1987 Map of Owens Lake

About this map

Owens Lake dominates this 1980s landscape, characterized by a vast dry basin marked by extensive systems of levees and areas noted as subject to inundation. This provisional survey by the U.S. Geological Survey and the City of Los Angeles documents the industrial and environmental state of the Owens Valley at this time. Industrial activity is evident in the south, where an Open Pit Mine and several Open Pit Mines are situated near a network of protective embankments. The eastern margins of the lake bed are punctuated by natural springs, while the western edge reaches toward the alluvial fans of East Cottonwood. Transportation is limited to rugged 4wd tracks, reflecting the specialized utility and challenging nature of the terrain during this era of water management and resource extraction.