The Panama Canal made international shipping much more efficient by allowing ships to travel between the East and West coasts of North America without having to go around South America. The French initially started work on the canal but ran out of money. It has since been expanded to accommodate larger ships. William Mulholland's Los Angeles aqueduct project brought water to LA, fueling its growth, but drained the Owens Valley of its water supply turning it into a desert. The aqueduct project helped develop LA but negatively impacted Owens Valley.