Los Angeles Aqueduct: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

There are two Los Angeles Aqueducts--the original Los Angeles Aqueduct was designed by William Mullholland (an Irish immigrant working as a ditch-digger for the Los Angeles Bureau) and completed in 1913 to deliver water from the Owens River to the city of Los Angeles, California. The first aqueduct project began in 1905 with a budget of 24.5 million dollars. With the help of 100,000 people, the Los Angeles Aqueduct was finished in 1913. It consisted of 223 miles of 12-foot steel pipe, 120 miles of railroad track, 2 hydroelectric plants, 170 miles of power lines, 240 miles of telephone line, a cement plant, and 500 miles of roads. The aqueduct used gravity to carry the water, so it was relatively autonomous and cost-efficient. It was built so well, in fact, that, to this day, the city still uses it to transport water. The second Los Angeles Aqueduct was completed in 1970. It carries water 137 miles.