Sometimes the lake rises at the astonishing rate of an inch a week. The fresh influx of water to the Mono Basin marks an undisputed political victory. But no one knows how the court-ordered changes in water level will affect the ecosystem over the next century, or even the next decade. Although civilizations have often drained saltwater lakes, this may be the first time that one has purposefully put fresh water back into a large saline lake. So as scientists keep close watch, measuring and monitoring everything from tree height to salinity levels, they are raising questions about everything from the viability of certain species to the role of science in environmental restoration.
Mono Lake is part of a chain of alkaline and landlocked wetlands sprinkled across the Great Basin.
The lake's water level has likely fluctuated often over its 700,000-year history, mounting high enough at one point to find an outlet into Owens Valley to the south. Despite its salinity, Mono Lake has historically been a mecca for migrating birds, its surface and surrounding marshes once offering refuge to more than a million birds annually. The streams themselves became known more recently for their brown and rainbow trophy trout. The largest creek flowing into Mono Lake, Rush Creek has become a focus of restoration work by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the Mono Lake Committee. Restoration efforts include opening new stream channels, closing dirt roads crossing the creek, and placing woody debris in the creekbed to shelter young fish.