Owens River

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/owens-river

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How long is the Owens River?Approximately 183 miles (295 km)
2. How big is the Owens River?Approximately 2,600 square miles (6,700 km2)
3. What is the location?Eastern California, USA, traversing the Owens Valley
4. What is the terminates at?Owens Lake, an endorheic lake
5. What is the Owens River and where does it flow?The Owens River is a 183‑mile long river in eastern California. It runs through the Owens Valley, which is between the Sierra Nevada mountains to the west and the Inyo and White Mountains to the east.
6. Why did Los Angeles take water from the Owens River?Los Angeles was growing fast and needed more water. Engineers built the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913 to bring water from the Owens River to the city.

Endorheic Basin: A closed drainage basin that retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water, such as rivers or oceans.
Watershed: The area of land where all the water that falls in it or surrounds it drains into a common river or lake.
Aqueduct: An artificial channel for conveying water, typically over a long distance.
Playa: A flat, arid land form (a dry lakebed) that forms in a desert basin.