Pacoima Reservoir Sedimentation's Impact on Sylmar

Reservoir Sedimentation’sImpact on the

People & Environment of LA County

CASM SFV Inc. Dan Feinberg – May 18, 2015

This Presentation• Thank you for giving me this opportunity • About CASM SFV Inc.• What is Reservoir Sedimentation (Sediment Build-up)• “Sediment Management”– Pacoima Reservoir in Sylmar– The DPW’s sediment removal plan for Pacoima Reservoir– Other options – Project concerns– What CASM wants the DPW/FCD to do– What can we do?

“Protecting and fostering the responsible use of the San Fernando Valley’s natural resources” www.CASM-SFV.org 2

About CASM• CASM SFV Inc. (“CASM”) is based in Sylmar• CASM is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization under

Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code• Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law• CASM is involved in environmental issues affecting the San

Fernando Valley’s people, environment and our quality of life• Supported by over 5,500 San Fernando Valley stakeholders• A group of community members originally came together in early

2011 because of the Strip Mine project– The group originally called itself “Citizens Against Strip Mining” which is

a name that is no longer used


LA County Reservoirs & Sedimentation

What is reservoir sedimentation?Why is it a problem?


LACFCD - Flood Control & Reservoirs• The Los Angeles County Flood Control District (“LAC

FCD”) • Is part of the Los Angeles County Department of

Public Works (“DPW”)• The DPW’s Flood Control District manages 14

reservoirs and dams and 162 debris basins in Los Angeles County

• The Flood Control District is responsible for conservation of water and effective flood management


The LACFCD Manages 14 Reservoirs

These are the Flood Control District’s 14 reservoirs and dams in Los Angeles County


Graphics created by the DPW

Sedimentation in Reservoirs• Dams are intended to reduce the risk of floods and debris flows for

downstream communities • Reservoirs provide flood control by collecting water which can be

released slowly over time• Sediment is carried into reservoirs by rivers carrying eroded soil• Sediment build-up in reservoirs is “Reservoir Sedimentation”

– It reduces the reservoirs’ storage capacity– It affects its potential to provide flood control

• Every reservoir worldwide loses storage capacity to sedimentation • Despite more than six decades of research, “sedimentation is still the

most serious technical problem faced by the dam industry”

Source: http://www.internationalrivers.org/sedimentation-problems-with-dams


http://www.internationalrivers.org/sedimentation-problems-with-dams

http://www.internationalrivers.org/sedimentation-problems-with-dams

Pacoima Dam & Reservoir

In the San Gabriel Mountains at the Northern End of the SFV



Pacoima Reservoir is in the

San Gabriel

Mountains above Sylmar



Pacoima Reservoir & Dam Diagram


Diagram provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works

Amounts shown were provided by the DPW to CASM SFV Inc. on 10/7/13

“Additional Sediment”

“To be removed 3.0 MCY”

“Over 3.5 MCY”

Now the DPW is talking

about up to

5,400,000 Cubic

Yards of sediment (5.4 MCY)

2.43.05.4The DPW calls the top of this green

area the reservoir’s “Operational Bottom” rather than the actual

bottom (the brown earth below)


History of Sediment Removal from the

Pacoima Reservoir

All data from DPW website & documentation


DPW’s Pacoima Reservoir Historical DataSediment Accumulation & Removal


• This is the DPW’s Table 8-13 which summarizes the Flood Control District’s records

• Since 1926 (88 years), there have been 7 sediment removal projects at Pacoima Reservoir

• All 7 reservoir cleanouts were done using sluicing

• Since 1926, the total amount of sediment removed during the 7 projects was 2.49 MCY

Link: http://dpw.lacounty.gov/lacfcd/sediment/dcon/327.pdfPage 8-48

1 -2 -3 -4 -

5 -6 -

7 -

Graphics created by the DPWç

Has the DPW Neglected Pacoima Reservoir?


Pacoima Reservoir History of Sediment Removal Projects

from 1926 to today:1944 = 0.09 MCY1954 = 0.18 MCY1958 = 0.29 MCY1962 = 0.36 MCY1969 = 0.36 MCY1971 = 0.12 MCY1983 = 1.07 MCY

88 Years of Reservoir Operation (1926 to 2014)• 7 Sediment Removal Projects • 7 times sediment was sluiced to the Lopez Flood

Control Basin• Reservoir capacity is 9.78 MCY• Total sediment removed: 2.49 MCY • After 1983 sluicing reservoir was at 6.09 MCY

capacity (~1/3 full of sediment)• Why is the reservoir in this situation?• Why hasn’t any sediment been removed in the

last 30 years?

7 Sediment Removal Projects:

1983 to 2014 = 31 yearsNO SEDIMENT REMOVED

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Sediment Management the DPW Way

• The DPW’s “Sediment Management Plan” – documented history at their 14 reservoirs

• This is how the DPW “manages sediment” 1. Do nothing; don’t remove sediment for decades

2. Create huge projects with massive impact & budgets

3. Dig & transport sediment using 1,000’s of truck trips

4. Dump sediment in hillside Sediment Placement Sites

5. Repeat. Forever.


The Sediment Removal Project

The DPW’s New Plan to Remove Sediment from Pacoima Reservoir

Plan announced February 2015


DPW Sediment Removal Plan


• Conveyor system installed• 3-plus miles long• Runs from Pacoima Reservoir to

the Lopez Spreading Grounds• 3 Million Cubic Yards (MCY) of

sediment “plus additional sediment that could accumulate in the Reservoir over the approximate 5-year PRSR Project duration” will be removed

• Most of the conveyor belt system will remain assembled through the 5-year project while some parts will be disassembled annually to ensure there is no interference with storms flows


3+ Mile Conveyor Thru the Community


1.5 Mile Long Conveyor – What It Looks Like


Installed on the former Arcadia Woodlands site where 11 acres of 179 coastal oaks and 70 sycamores were destroyed 1/12/11

This is the DPW’s Sediment Conveyorlocated in Arcadia



How is This a Sediment Management Plan?1. Build a conveyor along homes, parks & schools2. Dig sediment out of the reservoir that’s on National Forest land 3. Move sediment on a 3+ mile conveyor ride through the community into the

City of Los Angeles 4. Dump the sediment on land next to LA City homes and businesses5. Load it into thousands of dump trucks6. Transport it 15 miles on local roads and freeways7. Dump the sediment in the Pits in Sun Valley and Sunshine Canyon Landfill in

Sylmar8. Spend $80+ million in tax payer dollars

Dig Transport Dumpat 14 area’s reservoirs all around LA County…

Forever!“Protecting and fostering the responsible use of

the San Fernando Valley’s natural resources” www.CASM-SFV.org 24

DPW’s Previous Plans

These remain as options!


1 - Truck It Out “The Back Way”


Est. cost based on 7.6 MCY removed

Material would be trucked out “the back way” on a road constructed from the Reservoir to Little Tujunga Canyon Road. The trucks would continue driving to the Pits in Sun Valley.


2 - Conveyor to No. & So. Canyons Transfer Point


A conveyor belt would transport the material to North & South Canyons which would be used as “transfer points.” The material would later be trucked to the Sun Valley Pits.


$85-95M


3 - Conveyor to LFCB then Truck to Pits


A conveyor belt would transport material to LFCB and the material would later be trucked to the Sun Valley Pits.

This alternative would require the Army Corps of Engineers’ permission to put the conveyor belt in the Pacoima Wash and use Lopez Flood Control Basin for staging and stockpiling operations.

This alternative would require 10 separate cleanout operations, which could cost an estimated $75 million to $85 million.Est. cost based on

7.6 MCY removed$75-85M


4 - Slurry Pipe to LFCB then Truck to Pits


A Slurry Pipeline would carry the sediment (transported by water) from the dam down the Pacoima Wash to the Lopez Flood Control Basin, where the sediment would be loaded into dump trucks and transported to the Sun Valley Pits.


$185-195M


5 - Sluice to LFCB then Truck to Pits


Uses sluicing to flush the sediment out of the reservoir through the dam. The sediment would flow to Lopez Flood Control Basin where the material would later be loaded into dump trucks and transported to the Pits in Sun Valley.


$125-235M


6 - Conveyor to N&S Canyons - Creates 2 New SPS!


Conveyor belts transport sediment to the North & South Canyons which would become 2 new, huge Sediment Placement Sites near thousands of homes.

The DPW says the total capacity of these 2 canyons is 19 Million Cubic Yards. These 2 new SPS could be used an estimated 100+ years based on capacity of May SPS which is 3.3 MCY. May SPS is 50 years old and will be used for 15-40 more years.

There’s no way the DPW can guarantee they won’t truck material IN to these 2 canyons like they do at May SPS.


$35M


6 – North & South CanyonsBecome 2 New Sediment Placement Sites



The DPW likes this option because it gives them 2 new, huge dump sites to which they could transport sediment from their 14 reservoirs and debris basins around Los Angeles County.

They’ve even offered to “only use it for sediment from Pacoima Reservoir” but they can’t guarantee that and we don’t believe them.

The DPW’s 6 Alternatives & Their Costs• 5 of the 6 involve trucking the material to the pits in Sun Valley• These DPW cost estimates are based on 7.6 MCY of sediment1. Trucking it out “the back way” via Little Tujunga Canyon to the pits in Sun

Valley: $190 - $200 MILLION2. Conveyor moves the sediment to North & South Canyons then trucks it to

the pits in Sun Valley: $85 - $95 MILLION3. Conveyor moves the sediment to Lopez Flood Control Basin then trucks it

to the pits in Sun Valley: $75 - $85 MILLION4. Slurry pipe moves the sediment to Lopez Flood Control Basin then trucks it

to the pits in Sun Valley: $185 - $195 MILLION5. Sediment is sluiced to the Lopez Flood Control Basin then trucks it to the

pits in Sun Valley: $125 - $135 MILLION6. Conveyor moves sediment to North & South Canyons which become 2

NEW PERMANENT Sediment Placement Sites in Sylmar: $35 MILLION and that includes the cost of the DPW buying 6 hillside properties


2 New Dump Sites Proposed by DPW


May Sediment Placement Site North CanyonSouth Canyon

Northern & Southern Canyons and the Strip Mine Site


to Pacoima Dam

KagelMtn

Gavina AvenuePacoima Canyon Road

Strip Mine site

Northern Canyon

Southern Canyon

What About Other Options?

There are other options!Here are 2 we like


6 Plans…Are There Other Options?• What about other options?• The DPW says all options are on the table• But are they?• Are they considering the right options?• Who decides which option is “the one?”

• Yes, there are other options• CASM thinks there are much better options


Option 1: Put it Back Where it Came From!

Dump it into Cougar & Maple Canyons



Where does the sediment come from?

Sed. flow

Sed. flow

Sed flow

Pacoima Reservoir is on National Forest land

Sed. flow

sediment flows

Cougar & Maple Canyons – Very Close By


• The DPW proposed Cougar & Maple Canyons as sites

• Closer to Pacoima Reservoir than any other site

• Least expensive option available

• Canyons are on National Forest land

• Each canyon has a capacity of 1 Million Cubic Yards

Put the sediment back where it came from!

Fill Cougar & Maple Canyons First!


• Put sediment back on NFS land where it came from

• Cougar & Maple Canyons each have 1MCY capacity - fill them first! Then see how much sediment is left

• Far less impact on the community!

• Reduce cost - save millions of tax $$$

• The DPW has a history of over-estimating projects: Arcadia was HALF! Put 2 MCY back where it came from!

sediment flows

The DPW Suggested ItCougar & Maple Canyons – a slide presented by DPW in 2011


• DPW proposed Maple and Cougar canyons

• The DPW did NOT include them in the 6 plans they proposed

• Canyons are on National Forest land

• Source: DPW presentation 12/12/11 Sediment Management Task Force Meeting #5 , on slide #28 http://dpw.lacounty.gov/lacfcd/sediment/dcon/283.pdf

http://dpw.lacounty.gov/lacfcd/sediment/dcon/283.pdf










• The USDA Forest Service website shows a table of “Designated Sediment Disposal Sites – Angeles National Forest”

• That table shows “Maple Canyon (Pacoima Reservoir)” along with 10 other canyons and locations of “designated sediment disposal sites”

The Forest Service Said It’s OK


Link to source:http://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/angeles/landmanagement/planning/?cid=stelprdb5329851#Table 535. Designated Sediment Disposal Sites - Angeles National Forest

http://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/angeles/landmanagement/planning/?cid=stelprdb5329851%23Table%20535.%20%20Designated%20Sediment%20Disposal%20Sites%20-%20Angeles%20National%20Forest





The DPW is Putting It Back Now


• Big Tujunga Reservoir is inside the Angeles National Forest

• The DPW is putting sediment from the Big Tujunga reservoir into the Maple Canyon Sediment Placement Site which is located in the Angeles National Forest!

Big Tujunga Reservoir ->

Option 2: Take It Out the Back Way

If you like your conveyor you can keep your conveyor!


Take It Out Back…on a ConveyorThen Truck It


• Fact: No one lives along or near Pacoima Creek

• Fact: The DPW has to build a road from Little Tujunga Canyon Road to the Pacoima Reservoir anyway

• Fact: The road will be used to bring in heavy equipment and take out large rocks and material that cannot go on the conveyor

• Fact: It’s 1.75 miles from Pacoima Reservoir to Little T Canyon Road

• Fact: The DPW has purchased a large property with an unused home at Little T Canyon Road

• That can be where sediment is loaded into dump trucks

Build a conveyor out

the back along Pacoima Creek It’s only

1.75 miles from the reservoir to Little Tujunga Canyon

Road

Possible Staging Site

The North & South Canyons Could Still Be Used

as Sediment Placement Sites!This is what they would look like


Northern San Fernando Valley


North and South Canyons

Olive View Hospital

Pacoima Reservoir

210 freeway

El Cariso Park

LA Mission

College

May

Se

dim

ent P

lacem

ent S

ite

Hubbard St.

The Truth Is…The DPW’s plan to move the sediment by conveyor to Lopez Spreading Grounds…• Is only a plan• It’s not the final plan• The plan will change based on feedback and

environmental issues (DEIR & EIR)• The final plan could be something different• The final plan could be the N & S Canyons!


San Fernando Valley - Before


Veterans Park

El Cariso Park

Hubbard St.

San Fernando Valley - After


Veterans Park

El Cariso Park

Hubbard St.

North & South Canyons - Before


North & South Canyons - After


North & South Canyons - Before


North & South Canyons - After


The DPW’s Estimate The DPW says the North & South Canyons have

“an Approximate Capacity of 19 MCY”


19,000,000 cubic yard capacity and well over 100 years of dumping. How many truckloads?

Of course the DPW isn’t talking about bringing material in to these dump sites from around LA County. But that’s what they do at May & the Santa Anita Sediment Placement Sites.

The DPW & Dump Sites in Sylmar

The DPW calls them “Sediment Placement Sites” (SPS)


May Sediment Placement Site


Pacoima Reservoir & Dam

May Sediment Placement Site is next to

Olive View Hospital

https://www.google.com/maps/preview?hl=en#!data=!1m4!1m3!1d14845!2d-118.4222041!3d34.3244633!2m1!1e3&fid=7

https://www.google.com/maps/preview?hl=en%23!data=!1m4!1m3!1d14845!2d-118.4222041!3d34.3244633!2m1!1e3&fid=7







May Sediment Placement Site in Sylmar• May Sediment Placement Site in Sylmar is now 50 years old• It’s the largest Sediment Placement Site in LA County• 4,970,000 cubic yards original capacity• 3,300,000 CY estimated remaining capacity as of 01/2011• The DPW estimates it will be used for 15 – 40 more years• The DPW uses May SPS exclusively for material from debris

basins around LA County• Up to 300 trucks PER DAY come to May SPS to dump sediment

and debris in Sylmar each winter rain season

Source: “Existing Facilities” (DPW info):– http://dpw.lacounty.gov/lacfcd/sediment/dcon/421.pdf


May SPS 2012-05-15


Front Gate

May SPS 2012-05-15


This is what a DPW Sediment Placement Site looks like

May SPS 2012-05-15



May SPS 2012-05-15



May SPS 2012-05-15



Project Concerns

There are many concerns


Who Does This Project Affect?


How many homes do you see in

this picture?

Sylmar is known for clean air &its Santa Ana

winds

It Affects Everyone Down Wind


Sylmar is a High Wind AreaSanta Ana Winds

Santa Ana WindsSanta Ana Winds

Santa Ana WindsSanta Ana Winds

This will affect the San Fernando Valley

Other Concerns• There are many other significant concerns

with this project• We’ll address them shortly


Sediment Management

What is it & what it isn’t


The LA County DPW & FCD “Plan”• The LA County DPW and their LA County Flood Control District

have a “Sediment Management Plan” outlined on their website • Their plan consists solely of reservoir cleanouts – “digging,

transporting and dumping” sediment• Their plan makes no mention of mitigating (reducing) the flow

of sediment into the 14 reservoirs they are responsible for• Their plan makes no mention of the sustainable sediment

management practices outlined by the experts involved in addressing this global problem


14 Reservoirs – 3 Steps• The LA County DPW/Flood Control District’s

“Sediment Management Plan” is simple• They have a 3-step plan to “manage sediment”

1. Dig sediment out of the reservoirs2. Transport it to hillside locations and 3. Dump sediment into Sediment Placement Sites it owns

& operates and continues to purchase with taxpayer dollars

• Their plan does not include the steps detailed by reservoir sedimentation experts around the world


A History of Neglect• The DPW/FCD continue to allow sediment to build-up in its 14

reservoirs• In many cases they haven’t done any sediment removal for decades

– 32 years since they cleaned out Pacoima Reservoir (1983)

• They’re doing nothing to manage and reduce the flow of sediment into its reservoirs and,

• They’re not removing sediment periodically from its reservoirs• The DPW/FCD has documented its own history of neglecting to follow

such sustainable sediment management practices • Their history of digging & dumping and their plan are on their website• The truth is there for everyone to see


Sustainable Sediment Management Practices• The Federal Government’s Water Information Coordination Program (WICP) and

Advisory Committee on Water Information (ACWI) website * say, “Continued sedimentation threatens the project benefits for many of the Nation's reservoirs”

• The SOS (Subcommittee on Sedimentation) encourages all Federal agencies to develop long-term reservoir sediment-management plans for the reservoirs that they own or manage by 2030

• These management plans should include either the implementation of sustainable sediment-management practices or eventual retirement of the reservoir

• Sustainable reservoir sediment-management practices are practices that enable continued reservoir function by reducing reservoir sedimentation and/or removing sediments through mechanisms that are functionally, environmentally, and economically feasible

• The costs for implementing either sustainable sediment management practices or retirement plans are likely to be substantial, and sustainable methods to pay for these activities should also be identified”

* source: http://acwi.gov/sos/


http://acwi.gov/sos/

http://acwi.gov/sos/

What Does CASM Want?

CASM’s Position on

Sediment Management


1. A Proven Sediment Management Plan• Sediment should be flowing down the river to the ocean• That’s not possible so sediment must be removed as long as the reservoirs

are being used (in operation)• CASM is not opposed to sediment removal • CASM wants the DPW to:

– Stop pretending digging, transporting & dumping is a sediment management plan

– Stop dumping sediment on Los Angeles County hillsides– Stop treating sediment as a waste product to be disposed of– Have a long-term scientific Sediment Management Plan that:

• Reduces the flow of sediment into reservoirs• Removes sediment more frequently • Involves smaller projects reducing the impact on 14 reservoirs’ communities• Uses sediment in a sustainable manner (beaches, construction, etc.)


2. Fill Cougar & Maple Canyons First!


At Pacoima Reservoir:1. Put the sediment

back on Forest Service land where it came from

2. Fill Cougar & Maple Canyons then see if any sediment is left

• NO community impact!

• LOWEST COST saves millions of tax dollars $$$

1. Put it back where it came from2. Fill Cougar & Maple Canyons first3. See if/how much sediment is left

What Can We Do?

Whatever we do, it must be donebefore it’s too late


Help Your Community – Get More Involved

• Speak up - have your voice heard• Provide your input to our politicians especially:

– The Board of Supervisors - they manage the DPW– Congressman Tony Cardenas - he can work with the Forest Service

• Help us educate & inform the community – talk to family, friends & neighbors

• They need to know BEFORE it’s too late• Demand the DPW develops and follows a sustainable

sediment management plan• Come to the CASM and DPW Meetings


THEY Made A Difference – Will YOU?


• 54 years ago these Sylmar residents fought to make a difference

• They “stormed a County Board of Supervisors meeting” to stop a rock quarry in Pacoima Wash

• They were successful!

• That’s the legacy they left for us: no rock quarry.

• What will our legacy be?!

Thank you!


CASM SFV Inc.15981 Yarnell Street, #128

Sylmar, CA 91342

www.CASM-SFV.org [email protected]

Like us on Facebook (CASMSFVInc): https://www.facebook.com/casmsfvinc

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mailto:[email protected]

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Learning from Past History: How the LA County DPW Operates

Here’s how the LA County DPW has handled the Sediment Removal Project

at The Santa Anita Reservoir in Arcadia, CA


The Santa Anita Reservoir Sediment Removal Project

• The DPW had two sediment placement sites in Arcadia below the Santa Anita Reservoir and Dam. In between them was an 11.2 acre grove of 179 coastal oaks and 7o sycamores. The DPW owned all of this property.

• The DPW wanted to remove the trees so it could expand and create one long sediment placement site

• On 1/12/11, LA County DPW destroyed old growth forest, the Arcadia Woodlands• The DPW stated they needed to remove 500,000 cubic yards of sediment from the

Santa Anita Reservoir in Arcadia but…• The amount of sediment removed was far less than the DPW estimate – they

removed about 250,000 CY (1/2 their estimate)• So now the people of Arcadia understand the DPW will begin bringing sediment

IN to the Arcadia Sediment Placement Site from LA County• If this was this the DPW plan all along, who did they tell? Who knew?


The Arcadia Woodlands was Destroyed so the DPW Could Bring

Sediment IN to that SPS


The DPW said 500,000 CY of

sediment would be removed from

Santa Anita Reservoir.

They only removed about

half that amount.

But they had already cut down 11 acres of trees which gives them

more land on which to dump

Sediment brought in from OUTSIDE

Arcadia.

Santa Anita Reservoir & Dam

Upper SPS

Middle SPS

Lower SPS

The Arcadia Woodlands - Before


11 acres of native California Oaks & Sycamore trees

The Arcadia Woodlands - After


Arcadia Woodlands destroyed January 12, 2011

11 acres of California Oaks & Sycamores were destroyed

“Fresh Gash Wounds From Metal Jaws”


11 acres of native California Oaks & Sycamores were destroyed

The 1.5 Mile Long Sediment Conveyor


On the site of the former Arcadia Woodlands destroyed January 12, 2011

This industrial conveyor is installed where the California Oaks and

Sycamores once stood