Our History

Piute Ponds is situated in the southwestern portion of Edwards Air Force Base in the western region of the Mojave Desert, on the southern margin of Rosamond Dry Lake Bed.  The area spans 9,600 acres and consists of numerous claypan ponds and low sand dunes. Agricultural and ranching activities in the Antelope Valley over the last 160 years reduced the water table, exacerbated soil erosion, and introduced non-indigenous plant species (e.g. four petal tamarisk, elm, and cottonwood) (Cotterman 1996). Military activity, illegal dumping, artificial and natural flooding have impacted the terrain, ecology, and the cultural resources in the area (Cotterman 1996).

In the 1940s, the Department of Defense acquired 3,500 acres of territory within the Piute Ponds area from 10 local duck clubs (Settle 1994; Puckett and Peyton 2008). In 1958, 320 of those acres were cultivated into wetland to prevent sewage from flooding into Rosamond Dry Lake. In 1961, a C-Dike was constructed across Amargosa Creek to contain effluent water from the Lancaster Water Reclamation Plant (LWRP), which induced flooding of Rosamond Dry Lake. The North Buffer Pond was constructed in 1976. District-14 throughout the 1980s continued to pump 0.26 million gallons per day (mgd) of effluent waters between November and April into Piute Ponds Complex which maintained an artificial wetland (Kennedy/Jenks Consultants 2005; Puckett and Peyton 2008). Through funding by Ducks Unlimited, in 1986, five dikes were constructed to the north and northeast of the North Buffer Pond, which submerged a portion of the golf course at the Piute Ponds Country Club (Norwood 1986; Puckett and Peyton 2008). By the 1990s, additional retention ponds were established for seasonal water storage.

Old aerial photos were recently discovered, showing the water at the ponds from 1928. To view these images, open the .pdf file by clicking here.