Gigie Hall

The history of Los Angeles is defined by the need to tame the flow of water. Nothing epitomizes this fact more than the Los Angeles Aqueduct and the Los Angeles River. Completed in 1913, the aqueduct is both an astounding feat of engineering and an artifact of theft, corruption, and exploitation. To this day, it conveys a third of LA’s water from more than 200 miles away, draining Owens Valley in the process. Meanwhile, the common perception of the Los Angeles River as a concrete eyesore conceals its ecologically and culturally significant layers.

There is little public awareness of the story behind LA’s most precious resource. In my thesis project, I use a data-driven interactive microsite to tell this story, exploring both the history and the potential future of water in Los Angeles.