The Dams of the Arroyo Seco
Click on the picture for more information about that dam
Devil's Gate Dam
This was the first of the County Flood Control District's flood dams, built in 1920. Click on the picture of the dam to see more historic pictures as well as some spectacular postcards of the dam.
Brown Mountain Barrier Dam
The US Forest Service completed this dam in the Angeles National Forest in 1943. It sits squarely in the middle of the Arroyo Seco stream 3.5 miles above the mouth of the canyon at JPL. Click on the picture for rare pictures of the dam in 1943.
Intake Dam
This is Pasadena's diversion for domestic water supply from the Arroyo Seco. This picture was taken on March 5, 1937.
Scoville Dam and Bridge
The first major dam in the Arroyo was built by the Scoville family in the waning years of the nineteenth century. Remnants can still be seen below the Colorado Street Bridge. Click on the picture for more.
Dam Removal
In recent years there has been more careful analysis of the effects and prospects of dams in streams and rivers like the Arroyo Seco.
This report from the Aspen Institute details how to assess the impacts and functionality of dams today.
The Heinz Foundation has issued two important reports on the same topic:
Stewards of the Arroyo Seco, PO Box 92722, Pasadena, CA 91109-2722 info@arroyoseco.org