitalizing the once-barren Owens Lake. The aqueduct was completed in 1913 and has withstood the test of time. However, it is easy to forget that this significant piece of infrastructure was not always in place.The aqueduct is a product of the 1910s in Los Angeles. The booming city was preparing for a century of growth. The population was rapidly increasing, and city leaders needed to figure out how to support it. The town was already in need of new water sources. The Owens Lake aquifer was drying up, and the city had no choice but to look elsewhere. In 1913, the city approved the Owens Valley Aqueduct. This massive engineering project would transport water from the Sierra Nevada Mountains to Los Angeles. The aqueduct was built using an innovative gravity-fed canal system that eventually became the Owens Lake aqueduct. Los Angeles has always been a city of extremes. Located in the hottest, driest part of California, the city is also one of the wettest. The Owens Lake aquifer was its only water source, and its supply was constantly dwindling. The city needed to find a new water source and build a massive aqueduct to support its growing population.

Chapters:
00:00 - The History of The LA Aqueduct
00:49 - Superior Soundscapes - Endel
01:46 - A Golden Opportunity - A Brief History of Los Angeles
03:27 - LA's Early Water Problems
06:19 - Breaking New Ground - LA's First Aqueduct
10:18 - Fighting for Owens Valley - LA's Water Wars
12:33 - Extension and Exasperation of The LA Aqueduct
14:40 - The War Rages On - LA's Water Supply Today

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IT’S HISTORY - Weekly tales of American Urban Decay as presented by your host Ryan Socash.

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» CREDIT
Scriptwriter - Gregory Back
Editor - Rishi Mittal
Host - Ryan Socash

» SOURCES
Golbez: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:United_States_1850-1853-03.png#/media/File:United_States_1850-1853-03.png

Los Angeles: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Second_Los_Angeles_Aqueduct_Cascades,_Sylmar.jpg#/media/File:Second_Los_Angeles_Aqueduct_Cascades,_Sylmar.jpg

Brocken Inaglory: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mono_lake_tufa_formation.jpg#/media/File:Mono_lake_tufa_formation.jpg

Mike Dillon: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/LA_Aqueduct_Cascades.jpg

» NOTICE
Some images may be used for illustrative purposes only - always reflecting the accurate time frame and content. Events of factual error / mispronounced word/spelling mistakes - retractions will be published in this section.