Problem as Old as the Hills
Becomes Potential Water Over the Dam

© 2005 Wendy Dager

When the Leaf-let first reported the aftermath of the Fall 2003 California wildfires (http://www.albrightseed.com/reseedingafterwildfire.htm), we suggested that the bare hillsides were susceptible to floods created by excessive winter rains if they weren’t reseeded quickly with native grass and forbs, along with mulches such as Conwed Fibers Hydro Mulch® 2500, a bonded fiber matrix (http://www.ssseeds.com/other_products_bottom.html).

Far be it from us to say we told you so, but, well, we told you so.

Just as we predicted, the 2004 winter rains came in like a lion, wreaking the expected havoc on unprotected hillsides. They returned in January and February 2005, leaving more muddy destruction in their wake.

While many watched televised reports of the infamous La Conchita (Ventura County) landslide on January 10, 2005, where 10 people died in the collapse of a rain-soaked hillside, there were less tragic, but still costly events occurring elsewhere in Southern California.

Certainly not as serious as loss of human life, but still expensive in terms of taxpayer dollars, the Las Llajas Canyon Dam cleanup project slated to begin in Simi Valley, California, is another casualty of barren hills beaten down by too much rainfall in too short a time.

As reported by The Ventura County Star newspaper, the basis for the dam’s notoriety earlier this year was the legal action taken by Simi Valley’s neighbor to the west, the City of Moorpark. City officials want to stop the dam’s $2.2 million cleanup because an estimated 12,000-15,000 truckloads of debris removed from the dam would be hauled through suburban Moorpark along a well-used route that is already a traffic nightmare for residents.

While vehicle pollution is a legitimate environmental concern, The Leaf-let had other questions relating to the Las Llajas Canyon Dam. We wondered what sort of erosion control measures had been put into place after the fires of 2003. Since The Leaf-let first reported in 1997 that EPA studies concluded it costs thirty-five times as much to fix an erosion problem as it does to prevent it (http://www.albrightseed.com/topsoil.htm), we contacted the Ventura County Watershed Protection District, which is responsible for the dam’s cleanup. However, they declined an interview as they were busy with emergencies relating to the rains of January and February 2005.

The Leaf-let also phoned the The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACoE), which takes on federal civil works projects across the country, including dams designed for flood control and wildlife preservation.

The ACoE representative told us he had no knowledge of the Las Llajas Dam and suggested we call the Ventura County Watershed Protection District.

Who You Gonna Call?

Finally, the folks at Simi Valley’s City Hall responded to us, although their knowledge of the dam’s history was sketchy. According to Ron Fuchiwaki, Assistant Director of Public Works, the dam was built in the late 1970s, possibly in conjunction with a housing development. It is located in northeast Simi Valley and its function is to retain stormwater and prevent flooding of residential areas to the south.

As the dam is in an unincorporated area of the city, the Ventura County Watershed Protection District initiated the cleanup and awarded the $2.2 million contract to trucking company T.A. Staben, Inc.

Simi Valley Department of Public Works’ duty was to coordinate the haul route for the 12,000-15,000 truckloads, consisting of loose vegetation, dirt, and silt from the canyon above the dam. Fuchiwaki was unsure where the trucks, which carry 10-12 cubic yards of material per trip, would be dumping the debris. He did not know if the dam had been cleared before, but believed this may be the first time. The dam was reported by The Star as having 27 feet of silt and debris, but, according to Fuchiwaki, the figure "27" was the percentage of the dam’s capacity that had been reached.

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