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Sediment Removal in Devil’s Gate Dam Scheduled to Restart June 8

Local 'Big Dig' Project set to return, according to county officials

Published on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 | 9:02 am
 

Pasadena’s “Big Dig” project is scheduled to resume this week, and sediment removal will start early next month, according to the LA County Public Works Department.

“Work on the Devil’s Gate Reservoir Restoration Project will resume as early as Wednesday, May 20, with the mobilization of construction equipment and work within the reservoir,” according to an email blast on Monday.

“Sediment removal activities are anticipated to begin the week of Monday, June 8. A separate email to community members and other project stakeholders will be sent prior to the start of sediment hauling.”

The Devil’s Gate Reservoir Restoration Project is a four-year effort to increase flood protection for communities downstream from Devil’s Gate Dam and restore habitat within a popular section of the Arroyo Seco Watershed.

Critics liken the job to Boston’s Big Dig megaproject, which turned out to be one of the most expensive highway projects in the U.S. It was plagued by cost overruns, delays and design flaws, and charges of poor execution.

LA County Public Works plans to remove up to 1.7 million cubic yards of sediment from the reservoir that’s immediately behind the nearly 100-year-old dam.

The controversial project could lead to hundreds of truck trips in and out of the Arroyo Seco daily. Known as the Big Dig, it’s come under fire by residents of Pasadena and nearby La Cañada Flintridge. It has also been criticized by the Arroyo Seco Foundation (ASF) and the Pasadena Audubon Society (PAS), both of which filed a lawsuit to stop it.

Devil’s Gate is the oldest dam constructed by the LA County Flood Control District, providing flood protection for the cities of Pasadena, South Pasadena and Los Angeles.

In addition to providing flood relief to communities that have endured nearly a decade of elevated flood risk along the Arroyo Seco, the project will also establish a permanent stormwater maintenance area that allows for the creation of 70 acres of enhanced habitat for wildlife and recreational opportunities for local communities.

A large amount of sediment has not been removed from Devil’s Gate since 1994, when workers hauled out 160,000 cubic yards of soil and debris. An additional one million cubic yards of soil and debris were dumped into the basin by the Station Fire in 2009, which burned more than 160,000 acres in Altadena, Pasadena, La Cañada Flintridge and Acton.

Lawyers for the county and local preservationists opposing the size of a Devil’s Gate Dam sediment removal project will return to court for a hearing on June 25, Pasadena Now has learned.

“LA County Public Works is working closely with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to protect and preserve native habitat and wildlife, with biologists on-site daily to monitor construction activities,” the statement reads.

For more information on the project, visit www.DevilsGateProject.com, or email the LA County Public Works Department at devilsgateproject@pw.lacounty.gov. You may also call the Devil’s Gate Project hotline at (626) 458-2507.

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