Seems like a reasonable settlement, without knowing all the details. It's always good to allow more flexibility in addressing a problem rather than having an agency specify how to fix it.
Describing the components and flows of the LA aqueduct system, or comparing it to Hetch Hetchy is interesting stuff, but it's a bit of a side track. Getting back to the issue, the fact remains that LADWP created this situation when they "obtained" the water (let's not rehash that one). The impacts come along with the benefits of diverting on this scale. The lake naturally had enough water to prevent what is happening now - perhaps the largest dust generator in the world complete with heavy metals and other nasty stuff. Whoever diverts the water that ends up creating the mess needs to clean it up. You break it, you own it.
Had the water remained in the local area for the benefit of agriculture, then the local farmers would have to address the dust issue created by diverting the water. As it is now, LA gets the water and Owens Valley gets the dust. Glad to see they will continue trying new technologies to solve this rather than fighting it out in court.
