Thanks so much to those of you who contacted political representatives to let them know how you feel about the plan to use a lovely oak/sycamore woodland as a dump for silt from the Santa Anita Dam. Here is a time line of the events that have led us to our current predicament.
- 1950s, LA County Department of Public Works purchases land for use as sediment placement site for the Santa Anita Dam. (County Wants Oaks Gone as Part of Sediment Removal Project, Elizabeth Banicki, SierraMadrePatch)
- May 11, 2007, Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, Santa Anita Reservoir Sediment Removal, CEQA Initial Study
- May 2008, Draft EIR (couldn’t find any copy on line)
- Spring 2009, Santa Anita Reservoir Sediment Removal Project, Final EIR (I was unable to open this large document (20 Mb), so rather than giving you the direct link to the pdf, this is the link to the LA-DPW’s index of pdfs for this and other water resource/dam projects.)
- May 2009, Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations: Santa Anita Dam Riser Modification and Reservoir Sediment Removal Project Final Environmental Impact Report (SCH NO. 2007061093)
- June 9, 2009, Final approval of project
My read of this is that they did consider the possibility of trucking material to Irwindale, Manning Pit SPS, (Alternative 3, page 7.9, Alternative 4, page 7.18) and determined that the truck traffic would cause more environmental disturbance, air pollution, noise, etc., than dumping the material on site. The alternatives 3 and 4 differ in where the sediment is staged before being trucked off site.
It seems – I am no expert on this! – that it is stated that the impact on “aesthetics” is deemed as “less than significant” because the property can’t be seen by the public (page 4.1). There are no recreational advantages to preserving the middle section (11+ acres) of the Arcadia Woodland since it is not currently open to the public (page 7.15). However, it is noted that the approved plan would impact the woodland more than trucking the sediment off site (page 7.12).
- December 4, 2010: Tour of Arcadia Oak/Sycamore Woodland slated for use as dump for silt from Santa Anita Dam led by representative of LA County Department of Public Works
- December 7, 2010: Arcadia’s oak woodland gets 30-day reprieve
Posted: 12/07/2010 03:07:33 PM PST
LOS ANGELES – Plans to cut down an 11-acre oak and sycamore woodland in Arcadia to spread tons of debris dredged from Santa Anita Dam have been put on hold for a minimum of 30 days.On Tuesday, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to the moratorium after Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich put forward a motion on Friday.
The woodland, including more than 175 native oaks, was scheduled to be cleared mid-December as part of a flood-control program. The county’s public works department estimates that the dredging will remove more than 500,000 cubic yards of sediment.
Janette Williams - December 11, 2010: Message from David Czamanske, Group Vice-Chair, Sierra Club, Pasadena Group
Sierra Club to set strategy meeting.
DPW has set the public meeting for 7 pm Thursday, December 16, in the residential neighborhood adjacent to the Santa Anita Wash. (Thanks to Matt Burch of the blog Monrovia Patch for posting this – see below.)
This means we must advance our strategy meeting (originally contemplated for Dec 18) to coordinate what we will be saying at the public meeting. I propose we hold this meeting the evening of December 15 – that will give us all maximum time to gather our facts and thoughts together before the public meeting. (I know Glen Owens, who is on the Planning Commission in Monrovia, has a Commission meeting that evening, but it may be difficult to get folks together earlier – some of us have other meetings on Dec 14. Evening of December 13 might be possible, but several of us will probably be still in the info gathering mode Monday.)
Please feel to express your thoughts on best time to meet!
- December 16, 2010, 7 PM, Highland Oaks Elementary, N Santa Anita Ave & Virginia Rd, Arcadia, CA: Fate of Woodlands Will Be Subject of Sediment Removal Meeting
Alternatives to the destruction of 11-acre woodlands will be discussed at a meeting next week at Highland Oaks Elementary.
Monrovia Patch
By Matt Burch… Supervisor Antonovich “believes in open space, believes in preservation of natural resources,” said Tony Bell, Communications Deputy for the supervisor, “but on the other hand, you have the Santa Anita Dam, which is in desperate need of sediment removal.”
The Santa Anita Sediment Removal Project would use a conveyor belt to move 500,000 cubic yards of debris from the dam to sediment sites located within the city of Arcadia on land owned by the county….
It is late in the day but maybe we can save this bit of land and send a message that the continued reckless destruction of land will not be popular with the people.
I live far away in N CA but I am always very concerned for the welfare of any beautiful woodland and the critters that live in it, and wish you the very best in your efforts to save this one.<br />Cynthia
For anyone who reads the final EIR and the final approval, there are some interesting things to note. One of the most glaring problems I see is that equal weight was given to short-term temporary inconveniences like increased noise and traffic as was given to permanent habitat destruction.<br /><br />It seems strange to me that the destruction of wild spaces was the preferred alternative on the
@Cynthia – thanks for you good thoughts.<br /><br />@Jerry B. – well put. The meeting with the County is on for Thursday (there was some discussion). Hope we can have an impact.
Hello, Barbara!<br /><br />Just thought I would add something to this story.<br /><br />It has been known for at least since 2004 that Cal. Oaks are at risk from the Golden Oak Borer. While the trees in Arcadia were being felled, UCR and the County and private Arborists of Los Angeles County were meeting in Descanso Gardens to learn what to do WHEN the Buprestid will arrive. San Diego have lost
Thanks for the comment, Anon. Yes this is further reason not to destroy a healthy oak/sycamore woodland. With climate change, the increase in serious diseases often due to invasive species, and other stresses to the environment the action is particularly stupid. What can one say! <br /><br />Did want to mention that the goldspotted oak borer is the speaker topic for the next CNPS – San Gabriel