The Federal Reclamation Service said they would make a series of “high-line canals” to help farmers and ranchers get water from mountains- rushing water, lush greenery all around. But that wasn't the case. The Federal Reclamation Service’s plan was to make the land of the Owens Valley moist with water and to have rivers flowing through. However, when William Mulholland of the Los Angeles Water Department came to the chief engineer of the Federal Reclamation Service, Mulholland managed to convince the chief to let Los Angeles get the first shot at the Owens Valley’s water. The chief, seeing that he would be helping the larger population of LA, gave Mulholland a detailed report on the hydrology, topography, and measurements in the valley and Owens River. The report was paid for by the government but given to Mulholland for free. Thus, the LA Water Department was given the first shot at the land in the Owens Valley.
A high line canal. The Federal Reclamation Service had a plan to create many high line canals to help farmers in the Owens Valley acquire water from mountains.
People from the Owen’s Valley were happy to sell their land to Fred Eaton, he had tricked them into thinking it was a part of the Federal Reclamation Service Irrigation Plan
Fred Eaton, being one of the only people who knew of the Federal Reclamation Services’ Irrigation Project for the Owens Valley, took advantage of this knowledge and convinced the residents of the Owens Valley to turn over the water rights and the property to himself, only for him to turn the water rights and property over to the LA Water Department. The Owens Valley mistakenly thought that Fred Eaton was there to help with the Reclamation Service project, so they agreed to give him access to their land. With the new water rights and property he had gained, he then would give Los Angeles Department of Water and Power the property in return for a larger sum of money. Eaton would then benefit from the Los Angeles Aqueduct Plan once it came into action. Eaton was making an unethical decision by illegally using information that only he knew to lie to others and ultimately make money.