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After Historically Wet Winter, LA Receives State Funds To Fortify Santa Anita Debris Dam
Santa Anita Dam in the San Gabriel Mountains.
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Courtesy of LA County Department of Public Works
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Topline:
The LA County Department of Public Works will receive $10.5 million from the state to help fortify Santa Anita Debris Dam, which catches mud and sediment before it can get into communities downstream, including Monrovia, Arcadia, Sierra Madre and Duarte.
Why it matters: More extreme weather driven by the climate crisis is testing L.A. County’s aging flood and stormwater capture infrastructure. The money will go towards seismically strengthening the debris dam, as well as raising the spillway to increase water storage capacity in the debris dam and improve flood protection.
Land of (more extreme) fire and flood: The climate crisis is driving more extreme swings between drought, fire and major floods. The Santa Anita Dam has been particularly challenged, with sediment from the 2020 Bobcat fire inundating the dam and increasing the potential for water to spill over the top and into communities below. That sediment buildup is increasingly a big challenge for all 14 dams in the county.
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What’s next: The money will not only fortify flood protection infrastructure, but also help remove sediment and boost water supply storage at the Santa Anita spreading grounds downstream, according to officials. On average, 143 million gallons of stormwater is captured and recharged at the spreading grounds. This project is expected to boost that capacity to 847 million gallons per year.
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