Owens Lake
| Owens Lake | |
|---|---|
| Patsiata (Mono) | |
View of partially-filled Owens Lake (top-right) from Whitney Portal | |
| Location | Sierra Nevada Inyo County, California, United States |
| Coordinates | 36°26′00″N 117°57′03″W / 36.4332°N 117.9509°W |
| Type | Flat |
| Primary inflows | Owens River Natural springs and wells |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 17.5 mi (28.2 km) |
| Max. width | 10 mi (16 km) |
| Max. depth | 3 ft (0.91 m) |
| Surface elevation | 3,556 ft (1,084 m) |
| References | GNIS feature ID 272820 |
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.