Don't Bury The Arroyo Stream
Brookside Park Stormwater Burial Project
La Casita del Arroyo, 177 S. Arroyo Blvd.
Thursday, November 13, 6 pm
The Seco Drain is an important tributary of the Arroyo Seco. It drains a large part of northwest Pasadena and meets the Arroyo stream just south of the Rose Bowl. The confluence is filled with trash and debris an needs to be fixed. The flow in the Seco drain is generally fairly small but occassionally storm flows will pass through the drainage network and flow to the Arroyo.
The Seco Street Drain is a disgrace. It's been polluting the Arroyo for many decades. Let's clean up the trash and restore the wetlands at the Seco confluence in the Arroyo Seco. But what's the best way to do it? Should we:
- Restore the wetlands and the connection with the Arroyo? or
- Should we bury it under the parking lot?
Here's Pasadena Plan for the Brookside Project
Pasadena's plan relies on pipes and plumbing. They will divert the flow from the Seco stream storm drain and put it through a underground pre-treatment device. Then water will be piped into a subterranean infilitration gallery. That's a big underground vault where the water will slowly seep into the groundwater beneath to help replenish the Raymong Basin. None of this will be visible to the public, except maybe for some small surface amenities or bioretention cells.
So far, so good. Those are two good goals: 1) cleaning up trash and pollution, and 2) replenishing the Raymong groundwater basin beneath. But the project fails to involve three key goals of the County's Safe Clean Water Program: 1) nature-based, 2) promoting biodiversity, and 3) community benefits.
Stewards of the Arroyo Seco wants to restore the Arroyo Seco. The storm drain outlets on the Arroyo generally represent former natural wetlands with great conditions for something bigger, i.e. stream restoration. They are ideal spots to naturalize the Arroyo Seco.
Q: What about Wetlands in the Arroyo?
The Brookside Park program is part of Pasadena's "Stormwater Program." But that program neglects the importance of wetlands and connectivity for habitat and wildlife in the Arroyo Seco watershed. Instead of planning nature-based solutions, Pasadena proposes little bandages on a severly wounded watershed and stream management system. It's another round of one hundred year mistakes.
Let's Put the Brook Back In Brookside
Do you Want to Restore the Arroyo Stream? Let Us Know: stewards@arroyoseco.org