Women, Water Resource Management, and the Environmental Movement in Southern California

In 1967, Mrs. Ellen Stern Harris was “rocking the boat” of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board. The seven-person committee oversaw the coastal, surface, and underground waters of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. In a coastal region prone to drought and increasing in population, this board held an immense amount of political and economic power. Supporters of business, industry, and agriculture had previously dominated the panel. Harris was part of an emerging environmental movement and she perceived herself as a representative of the public interest calling for increased transparency. In addition to pushing for more public involvement in decision-making about water, she supported Southern California grassroots organizations that were fighting for cleaner coastlines, increased park space, and public beach access. Ultimately, she viewed herself as an advocate for natural resources who was protecting the public and environment against unrestricted capitalism. This paper will examine the roles of women in water resource management in Southern California and the importance of women’s leadership in an emerging environmental movement in the mid to late 1960s. It will seek to understand the positions that women took in these organizations and their individual and collaborative agency. Additionally, the paper will contribute a valuable piece of scholarship to a discussion that bridges women’s history with the history of capitalism and environment.