Concrete Slabs Clog Flood Channel/Storm Water Reaches Yards
Slabs of concrete piled in Santa Monica Canyon Channel. Photo: Courtesy of Sharon Kilbride
By Laurel Busby
News & Information Editor
Flood waters swept hundreds of broken concrete slabs into lower Santa Monica Canyon Creek near Channel Lane on Feb. 16.
On Monday morning, “folks in the lower Canyon were alarmed to hear a very loud rumbling in the lower creek on Channel Lane,” said resident Sharon Kilbride. “Turns out it looked like an entire house or parts of the flood control were carried down to Channel Lane by the water’s force. The concrete slabs acted as an obstacle, and the force of the water hit the slabs and carried over, hitting a lot of of the homes east of Channel Lane.”
The Canyon Alliance Board Member Doug Suisman created this map of the Santa Monica Canyon Channel showing four locations where debris had accumulated in the channel.
Kilbride, a board member of The Canyon Alliance and the Canyon representative to the Pacific Palisades Community Council, reached out to city officials, including Councilmember Traci Park’s office, and was told that L.A. County Public Works field engineers’ preliminary reports said that the channel’s concrete overlay, which was installed in the 1970s, had peeled off.
Some residents speculated that the onslaught of concrete might stem from illegal dumping. Concrete appeared to be stacked in places, and a fence was bent along West Channel Road. However, no residents have reported seeing or hearing that type of activity.
Since rain is predicted to continue through Thursday, removal and repairs will also be delayed, according to Park’s Senior Field Deputy Arus Grigoryan.
“The channel capacity has been reduced by about 15% near the confluence of Rustic Canyon and Santa Monica Channel and should handle expected flows,” Grigoryan texted Kilbride. “Crews will not be able to remove the concrete until after the storms and are continuing to monitor the channel. We will continue to work with our city departments to keep them aware of the issue if we have more water that spills over during the next few rain events.”
Kilbride recommended that Canyonites who live near the flood-control channels “keep a watchful eye and alert their neighbors to move to higher ground if breaching occurs.”
If residents notice blockages or other problems with the flood channel, they can report them at this link. The contact number for L.A. Public Works is (800) 675-4357.
Concrete in Santa Monica Canyon Channel east of Channel Lane. Photo: Courtesy of Sharon Kilbride
Water careening down Santa Monica Canyon Channel. Photo: Courtesy of Sharon Kilbride
A stack of concrete slabs in the flood channel. Photo: Courtesy of Sharon Kilbride
