Dust Sources in the

Owens Valley Planning Area

   

By: Grace A. McCarley Holder, Ph.D., R.G.

Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District

157 Short Street, Bishop, CA 93514

Telephone (760) 872‐8211

www.gbuapcd.org  

January 2016
(Blank Page)
Pg. 1

Dust Sources in the

Owens Valley Planning Area

By: Grace A. McCarley Holder, Ph.D., R.G.

Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District

January 2016

Background

This report is being written in response to questions from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Region 9 during the preparation of the demonstration of attainment air quality modeling for the 2016

State Implementation Plan (SIP) regarding the presence or lack thereof of significant PM10 dust sources

within the Owens Valley Planning Area (OVPA) outside of those associated with Owens Lake.  The air

quality model for the 2016 SIP focuses on dust sources on the bed of Owens Lake and in a 2 kilometer

wide zone adjacent to but above the lake bed.  The only source areas included in the model outside of

these two focus areas are the Olancha Dunes and the Lone Pine landfill.  Other portions of the OVPA are

not considered by the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District (District or Great Basin) to have

significant sources of PM10 and were therefore not included in the air quality model.  The reasoning

behind this decision is the topic of this memorandum.  

Air Quality Studies

There have been multiple investigations of the air quality in the Owens Valley over the past forty years.  

The first studies were conducted in the 1970’s and 1980’s (Reinking et. al., 1975, Barone et. al., 1979,

Saint‐Amand et. al., 1986) by investigators interested in identifying the source(s) of dust lofted into the

air during high wind events and in quantifying the concentrations present.  An additional study by the

U.S. Geological Survey from 1991 to 1994 looked at the dust from the Owens Valley as part of a larger

project on the dust impacts in the southern Nevada and California deserts (Reheiss, 1997, 1999).  More

recent air monitoring work has been primarily conducted by the District focusing mainly on the areas

where there are identified air pollution impacts.

U.C. Davis Air Quality Study (1979)

One of the first investigations occurred in 1979 by the Air Quality Group at the Crocker Nuclear

Laboratory at University of California, Davis (Barone et. al., 1979).  In this study an approximately 110
Pg. 2

mile long transect of seven air samplers was operated in the Owens Valley in the winter and spring of

1979.  Sample locations were located north and south of Owens Lake upwind and downwind of the

prevailing north and south winds  extending from Little Lake (about 25 miles south of Owens Lake) to

the Bishop airport (about 65 miles north of Owens Lake).   

Profiles of the particulate concentrations (measured as particles less than 15m aerodynamic diameter)

and elemental composition of the dust were plotted by position along the transect.  Results showed that

particulate concentrations drop off rapidly away from the lake bed such that within 20‐25 miles of the

lake bed dust concentrations were reduced by about 95% with no identified sources of dust away from

the lake bed contributing to the monitored concentrations.  Compositional analysis of dust samples and

spatial profile plots of elemental concentrations indicate that the dust had high levels of sulfur and

chlorine indicating a source primarily from lake bed materials.  One of the main conclusions from this

U.C. Davis study was that “The source of the dust must be the lake bed itself, and not the surrounding

desert soil” (excerpt from page 8, Cahill et. al., 1994).

China Lake Naval Weapons Center Study (1975‐1986)

In an investigation conducted by researchers for the China Lake Naval Weapons Center (NWC) in the

1970’s and 1980’s (reported in Reinking et. al., 1975 and Saint‐Amand et. al., 1986) dust from the Owens

Valley was studied due to the impacts to operations and activities at the Naval Weapons Center (about

45 miles south of Owens Lake) and at Edwards Air Force Base (about 100 miles south of Owens Lake).  In

this work, the locations of dust sources within the valley were identified and listed by their relative

contribution.  They are as follows (Saint‐Amand et. al., 1986, pages 33‐34):

1. “The Southern half of the Owens Lake playa, usually beginning a mile from any water body

present.”

2. “The rest of the playa when not covered by water, including the northern portion.”

3. “The area immediately north of Tinnemaha Reservoir.  This situation has been noted only

when the water in Tinnemaha is low.”  [Note: Tinnemaha Reservoir is outside of the OVPA

and is generally managed such that the water level is high enough to not expose the area at

the north end of the reservoir.]

4. “The valley floor between Independence and Owens Lake, for a short distance on either side

of the river bed.  This happens after a protracted dry spell.”  [Note: Since the time of this

study, the lower portion of the Owens River below the diversion point into the Los Angeles

Aqueduct (near Aberdeen in Figure 2) has had water reintroduced as part of the Lower

Owens River Project since 2006.  The rewetting of the river and associated increase in

vegetation has largely stabilized the soils described here.]

5. “The north and south shorelines.  Sand, but with little dust, blows across the lakebed from

these shorelines and forms sand dunes to the north‐northeast and south of the lake.”  [Note

that this refers to the Keeler Dunes and the Olancha Dunes which are included in the air

modeling for the 2016 SIP.]
Pg. 3

Even though the investigation by the NWC was conducted 30 to 40 years ago, the evaluation of the

sources in the valley still largely applies due to the overall lack of change in land use with time in the

Owens Valley (see Land Use and Classification section below).  Based on this list of identified dust

sources, the significant sources within the OVPA are included in the air quality model for the 2016 SIP.  

An exception is source number 4 (Valley floor near the Owens River) but as noted, above, is largely

stabilized due to the implementation of the Lower Owens River Project.  

U.S. Geological Survey Dust Trap Study (1991‐1994)

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a study of dust transport from the Owens Valley from 1991

to 1994 to measure the amount and composition of dust within the valley (Reheiss, 1997 and Reheiss,

1999).  The USGS work was part of a larger investigation that was studying the impacts of dust on and

within the southern Nevada and California desert region through a series of dust traps.  Within the

Owens Valley, sample locations were located in a transect that extended over 75 kilometers (45 miles)

to the north and 50 kilometers (30 miles) to the south of the Owens Lake bed.  Conclusions from the

Owens Valley work were that the progressive decrease in flux rates southward from Owens Lake clearly

showed that the lake bed is the major source of dust in the valley and that the prevailing transport

direction is from the north (Reheiss, 1999).  Compositionally, the dust samples from the USGS work

showed that the dust from the southern arm of the sampling transect had about one to two orders of

magnitude greater soluble salt content than other samples collected in southern Nevada and California

and clearly finger printed Owens Lake as the primary source (Reheiss, 1997).

Land Use and Classification

Public lands form over 97% of the land within the OVPA consisting primarily of lands owned by the

Federal and California State governments and by the City of Los Angeles (Figure 1).  Federal land is

mainly under the jurisdiction of two main agencies; the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the

U.S. Forest Service/ Inyo National Forest.  Together, these two agencies manage approximately 72% of

the land within the OVPA.  The City of Los Angeles, under the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles Department

of Water and Power (LADWP), own about 15% of the land within the OVPA with most of the parcels

present on the floor of the Owens Valley north of Owens Lake.  Lands owned by the State of California

are mostly present on the bed of Owens Lake and are under the jurisdiction of the California State Lands

Commission.  Only 2.6% of the land within the OVPA is private.  These private lands are mostly located

within the towns and residential communities present in the area or are small isolated withholdings.

The 1,331 square miles (851,840 acres) of public lands within the OVPA are generally managed in an

undeveloped and undisturbed state with little change over time.  The State and LADWP lands on the bed

of Owens Lake which became exposed since the early 1900’s due to large‐scale water diversions in the

Owens Valley and water exports to the City of Los Angeles are an exception to this.  Although there have

been significant changes to the amount of surface water present and vegetation types on the floor of
Pg. 4

the Owens Valley north of Owens Lake related to the export of surface and groundwater to Los Angeles,

the lands on the valley floor have for the most part remained relatively stable and are not generally

considered emissive except during prolonged dry periods or in the time period directly following a

wildfire.

Figure 2 shows a map of the 2011 land use classification for the Owens Valley Planning Area (from the

National Land Cover Database 2011, http://www.mrlc.gov/viewerjs/) with land use categories coded by

color.   Table 1 summarizes the different land use categories and provides acreages for each category

found within the OVPA.  There are 16 land use categories within the OVPA ranging from “open water” to

different levels of development to multiple vegetation zones.   

The category with the largest areal extent is lands in the “Shrub/Scrub” classification with 642,193 acres

(1,003 square miles).  These lands are present on most of the alluvial fan and valley floor areas and

consist of land with 30% or more shrub vegetation cover.  The category with the next most areal extent

within the OVPA is the 104,373 acres (163 square miles) of land classified as “Barren Land”.  “Barren

Land [is] “... land of limited ability to support life and in which less than one‐third of the area has

vegetation or other cover. In general, it is an area of thin soil, sand, or rocks.  Vegetation, if present, is

more widely spaced and scrubby .” [than in the other categories] (excerpt from Anderson et. al., 1976).   

The land use category with the highest potential for being a source of PM10 in the OVPA is lands in the

“Barren Land” classification.  The majority of the “Barren Land” in the OVPA is located in two general

areas: (1) on the bed of Owens Lake and in the dune areas adjacent to the lake bed, and (2) in the high

mountains along the crest of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  Only a few acres of “Barren Land” within

the OVPA (between Independence and Aberdeen) are found outside of these two areas.  The “Barren

Land” found on the lake bed and in the adjacent dunes is included in the air quality model for the 2016

SIP.  The small amount of “Barren Land” found on Figure 2 between Independence and Aberdeen,

although classified as “barren”, does contain sufficient vegetation (shrubs and grasses) such that it is not

considered a significant dust source.  
Pg. 5

Figure 1.  Land ownership map of the Owens Valley Planning Area.  Over 95% of the land in the OVPA is public.
Pg. 6

Figure 2. Land use and land classification map showing the Owens Valley Planning Area and model domain used in the air

quality model for the 2016 SIP. (Data from the National Land Cover Database 2011, http://www.mrlc.gov/viewerjs/)
Pg. 7

Table 1. Land use types within the OVPA (from GBUAPCD, 2016, Appendix C2).
Pg. 8

Owens Valley Dust Cameras

As part of the monitoring network within the Owens Valley and Mono Basin, the District has a system of

video cameras that record images of the surrounding conditions during daylight hours.  Images are

recorded every 30 seconds at the camera site and relayed to one of the District’s offices daily.  Images

are also uploaded continually to the District’s website and refreshed every 60 seconds.  Within the

OVPA, the District operates sixteen cameras with vantages over Owens Lake and two cameras with

views of the northern portion of the planning area (called the Owens Valley camera site).   

The images of the Owens Lake cameras are accessible at http://www.gbuapcd.org/dustcam.htm while

images from the Owens Valley cameras are accessible at

http://www.gbuapcd.org/dustcam/owensvalley/index.htm.  Figures 3 and 4 show images of the north

and south camera views, respectively, from the Owens Valley site.  Figure 5 shows the location of the

Owens Valley camera site and the general view orientation of the two cameras present at the site.  

Figure 6 shows the location of cameras in the Owens Lake camera network and the corresponding views

from each camera.  Notice that between the two cameras at the Owens Valley site and network of

cameras in the Owens Lake network almost the entire OVPA is visible.  The only areas that are not

visible in the OVPA are small portions along the eastern side of the planning area in the Inyo Mountains.

The Owens Lake dust camera network has been in place for over 10 years and the images from these

cameras are used regularly to identify and map the location of dust sources in the Owens Lake area.  The

Owens Valley camera site is much newer with only a two year data record.  It was installed in October

2013 at the first location and was moved to its new location in February 2015.  So while the record from

the Owens Valley camera site does not cover the entire time period used for the 2016 SIP air quality

model (2009‐2014), the video from the site does provide a good indication of whether or not there are

significant dust sources in the Owens Valley away from Owens Lake.   

Over the approximately two year period that the Owens Valley camera site has been operating, there

are occasional instances when dust is observed from isolated locations on the valley floor.  These events

generally occur when a storm front is moving into the area and there are strong down sloping winds

from the west from the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  These instances are short‐lived (generally an hour or

less) and the dust emissions are discontinuous and spotty.  These sources are not active during the more

typical north or south wind events that occur in the valley and that cause the dust events on Owens

Lake.
Pg. 9

Figure 3. Image of the view recorded from the Owens Valley north camera site from January 12, 2016.  Tinnemaha Reservoir,

which is outside the northern boundary of the planning area, is visible on the valley floor along the right side of the image.

Figure 4. Image of the view recorded from the Owens Valley south camera site from January 12, 2016.  Owens Lake is just out

of view to the left of the image.
Pg. 10

Figure 5. Map of OVPA showing the location of the Owens Valley Dust Camera site and the view orientation recorded by the

north and south facing cameras present at the site. The camera views for the Owens Lake dust cameras are shown in Figure 6.

Owens Valley North view

Owens Valley South view

Owens Valley Dust Camera Site
Pg. 11

Figure 6. Map of Owens Lake area showing the location of the dust camera sites and the view orientations of the cameras

present in the network. Notice that the entire Owens Lake area is visible from one or more of the cameras in the network.
Pg. 12

Summary

Studies of the air quality in the Owens Valley by several independent researchers since the 1970’s show

that the primary source of windblown dust in the Owens Valley Planning Area is from the lake bed and

the area immediately surrounding the bed of Owens Lake.  This is confirmed by air monitoring

conducted by the District since the 1980’s and by observations (including video observations from the

dust camera network) conducted over the past decade.  This conclusion is also supported by review of

the land classification and land ownership information with over 97% of OVPA consisting of public lands

managed in a stable and non‐emissive state and only 2.6% private land.  The focus of the air quality

model for the 2016 SIP on dust sources on Owens Lake and the surrounding 2 kilometer zone

surrounding the lake bed is reasonable and justified.
Pg. 13

References Cited

Anderson, J.R., E.E. Hardy, J.T. Roach, and R.E. Witmer, 1976. A Land Use and Land Classification System

for Use with Remote Sensor Data. U.S. Geological Professional Paper964. A revision of the land

use classification system as presented in U.S.G.S. Circular 671. 1976.

(http://landcover.usgs.gov/pdf/anderson.pdf )

Barone, J.B., B.H. Kuskp, L. Ashbaugh, and T.A. Cahill, 1979. A Study of Ambient Aerosols in the Owens

Valley Area. Air Quality Group, University of California, Davis. Final Report to the Air Resources

Board on Contract No. A7‐178‐30. November 1979.

Cahill, T.A., Gill, T.E., Gillette, D.A., Gearhart, E.A., Reid, J.S., and Yau, M., 1994. Generation,

Characterization and Transport of Owens (Dry) Lake Dusts. Final Report by the Air Quality Group

Crocker Nuclear Laboratory, University of California, Davis to the Air Resources Board,

Sacramento, CA, Contract No. A132‐105. September 1994.

GBUAPCD, 2016. Owens Valley Planning Area 2016 State Implementation Plan BACM Assessment. Draft

Final Report prepared by Ramboll Environ, Los Angeles, CA for Great Basin Unified Air Pollution

Control District, Bishop, CA. January 2016.

National Land Cover Database 2011, http://www.mrlc.gov/viewerjs/. Accessed August 2015 and January

2016.

Reheiss, M. C., 1997. Dust Deposition Downwind of Owens (dry) Lake, 1991‐1994: Preliminary Findings.

Journal of Geophysical Research, vol 102, No D22, pages 25,999‐26,008, November 27, 1997.

Reheiss, M. C., 1999. Dust Deposition and its Effect of Desert Soils – A Progress Report. In: Desert Winds:

Monitoring Wind‐Related Surface Processes in Arizona, New Mexico, and California, Carol S.

Breed and Marith Reheiss, Editors.  U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1598‐G. 1999

Reinking, R.F., L.A. Mathews, and P. St‐Amand., 1975. Dust Storms Due to the Desiccation of Owens

Lake. International Association Conference on Environmental Sensing and Assessment,

September 14‐19, Las Vegas, NV, I.E.E.E. Publications, 1975.

Saint‐Amand, P., L.A. Mathews, C.Gaines, and R. Reinking, 1986. Dust Storms From Owens and Mono

Valleys, California. Naval Weapons Center Technical Publication 6731. China Lake, California,

September 1986.