How did spring water meetings conclude? Read our op-ed!

On May 27th, this year’s spring water meetings culminated in the Inyo-Los Angeles Standing Committee Meeting. Nor Baskevitch (ESWA), Kyndall Noah (Owens Valley Indian Water Commission), and Lauren Rose (ESWA) recently authored an op-ed for the Inyo Register summarizing the events of that meeting and our outlook as water advocates going forward. You can find that article in the Inyo Register, or a copy of the text of that article is presented below.

What happened at the Inyo-Los Angeles Standing Committee meeting this year?

By Nor Baskevitch (ESWA), Kyndall Noah (Owens Valley Indian Water Commission), and Lauren Rose (ESWA)

On May 27th, 2026, the Inyo-Los Angeles Standing Committee met in Independence. This body, comprised of officials from Inyo County and Los Angeles, oversees the management of water in the Eastern Sierra. This includes groundwater that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) pumps each year from Inyo County and exports to Los Angeles. 

The Standing Committee discussed two main topics: LADWP’s finalized groundwater pumping plan for the 2026-2027 runoff year, and management of the Lower Owens River Project (LORP). To improve river conditions on the LORP, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife recommended an increased seasonal habitat flow matching previous years. LADWP refused to grant this change. LADWP lauds the LORP as the largest river restoration project in the U.S., but routinely deprioritizes the river’s health. However, LADWP Commissioners and Inyo County officials did agree to consider adaptive management of the LORP over the next year.

Regarding groundwater pumping, in the lead-up to this meeting, LADWP ignored Inyo County’s recommendations when finalizing its plan for water extraction. Per the Long Term Water Agreement, the County had requested that LADWP reduce pumping from areas with struggling vegetation. Our public came forward to push LADWP to adopt these changes with hours of public comment. However, LADWP refused to diminish their pumping plan by even a single drop. 

This annual Standing Committee meeting felt strikingly different, perhaps because LADWP had ignored the results of weeks of public engagement. Before the meeting convened, members of our community gathered outside with art and signs. An impromptu prayer circle convened, inviting officials from Los Angeles to pray with locals for a productive meeting and mutual understanding. As the meeting started, the audience grew to fill every available seat. Over 50 people joined in person, while 48 additional folks tuned in online. This attendance level was unprecedented. Until last year, typically only a handful of public participants joined. 

At each opportunity, our public gave informed, impassioned, and memorable comments. Almost every comment made concrete asks of Los Angeles: some asked for reduced pumping in specific wellfields, others requested that plans for certain wells be scrapped, some asked how LADWP planned to meet mitigation project goals, and still others insisted that LA commit to good faith negotiations for tribal water rights that have been unresolved for 87 years. A member of the public even posed as a time traveler from the future, speaking about how the Standing Committee members were remembered by future generations as the ones who used their power to heal local ecosystems. This character was from the Los Angeles Department of Water Protection, a cross-regional community art project.

Perhaps most importantly, eight youth from Bishop Union High School became the first student contingent to join a Standing Committee meeting. The students spoke passionately about the importance of water to the future of the Eastern Sierra. Two tribal youth, from the Big Pine Paiute Tribe and Bishop Paiute Tribe respectively, gave a particularly moving joint comment asking LADWP to leave more water in their homelands.

Altogether, the tenor of public participation in the meeting was remarkable: our public was educated, empowered, organized, and determined. Indeed, both Inyo County and LADWP officials noted the outstanding quality and tone of public participation in the meeting and how it represented a shift from previous public meetings. 

This change came after robust public education and involvement in water issues this spring. The Inyo County Water Commission, an advisory board that represents our public’s interests, made recommendations to the Board of Supervisors to improve the current water management system. The program Revealing Payahuunadü held an eight-week series to teach about the legal and technical aspects of water management here. Before each public meeting over the last two months, organizers from the Eastern Sierra Water Alliance held workshops to prepare community members and provide a venue for discussion.

This growing public awareness has been supported and led by the ongoing outreach and education led by the Owens Valley Indian Water Commission (OVIWC). Through Voices of All Our Relations, the first Indigenous-led Water Summit in Los Angeles, LA Walks of Resilience and Accountability with Walking Water, and the work of Annie Mendoza, Paya/Paar Manager, OVIWC has helped create spaces where Angelenos can better understand the relationship between Los Angeles water use and the impacts felt here in Payahuunadü.

Looking forward, we expect this groundswell of public interest and advocacy around water to continue to build, both here and in Los Angeles. Local groups continue to plan programming to empower our public. With every meeting, new community members join in the public process and communicate their desire for change. Together, we hope to usher in a period of meaningful change to the current systems of water management and leave more water here in the Eastern Sierra, where it belongs.