What is the relationship between the Owens Valley Aqueduct and the development of the San Fernando Valley?
Water from the Owens Valley, which was transported 250 miles to Los Angeles via the aqueduct starting in 1913, allowed the San Fernando Valleywhich had been a dry-farming region largely dependent on rain for agricultureto flourish as an agricultural community. The Owens River drained snowmelt from the Sierra Nevadas. In around 1900, residents of the Owens Valley hoped that with passage of the National Reclamation Act they could channel the river into irrigation projects for their own agricultural uses. Instead, Los Angeles officials acquired the water rights to the Owens River by purchasing the surrounding land. In 1907, Los Angeles residents approved $23 million in bonds to pay for construction of the aqueduct, known variously as the Los Angeles Aqueduct and the Owens Valley Aqueduct. Construction began the following year, and on November 5, 1913, the gates of the aqueduct opened at “The Cascades” northwest of San Fernando and brought the river water to the growing city of Los Angel
