There is currently a regional dispute of longstanding in southern California involving water rights. The so-called 'California Water Wars' refer to the disagreement between Los Angeles and the Owens Valley over such rights. The entire dispute stems from Los Angeles' location in a semi-arid area, and the presence of water from the Sierra Nevada runoff which collects in the Owens Valley.
Looking back to the 19th century, it was in 1833 that Joseph Walker led a party of explorers into the region that would later become known as the Owens Valley, located in central California. He noted that the valley's soil was inferior to that on the other side of the Sierra Nevada mountains, and that the water running off of the mountains was completely absorbed by the arid ground.
After the U.S. took control of California in 1848, the first public land survey represented one of the initial steps in facilitating government control of the valley. It was initially reported that the area's soil was not good for agriculture except for the land near streams. Others, however, saw more potential when coming into contact with the Paiute Indians and their utilization of irrigation ditches to direct large amounts of water from streams.
A majority of settlers came to the region hoping to become rich from mining. Once they reached the Owens Valley the dream died and most turned to farming and raising livestock instead. The Homestead Act of 1862 provided settlers five years to take title of their land at little more than a dollar per acre. The Act limited the amount of land an individual could own to 160 acres in order to facilitate the creation of small farms. Settlers used the Indians' knowledge of farming and irrigation to create fertile ground for crops.
During and after 1866 accelerated acquisition of land had begun and by the mid-1890's most of the ground in the Owens Valley was owned. The exorbitant number of claims from land speculators put brakes on the region's development because they would not develop irrigation canals.
The water wars were initiated in 1898 when Frederick Eaton became mayor of Los Angeles. He selected William Mulholland as the superintendent of the newly-established Department of Water and Power. Eaton and Mulholland had a vision that the city would become far bigger than its then-current dimensions. The only limiting factor on its growth was the dearth of a consistent water supply. Eaton and Mulholland postulated that since the Owens Valley profited from a large amount of runoff from the Sierra Nevada, a properly-constructed aqueduct could bring the Owens water to Los Angeles.
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