Mono Lake

Approximately 350 miles from Los Angeles, Mono Lake marks the last visible effects of the Los Angeles Aqueduct system. Although the saline lake is not itself used for drinking water, its feeder streams were largely diverted to the Los Angeles Aqueduct starting in 1941. Controversy about the draining of Mono Lake reached a fever pitch in the 1980s and 1990s and resulted in an agreement with the city of Los Angeles to begin letting water return to the lake, allowing it to rise somewhat.