The Mono Basin has had a very wet runoff year (more than 200% of average), but from a stream restoration perspective, what matters is how quickly the runoff melts, because the resulting flows dictate what kind of ecosystem processes occur.…
The Mono Basin is home to an abundance of stunning native plant species, from riparian habitats to alkali-sink scrub. Unfortunately, there are also a few guests who have overstayed their welcome. In the Mono Basin, and much of the world,…
High-elevation snow is melting in the Mono Basin and we are enjoying quite a show of runoff. The winter of 2022–2023 broke records for snowpack and we’ve been watching that snow gush down Mono Basin creeks. Cool spring and early…
Grant Lake Reservoir began spilling at 4:30pm on Wednesday, June 7, for the first time since 2019! After several years of very low levels Grant re-filled quickly this spring as record amounts of snow started to melt, culminating with the…
Lakewatch: Record rise for Mono Lake expected A lot of snow was melting around Mono Lake in April, but Mono Lake rose less than a tenth of a foot that month, to 6380.07 feet above sea level on May 1.…
Exceptional runoff offers exceptional restoration opportunities The seasonal runoff (April through September) in the Mono Basin this year is forecasted to be 243% of the long-term (1971–2020) mean runoff, which will make it the single wettest seasonal runoff period in…
Amended settlement returns streamflows to Mono Lake’s third-largest tributary The Mono Lake Committee is dedicated to protecting and restoring Mono Lake and its tributary streams, but while protection and restoration were afforded to four of Mono Lake’s major creeks (Rush,…
Warm days are rapidly melting high country snow and increasing the flow of water in Mono Lake’s tributaries. As of this week, Lee Vining Creek is flowing in full force past the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (DWP)…
Streamwatch: Astonishing snowpack numbers portend record runoff A dry 2022 ended abruptly in November with a foot of snow. Despite the continuous precipitation all winter, consistently cold weather kept winter streamflows low. But with record snowpack, 2023 will bring record…
Last fall the California State Water Resources Control Board ordered new requirements to further the restoration of 20 miles of Mono Basin stream habitat on Lee Vining, Rush, Walker, and Parker creeks. Order 21-86 implements new Stream Ecosystem Flows (SEFs)…
