A Dream Come True

Once I got to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power I stepped past the front desk and headed straight to the exhibit held in the corner. After taking various pictures of the displays, I proceeded to read the different articles they had scattered all over the exhibit. I learned that Mulholland had contributed a large amount to the success of the Los Angeles aqueduct. The Los Angeles aqueduct has combined three different functions. The first one is a water supply. The Los Angeles aqueduct allows the transportation of water from nearby rivers and lakes into Los Angeles. Secondly, the aqueduct provides flood control by allowing water to enter it and flow freely to create more power and enter the water supply. Without it, there would be many floods because all of the water would have no where to go and it would build up. Lastly, the aqueduct allows energy production. The energy produced supplies Los Angeles with power while also providing a water supply and flood control. According to the fact sheets on display at the exhibit, the aqueduct's power system supplies more than twenty-three million megawatt hours of electricity a year for 1.4 million power customers. Also, there are different sources of energy available such as coal, nuclear, natural gas, renewable energy and hydroelectric power.

At the Department of Water and Power I also got to see a scaled model of the Los Angeles Aqueduct on display in a glass case. This model showed the plan for the aqueduct. It displayed where the aqueduct started and where it brought water and power to. The model itself was pretty detailed and impressive along with it being very informative.

Along with Mulholland, there was also a display with a picture of Ezra Scattergood in it. I learned that he was the father of municipal power in Los Angeles and that he dedicated three decades of his life to bringing power to Los Angeles in order to make it the great city it is today. He planned and developed hydroelectric power because he knew that there was a large supply of low-cost water and electricity.