Free Republic

LOS ANGELES-"There it is. Take it." With those simple words, engineer William Mulholland heralded the first flow of Owens Valley water into the Los Angeles Aqueduct. The 233-mile conduit would give the booming metropolis its life and turn the valley into a parched desert. Nearly a century later, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is expected to offer his own observations when he pushes the button to return some of the Owens Valley's water to a river left dry by the city's water diversions. The mayor's inauguration of the Lower Owens River Project on Wednesday won't be as auspicious an occasion...

A state Court of Appeal panel has upheld a court order to ban Los Angeles from using a key aqueduct if it doesn't restore a 62-mile stretch of the Owens River. Wednesday's decision by 4th Appellate District panel in Riverside upheld a ruling last year that imposed sanctions against Los Angeles. Owens Valley residents, environmental groups and state officials claimed victory. "This may be the final salvo in the longest-running fight over an environmental impact report in California history," said Gordon Burns, deputy solicitor general for Attorney General Bill Lockyer. "Now, everybody is holding tight and hoping the city will...