|
The 100-foot-high
Rindge Dam was built on Malibu Creek in 1926. Its 574 acre-foot
reservoir filled with sediment in less than 25 years. Steelhead
sometimes migrate several miles up the creek to the base of
the dam, but then are blocked from eight more miles of their
former habitat in what is now Malibu Creek State Park and
the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
The idea of how best to restore Malibu Creek's steelhead fishery
is up for debate. Key points include how much sediment is
behind the dam (estimates range from 800,000 to 1,600,000
cubic yards), what methods could be used to remove both the
dam and its sediment, and how much it will cost. Estimates
for this project range from $5 million to $40 million, depending
on whether the sediment is allowed to naturally erode away
in stages, is trucked out to a landfill, is relocated elsewhere
in the canyon, or if a fish ladder is constructed.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and California State Parks
are currently conducting a Malibu Creek Ecosystem Restoration
Feasibility Study, with a focus on Rindge Dam. Various local,
state, and federal agencies are involved in the Malibu Creek
watershed study. These agencies, as well as private citizens
and non-governmental organizations, supply technical expertise
and input via the newly-formed Rindge Dam Committee.
For more information, or to join the Committee, contact:
Suzanne Goode
Senior Ecologist, CA State Parks sgoode@csp-angeles.com
Jason
Shea
Civil Engineer/Project Manager
US Army Corps of Engineers - Planning Division
911 Wilshire Blvd. #1430
Los Angeles, CA 90038
213-452-3794
jason.a.shea@usace.army.mil
Click
here to read the minutes from the Public Meeting for the Malibu
Creek (Rindge Dam) Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study.
May
29th, 2002
click here to see the map of the area
|
|
