From the LADWP:
LADWP appreciates the effort by the UCLA Center for Climate Science to attempt to develop a climate modeling to inform long-term water planning in the Mono Basin. At this stage, however, this model has not undergone the rigorous independent scientific and peer review that is a standard requirement in the model development process and is therefore not reliable. By contrast, LADWP’s hydrologic model for the Mono Basin, eSTREAM, has undergone years of rigorous scientific vetting and was developed collaboratively with stakeholders – representing the high standard any model used for policy purposes should meet. The State Water Resources Control Board has recognized eSTREAM as the authoritative model for Mono Basin and incorporated its use in LADWP’s amended water rights licenses.
Importantly, eSTREAM projects that Mono Lake is on track to reach or surpass its target level of 6,391 feet within on average 22 to 26 years under current conditions, a finding with collaborative modeling conducted in 2024 with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Mono Lake Committee, and Cal Trout.
Any actions affecting water management in the Mono Basin would have significant consequences for California’s interconnected watersheds, for the broader region, and for Los Angeles ratepayers. At a moment when other imported water sources face increasing pressure, rising costs, environmental strains and uncertainty – including the State Water Project and Colorado River, which together have supplied more than half of Los Angeles’ water in recent decades, getting Mono Basin science and policy rights has never mattered more.
It is precisely because the stakes are so high that this model must be thoroughly vetted before considering whether it should be used to guide policy,” stated LADWP Chief Operating Officer and Senior Assistant General Manager Water System, Anselmo Collins.
