Owens River

The Owens River is a river in southeastern California in the United States, approximately 183 miles (295 km) long. It drains into and through the Owens Valley, an arid basin between the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada and the western faces of the Inyo and White Mountains. The river terminates at Owens Lake, but its flow is greatly diminished by diversion into the Los Angeles Aqueduct since 1913. It is a major example and cause in the long-running California Water Wars, about urban region irrigation and drinking water export and local ecosystem and agricultural needs. In winter 2006, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power restored 5% of the pre-aqueduct flow to the river, by court order, allowing the Owens River Gorge, the river bed in the valley, and Owens Lake to contain a small amount of water.