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Photo: Hurricanehink mobile, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons
A dry lake since Los Angeles contentiously acquired most water rights in the Owens Valley.
Owens Lake is a dry lake in the Owens Valley on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada in Inyo County, California. It is about 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Lone Pine. Unlike most dry lakes in the Basin and Range Province that have been dry for thousands of years, Owens held significant water until 1913, when much of the Owens River was diverted into the Los Angeles Aqueduct, causing the lake to desiccate by 1926. In 2006, 5% of the water flow was restored. As of 2013, it is the largest single source of dust pollution in the United States, and has been known since at least the 1990s as a pervasive source of fine alkaline dust containing harmful levels of particulates and chemicals.
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Museum of Lone Pine Film History celebrates and preserves the long and varied film history of Lone Pine, Death Valley and the Eastern Sierra.
Many old westerns and contemporary films have been shot here.
The highest point in the Lower 48 United States is at the top of this mountain.