The story of William Mulholland parallels the American dream. He lived in poverty in Belfast, Ireland and would ultimately be the man to bring water to Los Angeles. The name Mulholland is said to be synonymous with water in Southern California. However, his final creation will definitely put an end to his hero status. Mulholland's astonishing rise from ditch digger to chief engineer of the Los Angeles Water Department was an incredible feat of hard work and dedication. He was a self-taught engineer and had a vast knowledge of civil politics and public administration. He has a proven track record of providing technical assistance on other water projects in Arizona, Nevada and Central America. Mulholland's biggest task was bringing water to growing Los Angeles. He created the Los Angeles Aqueduct (still in use today) from the Owens River, 200 miles north of the Los Angeles Basin. The project lasted 8 years and ended in 1913. The project did not go smoothly as farmers in the Owens Valley who depended on the river for irrigation were forced off their land and their farms and ranches quickly became a desert. In 8 years of construction of the aqueduct, the population of Los Angeles had doubled. The aqueduct was simply not enough and a reservoir became a viable option not only for household water needs, but also for the needs of the fertile ranches and farms of the San Fernando Valley. Mulholland chose the San Francisquito Canyon for the construction of a new dam. The canyon ran parallel to the aqueduct 30 miles north of the Los Angeles city limits. The potential reservoir was also thought to be a backup plan in case of earthquake damage or sabotage (most likely by angry Owens Valley farmers) of the nearby aqueduct. the dam has never been audited by safety committees or public works offices. Mulholland himself was too trusted. When Mulholland wanted to build taller, no one questioned his ideas. When there were leaks and cracks, no one else inspected them except Mulholland. Because of disasters like the St. Francis Dam, no one works alone on high engineering projects, from highways to bridges. Sadly, William Mulholland was responsible for the second greatest loss of life in California history. His obsession with technical achievements of epic proportions ultimately proved to be his demise. While a large memorial represents the victims of the St. Francis Dam in Ventura, a small and very appropriate memorial represents William Mulholland in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles: a fountain, symbol of endless water for Los Angeles.