Mono Lake

Highly saline and alkaline lake in east-central California, 137 km/85 mi south-southeast of Carson City, Nevada. Mono Lake stands at an altitude of 1,958 m/6,425 ft between the Nevada border and the Sierra Nevada. As a remnant of an ancient inland sea, it is thought be the oldest body of water in North America.

Mono Lake, which is roughly oval in shape and up to 21 km/13 mi wide, harbours large populations of brine shrimp and flies, which in turn attract California gulls, grebes, phalaropes, and other birds. Towers of calcified rock (‘tufa’), up to 13,000 years old, stand on its shores. Formerly an important food source for the Paiute and other indigenous peoples, the lake is now largely recreational. After aqueducts were built in 1941 and 1970 (see Los Angeles Aqueduct) to divert water from Mono's feeder streams to Los Angeles, 445 km/275 mi to the south, the level of the lake fell drastically and a long battle ensued, between local residents and environmentalists on the one hand, and urban and commercial interests in Southern California on the other.