We made great progress at the county level — but we need your voices at the LA-Inyo Technical Group meeting on May 7th!
On April 28th, the Inyo County Board of Supervisors officially adopted a lower groundwater pumping recommendation in response to this year’s Annual Operations Plan from Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). This recommendation came from the Inyo County Water Commission.
LADWP initially proposed pumping ~54,000 - 81,000 acre-feet (AF) of groundwater from Payahuunadü, also known as the Eastern Sierra, over the next year. The Water Commission recommended a substantial reduction to 46,540 AF. This number reflects minimal pumping in regions of the valley that are most adversely impacted by groundwater pumping. If adopted by LADWP, this plan would provide some much needed relief to areas that need it most.
This recommendation came from determined public input & advocacy for our ecosystems, as well as very productive and meaningful conversations between the Inyo County Water Department, the Inyo County Water Commission, and the public. We want to extend our gratitude and acknowledgement to everyone who has come to a public meeting, spread the word, and spoken up for water in Payahuunadü. Your voices have made a difference.
But our advocacy can’t end yet. LADWP has a couple of weeks to respond to this plan. In past years, it has ignored Inyo County’s recommendations to take less water. Let’s press LADWP to accept Inyo County’s recommendations and give our ecosystems some relief!
We’ll have this opportunity at the Inyo-LADWP Technical Group meeting, next week May 7th at 9am. At this meeting, Inyo County and LADWP are supposed to “resolve” Inyo County’s concerns. At this meeting, we can speak directly to LADWP Eastern Sierra technical staff and urge them to accept Inyo County’s plan. This meeting is our last chance to make change before the groundwater plan is finalized for the next year.
Please spread the word and encourage members of your community to attend this critical meeting. If you tell just one friend or family member, it can make a difference. Allies in Los Angeles: please join us! Let’s show LADWP that advocacy is not confined to Inyo County – all across the state, the public is invested in a healthier future for the lands and waters of the Eastern Sierra.
If you’d like to learn more, the Eastern Sierra Water Alliance will be holding a community preparation workshop on May 5th, 2026 at 6pm (Zoom link here). We will share expectations for the Technical Group meeting, prepare to engage with the scientific data that will be presented, and discuss public comment strategy.