A community that was once thriving and whose future became grim with
the drying out of the mines, was all but destroyed by the diversion
of water from the Owens Valley to Los Angeles. The results of which
were devastating. The water exports in the 1920s led the Owens Lake
to eventually dry up, causing alkali dust storms to blow through Keeler,
driving many residents away. Dust remediation efforts in the early 21st
century reduced this problem, but few residents remain.