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Comments on Devil's Gate EIR due Monday, Jan. 6

by Timothy Rutt

The LA County Department of Public Works has sent out a reminder that formal comments on the Devil's Gate Dam sediment removal project are due by Monday, Jan. 6:

If you haven’t done so already, please email your comments to reservoircleanouts@dpw.lacounty.gov. Note that only comments emailed to reservoircleanouts@dpw.lacounty.gov, mailed, or faxed to LA County Public Works will be included in the official Response to Comments Log that will be attached to the Final EIR.    

Also, please note the project website was updated in early December to facilitate your review of the Draft EIR. A new page for the Project Alternatives Overview and additional Resources such as the overlays on the Hahamongna Watershed Park Master Plan have been posted. 

Please check out the project website at http://www.LASedimentManagement.com/DevilsGate

 

 

Devil's Gate Dam meeting at Jackson Elementary tonight

by Timothy Rutt

There will be a meeting at Jackson Elementary School tonight (Nov. 14) to present the county's draft Environmental Impact Report for the proposed cleanup of the Devil's Gate Reservoir.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works  is holding a series of meetings to present the report, which looks at the county's plan to remove sediment behind the Devil's Gate Dam at Hahamongna Watershed Park.

Rains after the Station Fire deposited about a million cubic yards of sediment into the area, which has not been extensively maintained since the dam went up in 1920. While the county is seeking to remove the debris and sediment to prepare for future flooding, many opponents point out that the area has become a recreational area and refuge for wildlife.  The county has been removing small loads of debris since 2012, but is seeking a "big dig" that option that opponents say will not only damage the recreational area, but create a massive traffic and pollution problem in Pasadena and Altadena as large trucks are used to cart material away.  

Tonight's meeting will be from 6:30-8:30 PM at  Jackson Elementary School Auditorium, 93 West Woodbury Road, Altadena (park in lot in rear or on North Spaulding Place).  There will be another meeting on Saturday, Nov. 16, from 2-4 PM  at the Community Center of La Cañada Flintridge, 4469 Chevy Chase Drive, La Cañada Flintridge (park in Community Center/Pre-School lot).

 For more information and a copy of the Draft EIR, go here. 

 

Pasadena mulls moving Hahamongna soccer field to Muir campus

by Timothy Rutt

There will be two meetings in Pasadena next week to look at a city plan to install a multi-use sports field at John Muir High School, potentially saving the field from being installed at Hahamongna Watershed Park.

The state of California awarded a $1 million grant to Pasadena in 2005, intending it to go to athletic field improvements at Hahamongna.  That plan became controversial, as watershed activists objected to the alteration of the park's almost-wild state.

The favored alternative seems to be  making improvements to an existing field on the campus of Muir High School.  The Pasadena Recreation and Parks Commission will consider proposed sports field improvements at its Tuesday, March 12 meeting.   The proposed plan for Muir is to include a full-size soccer field, a reconfigured softball fields, and turf and irrigation work.  The plan calls for the fields to be available for public use during non-school hours.

Another public meeting will be held Wednesday, March 13, at the Muir High School auditorium at 6:30 PM.  Officials from the Pasadena Unified School District, Pasadena Public Works, and District 1 Councilmember Jacque Robinson will host the meeting to discuss the field improvements.  

The City must apply for the transfer of the $1 million grant funds to the Muir High School project. According to a press release from the city of Pasadena,  "strong community support is a critical first step in the process."

For questions or additional information regarding the meeting, contact Loren Pluth with Public Works at (626) 744-7329 or by email to lpluth@cityofpasadena.net.   

 

Hahamongna walkabout scheduled for March 23

by Timothy Rutt

The third annual Hahamongna Walkabout will take place Saturday, March 23, from 9 AM-noon.

The escorted walking tour of the natural area includes information on the recreation, habitat, wildlife, birds and water resources in that basin.  This year's learning stations include Tom Sawyer Camps, Rose Bowl Riders, Oak Grove Disk Golf Club, and more.

The walkabout is free, but reservations are strongly recommended -- more information here.

 

Arroyo Seco Foundation receives $3.3 M for Hahamongna project

from the Arroyo Seco Foundation

The Arroyo Seco Foundation (ASF) has secured $3.3 million in state funding to improve water reliability and environmental conditions in Hahamongna.

On Monday night October 29,  the Pasadena City Council approved a series of agreements with the Los Angeles Flood Control District and the Arroyo Seco Foundation. The $3,217,000 grant, one of a suite of projects administered by the Los Angeles County Flood Control District, will be funded by the California Department of Water Resources as part of Proposition 84 which was approved by California voters in 2006.

"We are pleased that we have been able to win this funding for Hahamogna and to work in partnership with Pasadena on a project that is a model of environmental stewardship and community involvement," said Tim Brick, Managing Director of the Arroyo Seco Foundation. "The project will save innumerable fish in the Arroyo stream and millions of dollars for Pasadena ratepayers."

The key features of the Hahamngna grant include:

• Upgrading the Arroyo Seco water intake structure to capture Pasadena's full water rights;
• Evaluating the potential advantages of an inflatable dam;
• Improving recreational opportunities for local residents by installing a restroom, interpretive signage, picnic tables, a water fountain, and a horse trough;
• Restoring riparian habitat in the Arroyo Seco stream by removing unused facilities, planting native plants, improving fish conditions, and removing invasive species.

The Hahamongna grant is part of the the California Department of Water Resources Integrated Regional Water Management Program (IRWM), a statewide program that promotes collaborative efforts to manage all aspects of water resources in a region.

Officials rethink Hahamongna soccer field plans

By Joe Piasecki
Pasadena Sun

Controversial plans for a new soccer field and other changes to the landscape of Hahamongna Watershed Park may be headed back to the drawing board.

Pasadena officials are putting the brakes on an environmental review of Hahamongna projects after abandoning an unpopular proposal to fill in acres of marshy lowlands subject to seasonal flooding, said city Department of Public Works project manager Loren Pluth.

Pasadena City Council members will decide as early as Oct. 29 whether to start over with a new study of remaining proposals for the 300-acre park above Devil’s Gate Dam.

Work funded by $5.7 million in grant proceeds would include stream restoration, trail repair, a new soccer field adjacent to an existing one on the west side of the park and an expanded parking lot to serve both fields.

More at the Pasadena Sun.

Critics oppose Hahamongna Park plan

By Mercedes Aguilar
Pasadena Sun

Conservationists, disc golfers and other lovers of Hahamongna Watershed Park told Pasadena city officials Thursday night that they don't like a proposed $5.7-million renovation project at the 300-acre site above Devil's Gate Dam.

City officials hope to build a new sports field, add parking and improve trails and native habitat on the west side of the park.

While representatives of youth athletics leagues have said there is a demand for more sports facilities in the area, none of the 70 or so people who came out for Thursday's meeting at Salvation Army Fellowship Hall backed the Hahamongna plan.

Laura Garrett, conservation chair for the Pasadena Audubon Society, said it is misleading for proponents to say that the project would restore habitat. City plans call for raising some trails so they do not flood at times of high water behind the dam, and for planting native species in nearby areas.

More at the Pasadena Sun.

 

Second annual Hahamongna walkabout March 31

by TImothy Rutt

The Arroyo Seco Foundation will holds its second annual Hahamongna Walkabout on Sat., March 31. Hike aroudn the watershed and learn about the wildlife, birds, water resources, and history of the area.

This year there will be additional learning stations featuring wildlife and geology, and an update on the sediment removal program.  Even if you went last year, there will be new features and updates.

Register here.