An unfinished study to restore the part-natural/part-channelized Arroyo Seco stream in western San Gabriel Valley is back, a sign that efforts to return native fish, remove concrete barriers and add bikeways along its banks could be realized.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to direct the public works department and the county flood control district to complete a study started in 2005 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers but abruptly halted in 2017 for lack of funding.
The county will terminate the contract with the Army Corps and redirect the $2.5 million of funding approved by the board in 2017 to cover the cost of completing the study and planning efforts, according to the motion.
While the 22-mile-long river meanders through the Angeles National Forest, Altadena, Pasadena, La Cañada Flintridge, South Pasadena and Los Angeles until it joins the L.A. River near Dodger Stadium, the study will focus on a 9-mile stretch downstream from Devil’s Gate Dam in northwest Pasadena to the L.A. River confluence.
“This study is crucial to the future of the Arroyo Seco and its neighboring communities,” Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a prepared statement. “Once completed, the study’s results will be a blueprint that guides our county’s efforts to both restore the tributary’s ecosystem while enhancing flood protection to the Los Angeles County residents who rely on it.”
The Arroyo Seco Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study and Multi-use Project Implementation Plan will be a partnership between county agencies, the local water district and local cities and communities to determine what projects are feasible. According to emailed responses from county public works, the goals of the study include:
• Determine how much of the Arroyo Seco ecosystem would be restored, which may include removing cobblestones and concrete “without compromising flood protection.”
• Develop conceptual designs for projects, such as “greenways and…
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