Follow-up Work
The State of California determined that information about the general public’s willingness to pay for increased water in Mono Lake could be an important part of the economic analysis of the water allocation decision. As part of an Environmental Impact Report, the State hired a consulting firm to perform a more detailed contingent valuation survey. This new survey involved the use of photo-simulations showing what the lake would look like at alternative water levels. It also gave detailed information about effects of changing lake levels on different bird species. The survey was conducted over the telephone, with people who had been mailed information booklets with maps and photo-simulations. Survey respondents were asked how they would vote in a hypothetical referendum regarding Mono Lake.
This study also showed that the benefits of a moderately high (but not the highest) lake level were greater than the costs. While one cannot claim the economic analysis was a deciding
factor, the California Water Resources Control Board did reduce Los Angeles’ water rights by half, from 100,000 acre feet to about 50,000 acre feet, to allow more flows into Mono Lake.