News of the Arroyo
Title: | Violation notices issued for piling fill near Millard Creek |
Subtitle: | |
Date: | 2003-05-13 |
Summary: | May 13, 2003 - A construction project degrading Millard Canyon has been stopped by county, state and federal inspections. |
Author: | Becky Oskin, Staff Writer |
Publication: | Pasadena Star News |
Content: | A dirty little problem ALTADENA -- County, state and federal inspectors have sent notices of violation to Aaron and Henry Corbett for dumping some 15 truckloads of dirt only 15 feet from Millard Creek, a drinking water source for Altadena and Pasadena, on Wednesday. The county Departments of Public Works and Regional Planning now have inspectors monitoring the site. The state Department of Fish and Game said a stream bed alteration permit was required, and the federal Army Corps of Engineers is considering a restoration order requiring the Corbetts to remove the dirt. The Corbetts, a father-and-son team, have followed the stop-work orders and covered the dirt pile with plastic to prevent erosion, Henry Corbett said Monday. \"I\'ve spoken with all the authorities and I\'m going to completely abide by what they want,\" he said. Deputies from the sheriff\'s Altadena Station visited the site Sunday after neighbors said the Corbetts continued to use heavy equipment on their land. Henry Corbett said he has permission to use a small backhoe while clearing the land of trash and dead brush. County Department of Public Works spokesman Ken Pellman confirmed the Corbetts are allowed to clean up the site. \"Our building and safety inspectors are going out to visit the site three times a week. We\'re well aware of the situation,\" Pellman said. The Corbett\'s property lies at the bottom of Millard Canyon off Canyon Crest Road, where a stone bridge and two 4-foot culverts channel the creek\'s flow beneath the narrow road. Aaron Corbett bought the 13-acre site for $401,500 in June 2002, outbidding the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy at an auction in Pasadena probate court. The four parcels are zoned for single-family houses -- flatter areas slated for six houses per acre and steep sites at one house per acre. Henry Corbett said last week he and his son plan to build two houses, one for each of them. Because the undeveloped land\'s narrow entrance was too small for a truck-delivered trash bin, the Corbetts had planned to build a dirt pad for the bin. The container would offer convenient disposal for the piles of junk and trash accumulated in the years the property sat vacant. -- Becky Oskin can be reached at (626) 578-6300, Ext. 4451, or by e-mail at becky.oskin@sgvn.com. |
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