Sally manning, noah williams

Sally Manning: Environmental director, Big Pine Paiute Tribe

Noah Williams: Water program coordinator, Big Pine Paiute Tribe

Big Pine, CA

11/12/2022

In Eastern California’s Owens Valley, only 4-6 inches of precipitation falls every year. Despite that, the valley is a huge source of water for the large city of Los Angeles. This is because the valley is sandwiched between the expansive Sierra and White Mountain ranges. These ranges, each with peaks reaching over 14,000 feet, receive an immense amount of snow every year. This snow melts, and as it runs down the valley it is diverted from its natural course to be funneled in a massive aqueduct to LA.

We met with Noah Williams, a member of the Bishop Paiute Tribe and the Water Program Coordinator for the Big Pine Paiute Tribe, and with Sally Manning, the Environmental Director for the Tribe. They told us about their efforts to preserve Owens Valley.

Noah and Sally taught us about how the water diversions by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) can have extreme negative consequences for the ecology of Owens Valley. Due to LA’s water consumption, the water table in the valley has drastically dropped, affecting vegetation and animals alike. Noah and Sally also emphasized the severe effects that water diversions by LA have on significant locations for the Tribes of this area. For example, springs and ponds that hold cultural importance have completely dried up. They are hopeful that in the future some of these significant sites can be restored, and that balance can be brought to the water system.

By Henry Roller