Arroyo Seco Watershed Education — The Basics

This document is taken from the Arroyo Seco Watershed Restoration Feasibility Study completed in 2002. It includes three major components:

• A Brief History of Water Development in the Arroyo Seco
• The Water System - How It Works
• Watershed Management

This water budget was developed in 2003 to provide a better understanding of how water is used in our region and what can be done to promote conservation and better management of this invaluable resource. This document was a key component of the CALFED-funded Arroyo Seco Watershed Management Plan & Education Program.

The Arroyo Seco, a tributary of the Los Angeles River, is one of southern California's greatest natural treasures. Central to its importance is the water it provides for people and the environment. This paper, prepared in 2004, provides an overview of the major water resource issues affecting the Arroyo Seco watershed and the related aquifer, the Raymond Basin, and suggests programmatic recommendations for water management and quality improvements

Want to know how weather and water work in our region? "A Water Budget for the Arroyo Seco Watershed" will enlighten you about local climatic and geographic conditions, water use, storage and conservation in the Arroyo Seco Watershed. "A Water Budget" will also answer some key questions, such as:

• Is there currently balance in the Arroyo Seco Watershed and the related Raymond groundwater basin?
• How much potential is there for increased groundwater storage?
• What steps can be taken to augment local conservation and storage?
• How can local reliance on imported water supplies be reduced?

"A Water Budget for the Arroyo Seco Watershed," an update of the 2003 budget, is an essential tool to promote more efficient management and conservation of local water resources.

The Raymond Basin, the aquifer that underlies La Cañada, Altadena and Pasadena, is our region's most valuable liquid asset. It provides about half the water consumed locally, but serious issues face the managers of the Raymond Basin.

• how to arrest the slow depletion of the groundwater basin,
• how to cleanup the perchlorate, volatile chemicals and other contaminants that have shut numerous local wells, and
• how to use the storage capacity of the basin to provide a cushion for droughts and dry periods.

This report describes the Raymond Basin and its challenges and details an action plan to better manage it.

This beautifully-illustrated booklet presents the history of the Pasadena Water Department prepared for its centennial celebrations in November and December, 2012.