One of the more interesting historical uses of water power was the sluice that was built to bring logs down the mountainside near what we now call Horseshoe Meadows to the shore of Owens Lake, where it was converted to charcoal, carried across the lake by boat, and hauled by wagon up to the mines at Cerro Gordo, located above the Owens Valley in the Inyo Range. There were also smelters across the lake, and ore brought down from the mines.
If you know where to look, you can see the remains of this old sluice system as you drive north on US395, and especially if you hike up into Cottonwood Canyon itself. This Cottonwood Canyon is located west of Owens Lake, and is an interesting hike through a narrow, twisting, and very scenic canyon, eventually crossing the county highway a mile or so south of the Horseshoe Meadow campground and trailhead. You'll see bits and pieces of the old wooden sluice which carried the logs several thousand feet downhill.
You can also see where DWP diverts the stream into its hydro generation system before releasing it again, this time into an open aqueduct which in turn empties into the Haiwee Reservoir system, located south of Owens Lake.
But I digress - back to the settlement. This settlement is one of many stretching back many years. It's anyone's guess as to whether the terms of the settlement will be followed, and for how long. But, work done by DWP in recent years has gone a long way in reducing PM10 levels and restoring wildlife habitat.
Here's a link to a recent article on Valley Fever. PM10 has also been linked to cancers, so continuing to delay mitigation efforts has real consequences. I have hiker friends who had Valley Fever - serious business.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/07/5549705..._medium=twitter
