Water Management in Payahuunadü
Learning Objectives
By the end of this module, you should be able to:
Understand the Annual Operations Plan process and identify opportunities for the public to make comments.
Understand what happens when Inyo County and LADWP have a dispute that needs to be resolved.
Please enjoy this recording of our April 4th Virtual Workshop with Lauren Rose where we discuss the Annual Operations Plan and Dispute Resolution process.
Public Bodies
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The Inyo County Board of Supervisors are the local decision makers and top county officials that take action and make decisions on behalf of Inyo County constituents.
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The Inyo County Water Commission serves as an advisory group to the Inyo County Board of Supervisors. Water Commission meetings are open to the public and provide a venue to inform and educate the public, as well as receive public input on water issues in the county. There are five commission seats that are appointed by the Board of Supervisors.
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The Inyo County Water Department is tasked with monitoring water and vegetation that is being managed under the Inyo-LA Long Term Water Agreement. The staff consists of professionals and scientists who provide technical support to the County on water issues, particularly related to groundwater pumping and export.
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The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is a municipal utility, meaning that it is part of the City of Los Angeles. It is operated by the five-member Board of Water and Power Commissioners, who are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council. Commissioners must be residents of the City of Los Angeles.
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Technical staff for LADWP that live and work in the Eastern Sierra, including hydrologists, biologists, and watershed managers.
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The Inyo-LA Technical Group includes technical staff from Inyo County and LADWP who meet to discuss management plans and projects. The group receives direction from the Standing Committee on addressing and completing technical matters regarding groundwater pumping and related monitoring.
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The Inyo-LA Standing Committee represents LADWP and Inyo County in the implementation of the Long Term Water Agreement and takes action on water management decisions, including directing the Technical Group. The Standing Committee consists of seven LA representatives (an LA City Council member, two Board of Water and Power Commissioners, LA’s Administrative Officer, three LA staff members) and seven Inyo County representatives (two County Supervisors, two County Water Commissioners, the County Administrator, the County legal counsel, and the Water Department Director).
Annual Operations Plan Process
The Inyo-LA Long Term Water Agreement lays out a mandatory process for LADWP to publish its draft annual operations plan, receive feedback from Inyo County, and finalize the plan. The annual operations plan includes the planned amount of groundwater pumping for the year (April 1 - March 31) as well as other management concepts such as new well installations.
The draft plan is published by LADWP on April 20th of each year. Inyo County has ten days to review and submit comments, which involves discussion at meetings of the Inyo County Water Commission and Board of Supervisors. Within ten days of Inyo County submitting comments, the Technical Group will meet to “attempt to resolve” the County’s concerns. LADWP then has another ten days to finalize the plan, which is then typically presented at an Inyo-LA Standing Committee meeting.
Dates in the above timeline are specific to 2026, and exact dates of public meetings vary year to year.
Dispute Resolution
What happens when Inyo County and LADWP disagree?
The Dispute Resolution process is laid out in the Inyo-LA Long Term Water Agreement. There are three phases at which the issue in dispute is attempted to be resolved.
