Report expected by June by groups working to restore the Arroyo Seco.

By JANET AIRD

     Millions of years ago, water from rain and melting snow began flowing down from the range of mountains that formed north of Pasadena. The water followed a path along the west side of the city, through South Pasadena, emptying into the Los Angeles River and finally into the ocean.
     The area's first inhabitants called the watershed between Devil's Gate Dam and the Los Angeles River "Hahamongna: flowing rivers, fruitful valleys." The Spanish, who arrived during the dry season, had another name for it: "Arroyo Seco," or dry stream.
     Fast forward 200 years. The concrete channel built in the 1930s to control flooding in the arroyo is now becoming more and more inadequate and obsolete as time passes, said Lynne Dwyer, executive director of North East Trees.
     "Los Angeles County has acknowledged that the channel is under-capacity in case of a major flood. We think it can be restored to something more natural."
     North East Trees and the Arroyo Seco Foundation are collaborating in the Arroyo Seco Watershed Restoration Feasibility Study with various federal, state, regional and local governmental agencies, community institutions, teams of biologists, designers and engineers, as well as people who live in the area.
     In addition to improving flood management and water quality, their goal is to study ways to restore the natural environment and to increase educational and recreational activities in the arroyo.
     Nearly 50 people attended the group's first public meeting Dec. 5 at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center. Small groups discussed removing the flood channel and limiting high-impact recreation, which creates noise, traffic and trash. The group also talked about stopping the use of herbicides and planting more trees.
     They suggested educating the public about the arroyo's natural and cultural history, and that the city put further development on hold until June, when the study is expected to be finished.
     Planning and collaboration are crucial for many reasons, organizers said.
     Because the arroyo is only part of the Los Angeles River watershed, the study has to take into account all projects planned along the entire route. Additionally, financing and management decisions will affect the area for at least 20 to 50 years.
     The results of the study may be applied to areas that have the same topography as the arroyo, such as the Tujunga Wash and the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers.
     "The arroyo is part of a major puzzle," said Arthur Golding, an architect and urban designer on the design team.
     "We are optimistic that this study can serve as a model for how to bring people together and develop a consensus on restoring all our watersheds," Golding said.

Watershed