Proposed La Tuna Canyon Sediment Placement Site (SPS)

This area in La Tuna Canyon belonging to LACFCD may be the future site for sediment disposal. Map courtesy of Jerry Baker



Click on map to see larger version.

A Hike Through the Proposed Sediment Dump Site
By Cam Stone

Josh Link and I went for a hike in the DPW's proposed site for a new regional sediment dump in La Tuna Canyon. As you know, the DPW had scheduled a first "Community Meeting" for March 10 to inform the public about the project. That meeting was cancelled without explanation a few days after the Supervisor's Hahamonga motion was passed. The announcement of a public hearing was all that the public received from the DPW regarding this meeting.

The map above shows a satelite view of the proposed sediment dump. See larger view.

What we found on our hike into the site was somewhat shocking. The DPW is well on its way in planning the destruction of this pristine urban wilderness. All of the more than sixty mature oak trees in this canyon have numbered "Death Tags" hammered into their trunks (the same type of tags were affixed to all of the oak trees in the Arcadia Woodlands). Survey stakes and aerial survey markers can be found throughout this untouched canyon. All of the Death Tags are hammered into the up-canyon side of the trunks so that the casual observer hiking up the canyon would not see them.

View my photos of this canyon. Please look at all the photos and read the captions. This will give you a detailed picture of what is happening in this canyon. Not only is this a hidden natural treasure but it also contains some historical treasures.

I have informed the CA Dept. of Fish & Game of what I found at the site. I was told that the DPW had planned on clearing this canyon a year and a half ago under the same emergency declaration as they have been using to justify their actions in Hahamonga. The DF&G apparently was able to put a stop to the DPW's "emergency" plans in this canyon. It is clear that the DF&G is very upset and agitated with the DPW's tactics which have spawned an adversarial relationship much like that between the DPW and the public.

The situation in La Tuna Canyon is almost identical to that leading up to the Arcadia Woodlands disaster. The site has been fenced off from public access for decades so that I am one of only a handfull of people that have seen the canyon and its extreme natural beauty and historical value. The DPW was planning on the initial Community Meeting to be just like the one they had in Arcadia in 2007—a meeting attended by just a few residents and the HOA who had no clue of what the DPW was planning to destroy. The DPW would then perform the EIR process under the radar and then do what they wanted with little, if any, public input.

Read a blog on this issue by poeticplantings.com

LACFCD no longer separately pursuing the development of the La Tuna Canyon Sediment Placement Site

Statement from Public Affairs Manager, LACPW

"Thank you for your expression of interest in La Tuna Canyon and the operations of the LA County Flood Control District. We recently mailed a notice to residents in close proximity of La Tuna Canyon advising them of the postponement of a meeting to discuss potential development of the La Tuna Canyon Sediment Placement Site. In an effort to keep you informed, we are writing to you today to let you know our current plans for La Tuna Canyon Sediment Placement Site.

Recent wildfires and subsequent winter storms have caused massive volumes of sediment and debris to wash into flood protection facilities along the San Gabriel Mountains. Consequently, the Flood Control District must remove close to 15 million cubic yards of sediment from its dams and reservoirs so that the region’s flood control system can continue to capture storm water for flood protection and the recharge of local water supplies. The flood control system is vital to the health, safety and well-being of everyone in LA County, not merely those near the mountains and burn areas.

To aid in this effort, a Sediment Management Strategic Plan Task Force has been formed consisting of resource agencies, cities, water agencies, environmental organizations, regulatory agencies and members of the public. The Task Force will identify a wide range of alternatives to the region’s sediment management needs and discuss their social, economic and environmental impacts.

While we are no longer separately pursuing the development of the La Tuna Canyon Sediment Placement Site, it will be among the wide range of alternatives evaluated by the Task Force. In about 15 months, when, and if, the Task Force identifies the La Tuna site as a possible solution, the District will re-initiate the environmental process and come back to the community to solicit feedback.

For more information on the sediment management issues facing LA County, please see the attached sheet of frequently asked questions (FAQs). If you would like to learn more about the Regional Sediment Management Task Force, please send your inquiry to SedimentMgmtPlan@dpw.lacounty.gov or forward your concerns about La Tuna Sediment Placement Site for their consideration to LaTunaSPS_comments@dpw.lacounty.gov. Thank you."

Kerjon Lee
Public Affairs Manager
LA County Public Works

The public hearing on the La Tuna Canyon SPS originally scheduled for Thursday, March 10 was canceled. See flyer on scheduled hearing.