In light of all this rain gracing Southern California, I have been thinking a lot about water works. People down south really do not realize what a challenging task it is to supply so many individuals with such a necessary commodity and how it all began. The truth is...no matter how loyal you are to reppin' socal...we couldn't do it without the north. Without are hella cool neighbors we wouldn't have any water. So don't complain when it does rain down here because let's take all we can get! It doesn't happen often. First, take a look at our current watershed, which allows contemporary LA to exist:
We have FOUR aqueducts supplying us with water! It all began with a tycoon named William Mulholland who took a trip to the Sierra Nevadas and saw gold in Owen's River (this is the longest blue line on this map extending from LA inland to Mono Lake, just on the border of Northern California). Nowadays, for a large city like LA to acquire something as bountiful as a whole river is hard to imagine, but Mulholland had the support of a president, the people, and stole the land from the farmers. Having permission Mulholland began construction. When the aqueduct was opened in 1913 Mulholland changed southern California's water supply forever when the flood gates opened and he declared "There it is, take it." This aqueduct still functions today in supplying greater LA with water.
Reisner's book has been adapted into a short series. Here are the 9 parts of the first video and they are well worth watching (although a bit old--1997). They give a great history of LA and a whole new meaning to water. The next time you take a cruise down Mulholland Drive that weaves through LA, I am sure you will think of it differently than just an odd setting in a Lynch film, but rather a symbol of industrialization.
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