LADWP & Mono Basin 

The City of Los Angeles has long-standing water rights that allow LADWP to provide safe, affordable, and reliable drinking water from the Eastern Sierra to millions of residents through the Los Angeles Aqueduct. Following a California Supreme Court decision calling for reconsideration of LADWP’s water rights under the public trust doctrine, in 1994, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) conducted a lengthy hearing to balance public trust resources at Mono Lake. The SWRCB subsequently adopted Decision 1631 (D-1631), which established minimum instream flows and specific water diversion criteria intended to gradually restore the average water elevation of Mono Lake to approximately 6,391 feet above mean sea level. As required by D-1631, LADWP has successfully restored streams, fisheries, and wildlife habitat in the Mono Basin, while also raising lake levels and reducing its water exports by 85 percent.