Residents Question Cost of Stormwater System

Officials from the L.A. Department of Public Works assured Pacific Palisades residents last Thursday that there would be no geology issues, odors, operation or maintenance problems when a $15.9-million system to capture stormwater runoff is built under Temescal Canyon, just north of Pacific Coast Highway. Starting in October 2010, the city will go underground to build a diversion tank, a hydro-separator and a 1.25-million-gallon cement-reinforced holding tank. The project will take about 20 months to complete. About 50 residents listened at the Palisades Branch Library as Dorothy Meier, a consultant for Camp, Dresser, McKee (who was hired by the city to perform the project’s initial study), explained that there were no geology issues, and that Temescal Canyon is not a seismic-prone location. Meier said that odors from the detention tank would be less than significant, but that diesel fumes during construction could be expected. As far as operation and maintenance (since the money to fund the project is from Prop O and can only be used for construction), the city would include maintenance in future budgets. Two traffic options on Temescal Canyon Road are under consideration. One is to restripe lanes and take away parking during winter months. The second is to take away street parking during the summer months when there is less school traffic. Meier was asked if the California Incline bridge replacement project (scheduled to start in 2011) had been factored into the traffic equation. ‘The Incline removal and the Temescal project traffic will not impact each other because of distance,’ she said. Richard Cohen, chairman of the Pacific Palisades Community Council, disagreed with her assessment. ‘This will horribly and seriously affect us every day,’ he said. ‘I don’t accept your assertion that distance will mitigate the traffic nightmare.’ Residents were reminded that the project is intended to capture only stormwater runoff in order to reduce bacterial flow from the Temescal watershed as water drains from 1,600 acres in and around Temescal Gateway Park in the Santa Monica Mountains. ‘Do you know where the bacteria is coming from?’ one resident asked. ‘It could be birds, dog poop, or anything,’ one city official replied. Public Works environmental engineer Wing Tam explained that Los Angeles must not have more than 17 days exceeding the allowable bacterial levels in stormwater runoff. In order to be in compliance, the city has to improve by just one day a year. Based on a 55-year rainfall projection, Tam said if the city did not do this project it would be out of compliance 27 years; if the project is completed, it will be out of compliance only three years. Records obtained by the Palisadian-Post showed that during wet weather months (October through April) last year, bacterial level exceeded the allowable limits on four occasions. Two occurred after heavy rains, and two were not tied to a rain event. Residents acknowledged that they had voted for Prop O in order to have cleaner ocean water, but many questioned the cost ratio effectiveness. ‘This project is costing a lot of money and will involve a lot of construction that will impact our community,’ T.K. Knowles said. ‘I wonder if making the water swimable an extra day in the winter is worth it.’ ‘They haven’t proved to me that the effectiveness of the operation is proportional to the upset it’s going to cause the people,’ William H. Snyder said. ‘They have the money and they’re going to do it anyway.’ City officials also warned residents that a low-flow upgrade project would start in lower Temescal Canyon this month (and last a year), and should not be confused with the Temescal Stormwater project.   After members of the Community Council protested the proposed closing of one of the left-hand turn lanes off Temescal onto PCH during the low-flow upgrade, Project Manager Andy Flores announced Tuesday: ‘The traffic control plans now indicate two designated left-turn lanes at all times during construction.’