Owens Lake Dust Mitigation Program (Water & Sewer)

As this project wound to a close, LADWP was in its 15^th year of dust mitigation to compensate for the draining of Owens Lake early in the 20^th century. Phase 7a was a fast-track project with the continued goal of keeping dangerous dust from arising off the 108-square-mile lakebed that is prone to dust storms. Located roughly 200 miles northeast of Los Angeles at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, Owens Lake is a remote, extremely hostile environment with varied, challenging soil conditions.

Barnard began the Phase 7a Project with broad experience, having constructed seven prior projects. Through Phase 7a of the Owens Lake Dust Mitigation Program, Barnard worked with LADWP to target dust through 1.52 square miles of shallow-flooding techniques, transitioning 2.89 square miles of existing dust control area to hybrid vegetation/irrigation, covering 1.15 square miles with selective gravel cover, and creating 0.14 square miles of new managed vegetation. In addition, now that more than 30 square miles have been addressed, part of the effort focused on creating visitor access, including construction of pedestrian turnouts, habitat viewing areas, and approximately 2 miles of pedestrian raised walkways. 

Owens Lake Dust Mitigation Program (Water & Sewer)