Dale, your defense of LADWP's history in the Owens Valley is a valiant effort - that's a tough record to defend given the history and resentment it has created in the local people.
I attached a link to explain Mammoth's side of the story. I didn't claim it was the whole story behind all this. And I also posted a link about the Mammoth bankruptcy, not sure why you posted that again.
I have nothing against LADWP and I'm not attacking them by recognizing history for what it is. I just disagree with the current manager's approach to dealing with Mammoth. It's a PR disaster to sue over the last 1% drop of water that Mammoth has been putting to good use for 60 years. Sometimes an entity just has to let go and negotiate for the good of everyone involved. The good PR might be more valuable than that last drop.
There's no need to sugar coat the historical record - even LADWP admits they were hiding things when they purchased the land in the first place. The implication was that the land was going to be used for a reclamation project to develop agriculture - like what happened on the other side of the Sierra's in the Central Valley. The farmers could not even imagine the engineering feat that was being hatched to move water hundreds of miles to LA, or the impact it would have to the entire area.
That's great you're involved with trout issues down there So Cal. That's another tough issue with a lot of history.
Mark Twain said it best, "Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fightin' over."
