Lee Vining Creek
Lee Vining Creek is a 16.2-mile-long (26.1 km) stream in Mono County, California, flowing into the endorheic basin of Mono Lake. It is the second largest stream flowing into the lake, after Rush Creek.
The stream rises near Tioga Pass in the Eastern Sierra Nevada, more than 10,000 feet (3,000 m) above sea level. It flows generally east, and is briefly impounded at Ellery Lake before dropping into a huge canyon known as Lee Vining Canyon. From there, it flows eastwards out of the mountains past the small town of Lee Vining. The creek terminates at a small sandy delta on the western shore of Mono Lake.
A portion of the creek is diverted into the Second Los Angeles Aqueduct near Lee Vining to provide water to metropolitan Southern California. The diversion of Lee Vining Creek and other streams such as Rush Creek and Mill Creek has led to a severe reduction in streamflow and a drop in lake level, damaging the fragile ecosystem of the lake.
See also
Lee Vining, California
Lee Vining (formerly, Leevining, Poverty Flat, and Lakeview) is a census-designated place in Mono County, California, United States. It is located 21 miles (34 km) south-southeast of Bridgeport, at an elevation of 6781 feet (2067 m). Lee Vining is located on the southwest shore of Mono Lake. The population was 222 as of the 2010 census, down from 250 reported as of 2000 by Mono County. At the previous census (1990) the town population was 398, and at the census before that (1980) it was 315.
Situation
The economy of Lee Vining relies largely on tourism, since it is the closest town to the east entrance of Yosemite National Park, and is near other tourist destinations such as Mono Lake, the ghost town of Bodie, popular trout fishing destinations, and June Mountain and Mammoth Mountain ski areas and the June Lake recreational area. Tourism is mostly confined to the summer months, because State Route 120 through Yosemite is closed otherwise because of heavy snowfall, although year-round tourism has been increasing in recent years. Lee Vining has a year-round Information Center for visitors.
Podcasts:
