Los Angeles (and Climate Change) Seriously Threaten Air Quality at Mono Lake

When the Sierra Nevada sees less snow, Mono Lake—which makes up part of the water supply for Los Angeles—sees less water, and its exposed shoreline becomes the “largest source of powder-fine air pollution in the United States,” reports Louis Sahagun for the Los Angeles Times.

Now, officials in the Great Basin say that climate change means that water levels are too low, too often, and “that means if Los Angeles keeps taking its allocated share, it will lead to a decline in lake levels and increased health risks for those exposed to windblown dust from the receding shoreline.”

Water supply has always been a contentious issue in Southern California, with recent questions centered around growth and the potential for another major drought. Possibly with that in mind, recent plans from the cities of the region has focused on reducing the need to import water.