By Nick Tomlinson
[Image courtesy of Google Images]
Since December of 2018, there has been a project undergoing to remove all of the sediment from the Devil’s Gate Dam. The process began with the construction of new reservoir access points and access roads in order to make way for the trucks. The next step was sediment extraction, in which 1.7 million cubic yards of excess sediment were removed from the area. The end of the project marked a large relief for the La Canada School District, who had to endure the poor air quality caused by the trucks driving down the 210 Freeway. The completion of the restoration of the dam was indeed a huge accomplishment for the collection of water and preservation of wildlife in our area. But, recent reports from the Government of Los Angeles County have indicated that the dam will be refilled. Why? Simply put, it just looks stupid.
Aesthetically speaking, the dam looks horrendous. Since the end of the project, locals have exclaimed repetitively that they preferred the mass of dirt which previously resided in the area. For this reason, it had been determined that the 1.7 million cubic yards of sediment must be returned to the site of the dam. The only issue is figuring out where this dirt will come from. Thankfully, La Canada High School has stepped in to provide a solution to this problem. The school’s governing board has made the difficult decision to demolish the South Gym to acquire the needed dirt to refill the dam. The demolition will take place this summer in July, and trucks will be authorized to begin moving the dirt from the former South Gym to the dam as early as the first week of August. Experts say the air quality will be “mostly deadly,” so students will once again be forced to wear a mask. In addition to the South Gym, the school has vowed to tear up the parking lot located by the JV baseball field/batting cages. This outcome will cause a major decrease in the amount of available parking spots, which would cause LCHS to pivot to utilizing the space in Hahamongna Watershed Park. “Park at your own risk” was the message issued by the security team at a conference last Wednesday.
Unfortunately, the five years spent restoring the Devil’s Gate dam went to waste, but how the community moves forward is all that matters. Although it looks grim currently, once the South Gym and parking lot have been destroyed and all the dirt has been moved back to its original location, all will be well in Los Angeles County.
*Published as part of The Spartan’s April Fools satire edition 😉
