Owens Lake Dust Mitigation Program

As part of the Owens Lake Dust Mitigation Project, NewFields staff have provided science, regulatory, and design support to the City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in their effort to stabilize one of the largest sources of PM10 (windblown dust) in the world. Our staff have served as chief scientists developing and implementing methods to stabilize the saline Owens lakebed. Comprehensive Program services have included:

• Strategic regulatory support in development of legal and regulatory documents and mediated settlement agreements.
• Innovative surface surveys characterizing saline playa surface conditions and dust sources for targeted control
• Order 2 and 3 soil surveys supporting dust control development
• Wind erosion modeling
• Conceptual design support
• Water and farm operation support including fertilization and irrigation regimes
• Development of system operations support tools

The project now consists of 43 square miles of dust control facilities, including over 3 square miles of native vegetation and mitigation wetlands. Project scientists overcame extremely challenging environmental and soil conditions to successfully establish and sustain dust control facilities that have resulted in dramatic reductions in PM10 emissions. The project today is a demonstration of coordinated environmental management and is a working model of sustainable arid playa reclamation unlike any other.