Wednesday April 2, 2025
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power —
Today, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), Mono Lake Committee and others met at Mono Lake to mark the end of the 2024-25 water runoff year and the start of the next in the Eastern Sierra.
For decades, LADWP conducts its final snow surveys and measures the surface elevation of Mono Lake on April 1. The lake level reading, alongside the annual snow surveys, provides essential data to better inform forecasting and water exports for the City of Los Angeles. Today’s field report at Mono Lake found the surface elevation to be 6,383 feet above sea level.
“While every other Western terminal lake continues to decline in elevation, Mono Lake has, on average, been trending up for the past 30 years, and its elevation today is primarily driven by hydrology,” said Anselmo Collins, LADWP Senior Assistant General Manager – Water System. “Mono Basin overall is now one of the most protected watersheds in the United States, and LADWP is invested in partnerships and programs to further the Mono Lake success story. We are pleased to see that runoff from existing snowpack, alongside ongoing responsible environmental stewardship, is helping to sustain healthy ecosystems.”