Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.
DWP bulldozing of wetlands gets it a $5 million penalty
(Bryan Frank via Flickr Creative Commons)
(
Bryan Frank/Flickr Creative Commons
)
Listen
0:51
DWP bulldozing of wetlands gets it a $5 million penalty
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power got cited by the EPA a couple of years ago for bulldozing eight acres of wetlands the utility owns in Granada Hills. This week, DWP agreed to pay penalties of more than $5 million.
The wetlands were within the Van Norman Complex, on what was a DWP reservoir before the 1971 Sylmar earthquake. DWP bulldozers graded the area to unblock a drain. But it’s a violation of the federal Clean Water Act to disturb wetlands whose waters drain into local creeks or the Los Angeles River.