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{{Image|Owens Valley Mitigation Veg.jpg|right|250px|Re-vegetated section of the Owens Lake area as of early 2009.}}
In the past, the Owens Lake dry bed area was characterized as being the largest single source of  PM<sub>10</sub> (particulate matter less than 10 microns in size) in the [[United States]] by the [[Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District]] (GBUAPCD)<ref name=PM-HealthEffects>[http://www.gbuapcd.org/Information/OwensLakeParticulateMatterHealthEffects.htm Survey of Reported Health Effects of Owens Lake Particulate Matter] January, 2000. Retrieved from the website of the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District (GBUAPCD) on 2011-01-31.</ref><ref>'''Note:''' The primary air pollution regulatory agency in the state of California is the [[California Air Resources Board]] (CARB). The GBUAPCD is one of the 35 air pollution control districts, which report to CARB and which address air pollution problems at the local level.</ref>. That characterization was based on an approximate, unscientific estimate made in about 1986 that the annual PM<sub>10</sub> emissions were 300,000 tons.<ref>Personal correspondence in an email from Mr. Ted Schade of the GBUAPCD on February 3, 2011.</ref> Subsequently, the GBUAPCD monitored and scientifically tested the PM<sub>10</sub> emissions over a long period, including daily measurements from the period of July 2000 to 2001, and determined the annual PM<sub>10</sub> emissions were only 79,000 tons for that year-long test period.<ref name=EPA-Conference>[http://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/conference/ei12/fugdust/present/ono.pdf Quantifying Particulate Matter Emissions from Wind Blown Dust Using Real-time Sand Flux Measurements] Duane Ono and Scott Weaver of the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District, and Ken Richmond of MFG, Inc., U.S. EPA Emission Inventory Conference, San Diego, California, April 2003. From website of the U.S. EPA. Retrieved on 2011-01-31.</ref> That is equivalent to an average of  217 tons per day. During that test period, a single  peak daily value of 7,200 tons  was encountered.  
In the past, the Owens Lake dry bed area was characterized as being the largest single source of  PM<sub>10</sub> (particulate matter less than 10 microns in size) in the [[United States]] by the [[Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District]] (GBUAPCD)<ref name=PM-HealthEffects>[http://www.gbuapcd.org/Information/OwensLakeParticulateMatterHealthEffects.htm Survey of Reported Health Effects of Owens Lake Particulate Matter] January, 2000. Retrieved from the website of the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District (GBUAPCD) on 2011-01-31.</ref><ref>'''Note:''' The primary air pollution regulatory agency in the state of California is the [[California Air Resources Board]] (CARB). The GBUAPCD is one of the 35 air pollution control districts, which report to CARB and which address air pollution problems at the local level.</ref>. That characterization was based on an approximate, unscientific estimate made in about 1986 that the annual PM<sub>10</sub> emissions were 300,000 tons.<ref>Personal correspondence in an email from Mr. Ted Schade of the GBUAPCD on February 3, 2011.</ref> Subsequently, the GBUAPCD monitored and scientifically tested the PM<sub>10</sub> emissions over a long period, including daily measurements from the period of July 2000 to 2001, and determined the annual PM<sub>10</sub> emissions were only 79,000 tons for that year-long test period.<ref name=EPA-Conference>[http://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/conference/ei12/fugdust/present/ono.pdf Quantifying Particulate Matter Emissions from Wind Blown Dust Using Real-time Sand Flux Measurements] Duane Ono and Scott Weaver of the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District, and Ken Richmond of MFG, Inc., U.S. EPA Emission Inventory Conference, San Diego, California, April 2003. From website of the U.S. EPA. Retrieved on 2011-01-31.</ref> That is equivalent to an average of  217 tons per day. During that test period, a single  peak daily value of 7,200 tons  was encountered.  


During the 1980s and the early 1990s, the [[U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]] (U.S. EPA) had designated the Owens Lake area as having not attained the [[National Ambient Air Quality Standards]] (NAAQS) for PM<sub>10</sub>. The wind-blown sand and  PM<sub>10</sub> air pollution affected approximately 40,000 residents living near Owens Lake. Regionally the blowing sand and dust also affected [[U.S. Forest Service]] employees and the [[U.S. Navy]]'s air weapons station located at nearby [[ China Lake]].<ref name=EPA-Region9>[http://epa.gov/region9/air/owens/history.html Owens Valley, CA Particulate Matter Plan: History] From website of the U.S. EPA. Retrieved on 2011-01-31.</ref> During those same years, nearby residents in [[Keeler, California]] reportedly were exposed to 25 unhealthful days a year while residents in the town of [[Ridgecrest, California]] experienced 10 unhealthful days per year due to the PM<sub>10</sub> air pollution.  An emergency physician at the Ridgecrest Community Hospital was reported as saying "When we see the white cloud headed down through the pass, the ER and doctors' offices fill up with people who suddenly got worse. It's a pretty straightforward cause and effect.”&thinsp;<ref name=USGS>[http://geochange.er.usgs.gov/sw/impacts/geology/owens/ Owens (Dry) Lake, California: A Human-Induced Dust Problem] Abstracted from: Reheis, M.C., in press, ''Dust deposition downwind of Owens (Dry) Lake, 1991-1994: Preliminary findings''. Retrieved from website of the [[U.S. Geological Survey]] on 2011-01-31.</ref>
During the 1980s and the early 1990s, the [[U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]] (U.S. EPA) had designated the Owens Lake area as having not attained the [[National Ambient Air Quality Standards]] (NAAQS) for PM<sub>10</sub>. The wind-blown sand and  PM<sub>10</sub> air pollution affected approximately 40,000 residents living near Owens Lake. Regionally the blowing sand and dust also affected [[U.S. Forest Service]] employees and the [[U.S. Navy]]'s air weapons station located at nearby [[ China Lake]].<ref name=EPA-Region9>[http://epa.gov/region9/air/owens/history.html Owens Valley, CA Particulate Matter Plan: History] From website of the U.S. EPA. Retrieved on 2011-01-31.</ref> During those same years, nearby residents in [[Keeler, California]] reportedly were exposed to 25 unhealthful days a year while residents in the town of [[Ridgecrest, California]] experienced 10 unhealthful days per year due to the PM<sub>10</sub> air pollution.  An emergency physician at the Ridgecrest Community Hospital was reported as saying "When we see the white cloud headed down through the pass, the ER and doctors' offices fill up with people who suddenly got worse. It's a pretty straightforward cause and effect.”&thinsp;<ref name=USGS>[http://geochange.er.usgs.gov/sw/impacts/geology/owens/ Owens (Dry) Lake, California: A Human-Induced Dust Problem] Abstracted from: Reheis, M.C., in press, ''Dust deposition downwind of Owens (Dry) Lake, 1991-1994: Preliminary findings''. Retrieved from website of the [[U.S. Geological Survey]] on 2011-01-31.</ref>
   
   
In the late 1990s, after many years of litigation and negotiations that included the city of Los Angeles through its Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District (GBUAPCD), the U.S. EPA and other interested parties, the [[California Air Resources Board]] (CARB) submitted a [[State Implementation Plan]] (SIP)<ref>'''Note:'''An SIP is a detailed plan of how to achieve a healthy ambient air quality as required  by the United States'  [[Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990|Clean Air Act]] (CAAA)</ref> to the U.S. EPA.<ref name=EPA-Region9/> In accordance with that SIP, the LADWP was made responsible for installing and operating  dust control measures on Owens Lake so as to attain the ambient air quality standards of the NAAQS. As of December 17, 2010, the air quality of the Owens Valley had not yet attained the NAAQS standards for (PM<sub>10</sub>)<ref>'''Note:''' The current NAAQS for PM<sub>10</sub> is a concentration in the ambient air of no more than 150 μg/m<sup>3</sup></ref> and its non-attainment status is still designated by the EPA as being "Serious".<ref>[http://www.epa.gov/airquality/greenbk/ancl2.html Criteria Pollutant Area Summary Report] From website of the U.S. EPA Green Book. Retrieved on 2011-02-02</ref>
In the late 1990s, after many years of litigation and negotiations that included the city of Los Angeles through its Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District (GBUAPCD), the U.S. EPA and other interested parties, the [[California Air Resources Board]] (CARB) submitted a [[State Implementation Plan]] (SIP)<ref>'''Note: '''An SIP is a detailed plan of how to achieve a healthy ambient air quality as required  by the United States'  Clean Air Act.</ref> to the U.S. EPA as required by the United States'  [[Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990|Clean Air Act]] (CAAA).<ref name=EPA-Region9/> In accordance with that SIP, the LADWP was made responsible for installing and operating  dust control measures on Owens Lake so as to attain the ambient air quality standards of the NAAQS. As of December 17, 2010, the air quality of the Owens Valley had not yet attained the NAAQS standards for (PM<sub>10</sub>)<ref>'''Note:''' The current NAAQS for PM<sub>10</sub> is a concentration in the ambient air of no more than 150 μg/m<sup>3</sup></ref> and its non-attainment status is still designated by the EPA as being "Serious".<ref>[http://www.epa.gov/airquality/greenbk/ancl2.html Criteria Pollutant Area Summary Report] From website of the U.S. EPA Green Book. Retrieved on 2011-02-02</ref>


{{Image|Owens Valley Mitigation Veg.jpg|right|250px|Re-vegetated section of the Owens Lake area as of early 2009.}}
{{Image|Owens Valley IBA 2010.jpg|right|250px|Owens Lake, 2010, designated as an "Important Bird Area" by the National Audubon Society}}


However, the LADWP had made much progress:<ref>[http://www.ovcweb.org/docs/Rainshadow1208.pdf  President's Message] Scroll down to  the section entitled "Recent News From Owens Lake" on page 5. Retrieved from the website of the Owens Valley Committee on 2011-02-02.</ref><ref>[http://iba.audubon.org/iba/viewSiteProfile.do?siteId=213&navSite=state Owens Lake] Retrieved from an Audubon Society website on 2011-02-02.</ref><ref name=OVC-OwensLake>[http://www.ovcweb.org/OwensValley/OwensLake.html Owens Lake] Retrieved from the  website of the Owens Valley Committee on 2011-02-02.</ref>


=====================================
*The Owens Lake dust control project currently stretches across approximately 30 of the lake’s 100 square miles. About 27 square miles are covered with ponded water or are sheet flooded and about 3.5 square miles have been re-vegetated and covered with native [[Saltgrass|saltgrass]] (see the adjacent photo). The saltgrass is irrigated by a water drip system.
As of 2006,  PM<sub>10</sub> emissions and blowing dust were somewhat reduced after the [[ Los Angeles Department of Water and Power]] allowed water to return to small sections of the lake and tributaries. [[Irrigation]] pipes and[[ bubblers]] will help water 13 1/2 miles of lake bed. [[Saltgrass]] will also be planted to help alleviate the blowing dust and associated air pollution.<ref name=LATimes>[http://articles.latimes.com/2001/nov/18/local/me-5642 New Era for Old Foes in Water Wars] From website of the [[Los Angeles Times]]. Retrieved 2011-01-31</ref> As of 2008, the Owens Valley Planning Area, did not attain the 24-hour [[National Ambient Air Quality Standards]] (NAAQS) for particulate matter of 10 microns or less (PM<sub>10</sub>) by December 31, 2006, as mandated by the United States [[Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990]] (CAAA).<ref name=(GBUAPCD)>[http://www.gbuapcd.org/airqualityplans.htm Overview Of Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District Air Quality Plans] From website of the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District. Retrieved on 2011-01-31.</ref> In 2009, 3.5 square miles of saltgrass have been planted. Drip irrigation is used to water the saltgrass. Ponded water or sheeting water is used to help keep the dust down. The area covered by water is 27 miles. The total amount of area covered by either grass or water is 30 miles out of the 100 mile lake bed. An additional 9 square miles of ponds or sheeting is planned as part of the Long-Term Habitat Management Plan. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is responsible for applying these mitigation measures which was scheduled for completion in 2010.<ref name=OVCweb>[http://www.ovcweb.org/docs/Rainshadow1208.pdf  President's Message] From website of the Owens Valley Committee. Retrieved on 2011-02-02.</ref>
*An additional 9 square miles of ponding and sheet flooding were planned to be added by the LADWP some time in 2010.
*The ponding and sheet flooding have resulted in a substantial increase in wetlands habitat.
*Owens Lake has once again become a bird sanctuary and a major migratory stop-over site for shorebirds and waterfowl. Each spring and fall, brine flies on the lake support thousands of shorebirds, mainly sandpipers, and thousands of ducks utilize the wetlands habitat. An estimated 63,000 American Avocets stop at the lake during fall and a group of 300 to 400 Snow Geese now winters at Owens Lake.
* The [[National Audubon Society]] has now designated the Owens Lake bird sanctuary (see the adjacent photo) as  a "Important Bird Area" (IBA).


=====================
Audubon-California, Nature Conservancy, and Eastern Sierra Audubon are coordinating an effort to develop a comprehensive lake-wide management plan for Owens Lake with the cooperation and participation of LADWP, the California Department of Fish and Game, and the Great Basin Air Pollution Control District. The plan will examine the dust control project as well as springs and wetlands around the shoreline of the lake and is intended to help managers and conservation groups preserve the lake's rich wildlife resources.
 
The LADWP is also scheduled to complete a plan for the long-term habitat management in the entire dust control project area. To that end, the LADWP is cooperating with the GBUAPCD, the [[California Department of Fish and  Game]], the Audubon Society and the[[ Nature Conservancy]] in the development of a long-term habitat management plan for the entire Lake Owens project. The plan will examine and consider the dust control project as well as the springs and wetlands around the shoreline of the lake and is intended to help managers and conservation groups preserve the lake's rich wildlife resources.<ref name=OVC-OwensLake/>


Beginning in 2000, Los Angeles has shallow flooded or ponded 25 square miles of the lake bed in order to control massive dust pollution (Clean Air Act requirement). This has led to a substantial increase in the acreage of wetland habitat on Owens Lake. By 2010, Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power will add 9 square miles more of flooding and ponding.  Owens Lake appears to be a major stop-over site for shorebirds and waterfowl in the southern California interior. Each spring and fall, brine flies on the lake support thousands of shorebirds, mainly Western and Least sandpipers, and thousands of ducks utilize the wetlands (especially the impoundments along the edges). An estimated 63,000 American Avocets stop at the lake during fall (Page and Ruhlen 2002). A wintering group of 300-400 Snow Geese winters here. 


*http://iba.audubon.org/iba/viewSiteProfile.do?siteId=213&navSite=state
----
{{Image|Owens Valley IBA 2010.jpg|right|250px|Owens Lake, 2010, designated as an "Important Bird Area" by theNational Audubon Society}}
----
*[http://www.waterplan.water.ca.gov/docs/cwpu2009/0310final/v3_southlahontan_cwp2009.pdf California Water Plan: Update 2009] Bulletin 160-09, Volume 3, Regional Reports, pdf page 32
*[http://www.waterplan.water.ca.gov/docs/cwpu2009/0310final/v3_southlahontan_cwp2009.pdf California Water Plan: Update 2009] Bulletin 160-09, Volume 3, Regional Reports, pdf page 32
----
The Los Angeles Owens Lake Dust Control Project currently stretches across 30 of the Lake's 100 square miles. Roughly 3.5 square miles are covered with native salt grass grown on a drip system. The remaining 27 square miles are covered with ponded water or are sheet flooded. These water-based dust control methods have re-created an Owens Lake food web for birds.
Since the initiation of shallow flooding dust control measures in 2001, the lake has become a significant migratory stopover once again. During an April 2008 "Big Day" bird counting event, 49 volunteer birders observed 112 species and a total of at least 46,650 birds--including black-bellied and snowy plovers, western and least sandpipers, long-billed curlews, and thousands of California gulls, American avocets, eared grebes, small sandpipers, and ducks, respectively--at the Owens Lake.
In fall 2008, the last phase of the dust control project began, to be completed in 2010. More than nine square miles of additional ponds and sheet flooding were built.
*[http://www.ovcweb.org/OwensValley/OwensLake.html Owens Lake] From website of the Owens Valley Committee (OVC)
----
The Los Angeles Owens Lake Dust Control Project currently stretches across 30 of the lake’s 100 square miles. Roughly 3.5 square miles are covered with native salt grass grown on a drip system, and the remaining 27 square miles are covered with ponded water or are sheet flooded. These water-based dust control methods have re-created the Owens Lake food web that once again supports thousands of birds.
Beginning in fall 2008, the last phase of the dust control project will start, with completion scheduled for 2010. More than nine square miles of additional ponds and sheet flooding will be built, thereby adding additional habitat for shorebirds and waterfowl.
[http://www.ovcweb.org/docs/Rainshadow1208.pdf Recent News From Owens Lake] From the website of the Owens Valley Committee (OVC). Scroll down to pdf page 5.
----


{{reflist}}
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Revision as of 04:06, 8 February 2011

In the past, the Owens Lake dry bed area was characterized as being the largest single source of PM10 (particulate matter less than 10 microns in size) in the United States by the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District (GBUAPCD)[1][2]. That characterization was based on an approximate, unscientific estimate made in about 1986 that the annual PM10 emissions were 300,000 tons.[3] Subsequently, the GBUAPCD monitored and scientifically tested the PM10 emissions over a long period, including daily measurements from the period of July 2000 to 2001, and determined the annual PM10 emissions were only 79,000 tons for that year-long test period.[4] That is equivalent to an average of 217 tons per day. During that test period, a single peak daily value of 7,200 tons was encountered.

During the 1980s and the early 1990s, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) had designated the Owens Lake area as having not attained the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM10. The wind-blown sand and PM10 air pollution affected approximately 40,000 residents living near Owens Lake. Regionally the blowing sand and dust also affected U.S. Forest Service employees and the U.S. Navy's air weapons station located at nearby China Lake.[5] During those same years, nearby residents in Keeler, California reportedly were exposed to 25 unhealthful days a year while residents in the town of Ridgecrest, California experienced 10 unhealthful days per year due to the PM10 air pollution. An emergency physician at the Ridgecrest Community Hospital was reported as saying "When we see the white cloud headed down through the pass, the ER and doctors' offices fill up with people who suddenly got worse. It's a pretty straightforward cause and effect.” [6]

In the late 1990s, after many years of litigation and negotiations that included the city of Los Angeles through its Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District (GBUAPCD), the U.S. EPA and other interested parties, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) submitted a State Implementation Plan (SIP)[7] to the U.S. EPA as required by the United States' Clean Air Act (CAAA).[5] In accordance with that SIP, the LADWP was made responsible for installing and operating dust control measures on Owens Lake so as to attain the ambient air quality standards of the NAAQS. As of December 17, 2010, the air quality of the Owens Valley had not yet attained the NAAQS standards for (PM10)[8] and its non-attainment status is still designated by the EPA as being "Serious".[9]

(PD) Photo: U.S. EPA, Region 9
Re-vegetated section of the Owens Lake area as of early 2009.
© Photo: Andrea Jones, National Audubon Society
Owens Lake, 2010, designated as an "Important Bird Area" by the National Audubon Society

However, the LADWP had made much progress:[10][11][12]

  • The Owens Lake dust control project currently stretches across approximately 30 of the lake’s 100 square miles. About 27 square miles are covered with ponded water or are sheet flooded and about 3.5 square miles have been re-vegetated and covered with native saltgrass (see the adjacent photo). The saltgrass is irrigated by a water drip system.
  • An additional 9 square miles of ponding and sheet flooding were planned to be added by the LADWP some time in 2010.
  • The ponding and sheet flooding have resulted in a substantial increase in wetlands habitat.
  • Owens Lake has once again become a bird sanctuary and a major migratory stop-over site for shorebirds and waterfowl. Each spring and fall, brine flies on the lake support thousands of shorebirds, mainly sandpipers, and thousands of ducks utilize the wetlands habitat. An estimated 63,000 American Avocets stop at the lake during fall and a group of 300 to 400 Snow Geese now winters at Owens Lake.
  • The National Audubon Society has now designated the Owens Lake bird sanctuary (see the adjacent photo) as a "Important Bird Area" (IBA).

Audubon-California, Nature Conservancy, and Eastern Sierra Audubon are coordinating an effort to develop a comprehensive lake-wide management plan for Owens Lake with the cooperation and participation of LADWP, the California Department of Fish and Game, and the Great Basin Air Pollution Control District. The plan will examine the dust control project as well as springs and wetlands around the shoreline of the lake and is intended to help managers and conservation groups preserve the lake's rich wildlife resources.

The LADWP is also scheduled to complete a plan for the long-term habitat management in the entire dust control project area. To that end, the LADWP is cooperating with the GBUAPCD, the California Department of Fish and Game, the Audubon Society and theNature Conservancy in the development of a long-term habitat management plan for the entire Lake Owens project. The plan will examine and consider the dust control project as well as the springs and wetlands around the shoreline of the lake and is intended to help managers and conservation groups preserve the lake's rich wildlife resources.[12]


  1. ↑ Survey of Reported Health Effects of Owens Lake Particulate Matter January, 2000. Retrieved from the website of the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District (GBUAPCD) on 2011-01-31.
  2. ↑ Note: The primary air pollution regulatory agency in the state of California is the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The GBUAPCD is one of the 35 air pollution control districts, which report to CARB and which address air pollution problems at the local level.
  3. ↑ Personal correspondence in an email from Mr. Ted Schade of the GBUAPCD on February 3, 2011.
  4. ↑ Quantifying Particulate Matter Emissions from Wind Blown Dust Using Real-time Sand Flux Measurements Duane Ono and Scott Weaver of the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District, and Ken Richmond of MFG, Inc., U.S. EPA Emission Inventory Conference, San Diego, California, April 2003. From website of the U.S. EPA. Retrieved on 2011-01-31.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Owens Valley, CA Particulate Matter Plan: History From website of the U.S. EPA. Retrieved on 2011-01-31.
  6. ↑ Owens (Dry) Lake, California: A Human-Induced Dust Problem Abstracted from: Reheis, M.C., in press, Dust deposition downwind of Owens (Dry) Lake, 1991-1994: Preliminary findings. Retrieved from website of the U.S. Geological Survey on 2011-01-31.
  7. ↑ Note: An SIP is a detailed plan of how to achieve a healthy ambient air quality as required by the United States' Clean Air Act.
  8. ↑ Note: The current NAAQS for PM10 is a concentration in the ambient air of no more than 150 μg/m3
  9. ↑ Criteria Pollutant Area Summary Report From website of the U.S. EPA Green Book. Retrieved on 2011-02-02
  10. ↑ President's Message Scroll down to the section entitled "Recent News From Owens Lake" on page 5. Retrieved from the website of the Owens Valley Committee on 2011-02-02.
  11. ↑ Owens Lake Retrieved from an Audubon Society website on 2011-02-02.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Owens Lake Retrieved from the website of the Owens Valley Committee on 2011-02-02.
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