SepulvedaBasinWildlife.org - Public Documents

Hard copy versions of these and other documents relating to the Sepulveda Basin
are available for public viewing at the Valley Region Headquarters.

To view the documents, contact the Water Manager, City of Los Angeles.
818 756 9710

A very good introduction to the Los Angeles River (published by Friends of the Los Angeles River or Folar)
can be found by clicking HERE for a pdf file entitled: Watershed Wonders

All links are viewable .pdf files. Some documents are not complete (include relevant excerpts only)

1990 to date - Minutes of the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Areas Steering Committee

1990 to date - Minutes of the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Areas Consortium

Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Areas Steering Committee Standing Rules (Adopted April 26, 2005; Revised May 23, 2011, Nov. 22, 2016)

Photo Archive at Cal State Northridge of Sepulveda Basin

	2018 LOS ANGELES COUNTY DRAINAGE AREA SEPULVEDA DAM FLOOD CONTROL RESERVOIR DONALD C. TILLMAN WATER RECLAMATION PLANT Environmental Assessment (EA) and Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) APPENDIX A – Bird Species Identified in 2017 Survey APPENDIX D – Environmental Baselines Survey APPENDIX E – Noise Technical Study Steering Committee Comment Letter for the above Click above to download pdfs 2017 Sepulveda Dam Basin Vegetation Management and Access Maintenance Plan Final Environmental Assessment Nov. 2017 Click HERE to download pdf 2014-2016 LA River polluted with harmful levels of fecal bacteria, study finds Click Here to Read PROPOSED ANGELFEST 2017 EVENT Copy of the draft Environmental Assessment: http://go.usa.gov/ctzDe Some relevant links: SFV Audubon Comments Kris Ohlenkamp Bird Specific Comments L.A. California Native Plant Society Comments Daily News Article April 20 Angelfest Home Daily News Article April 13 Daily News Article April 12 LA Weekly Article March 26 LA.CURBED.COM March 28 If you have other questions or want to comment, contact: Deborah Lamb, Landscape Architect, CA RLA #3115 USACE-SPL-PD-RL 915 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90017-3401 work (213) 452-3798 Deborah.L.Lamb@usace.army.mil - - - - - SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE SEPULVEDA BASIN VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLAN The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District released the draft Supplemental Environmental Assessment for the Sepulveda Basin Vegetation Management Plan for public review and comment. The public comment period officially ran from April 19 to June 15. For more info contact: kenneth.wong@usace.army.mil. A copy of the draft Supplemental Environmental Assessment is available on the District's website at http://go.usa.gov/czzp5. Click HERE for Comment Letter submitted by the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society Click HERE for Comment Letter submitted by the California Native Plant Society Click HERE for Comment Letter submitted by the San Fernando Valley Sierra Club - - - - - Regional Water Board Sues Army Corps ValleyVoice Article - - - - File No. 14-0356 Arts, Parks, Health, Aging and River Committee Report to Prohibit Certain Behaviors in the City's Wildlife Areas Recommendation for Council Action (Koretz - Martinez - Blumenfield) Original Motion by Koretz 2013-2014
	L.A. Regional Water Board Files Notice of Intent to Sue U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for Water Quality Violations Cites Violations of Federal Clean Water Act at Verdugo Wash and Sepulveda Basin The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board (Los Angeles Water Board) has issued a 60-day notice of intent to sue the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) for two unauthorized dredge and fill operations in Los Angeles County that violated the federal Clean Water Act and the California Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act. The Water Board is being represented in the matter by the California Attorney General's office. Click HERE to read more. Click HERE to read the entire Finding of No Significant Impact for the Vegetation Management plan. Click HERE to read the letter sent to ACOE by the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Areas Steering Committee. Click HERE to read the ACOE's response to the SBWASC letter. Click HERE to see ACOE's web page about this issue. Click HERE to read Daily News article about clear cutting of South Reserve. Click HERE to read L.A. Times article "Army Corps of Engineers clear-cuts lush habitat in Valley", HERE to read follow-up article. Click HERE to view YouTube video about the destruction. Click HERE and HERE to see Encino Patch articles with additional photos. Click HERE to read letter from San Fernando Valley Audubon Society about clear cut. Click HERE to read KCET blog by Carren Jao. Click HERE to read letter from State Senator Fran Pavley. Click HERE to read letter from State Senator Luis de Leon. Click HERE to view video entitled "Wildlife Refuge Meets Army Corps of Engineers" by a concerned citizen. Click HERE to read an editorial by Charles Miller on the KCET blog. Click HERE to read story in the LA Weekly. Click HERE to read Congressman Brad Sherman's letter to Colonel Toy. Regional Water Board Investigation - click HERE for Encino Patch article. Click HERE to read NRDC blog by David Pettit Click HERE for Jan 13 update on the Sepulveda Wildlife Reserve. Click HERE for Feb. 12 update by Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board Click HERE to read Investigative Order by Regional Water Board Click HERE to read Water Board Additional Request (with images) Click HERE for link to Army Corp Response (Cover Letter and Engineering Technical Report) San Fernando Valley Audubon Society's COMMENTS in regards to the USACE Technical Report, which was their response to the LARWQCB Investigative Order R4-2013-0001 Click HERE to read the Ad Hoc River Committee Report to the LA City Feb. 25, 2013 On March 19, 2013 the City Council passed the Sepulveda Basin habitat destruction motion authored by Councilmember Jan Perry. Click here to view the video clip, scroll down to Item 6. Here are the adopted recommendations: ITEM NO. (6) 13-0024 AD HOC RIVER COMMITTEE REPORT relative to the eradication and loss of habitats in the San Fernando Valley Sepulveda Basin. Recommendations for Council action, as initiated by Motion (Perry - LaBonge): 1. INSTRUCT the Bureau of Sanitation and Planning Department, in coordination with the Chief Legislative Analyst (CLA), and in consultation with the City Attorney, the United States Corps of Engineers, the Audubon Society, Friends of the Los Angeles River, and any other pertinent entity, to prepare a report that explains the recent loss of 43 acres of bird, mammal, and reptile habitat in the San Fernando Valley's Sepulveda Basin without preparation of an Environmental Impact Report. 2. INSTRUCT the Bureau of Sanitation and Planning Department to include in the report if any endangered species were compromised, and whether there will be any detrimental impacts to air quality, and if any improvements were paid for with public funds or charitable contributions, and information as to which departments, if any, are responsible for overseeing projects that the Federal government is involved within City boundaries. 3. REQUEST the Commander of the Los Angeles District of the Army Corps, to present to the City Council their Vegetation Management Plan as well as a summary of additional community input they receive from follow-up meetings, and the results of the investigation of the loss of the 43 acres habitat. 4. REQUEST the Army Corps to work with the Bureau of Sanitation to come up with a collaborative agreement that meets the Army Corps' needs, the community’s concerns, and addresses the Regional Water Quality Board’s requests. 5. DIRECT the Bureau of Sanitation to act as the City lead, to provide support so that all interested parties can create a well received next phase mitigation plan. 6. REQUEST the Army Corps and the Bureau of Sanitation to come back with a plan within four to five months and provide a status report on the coordinated effort. VIDEOS Click HERE to view a "before" and "after" video of the Sepulveda Wildlife Reserve south. Click HERE for part 1 and HERE for part 2 of Jan 13 Sierra Club video hike through "cleared" area. Click HERE to find out about the history and wildlife of what used to be the South Reserve. Click HERE to visit the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society's web site that has recommendations as to who to send comments, and other links. 2009 - 2012 Sepulveda Basin Master Plan Update FINAL DOCUMENTS Sepulveda Dam Master Plan Maps Land Use Classification Existing Recreation and Flood Frequency Contours Vegetation Special Status Taxa Occurrences Real Estate Restoration Opportunities Appendices Master Plan and the EA and appendixes that include the parts most pertinent to wildlife concerns (not including maps) Click Below to Download Draft PDF's Sepulveda Dam Master Plan Land Use Classification Map Sepulveda Dam Maps Appendices Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant In-Plant Storage Project The public notice is available at http://bit.ly/oYT26M. The draft Environmental Assessment is available for review at http://bit.ly/plxiK1. KAYAKING IN THE L.A. RIVER IN THE SEPULVEDA BASIN Mayor Villaraigosa (front of canoe) taking a tour along the L.A. River, 2011 Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for a License for a Non-Motorized Boating Pilot Program on the Los Angeles River, Sepulveda Basin, Los Angeles County, California A copy of the final EA/FONSI is available here: http://bit.ly/nr0bPR (5.45MB PDF) Email to Army Corp from Steve Hartman (SBWASC) and Kris Ohlenkamp (SFV Audubon) regarding bird survey taken July 6, 2011 (July 8, 2011) click here to view .pdf file Letter to Army Corp from Sierra Club (July 8, 2011) click here to view .pdf file Letter to Army Corp from S.F. Valley Audubon regarding Kayaking in the L.A. River (July 4, 2011) click here to view .pdf file Letter to Army Corp from SBWASC regarding Kayaking in the L.A. River (June 30, 2011) click here to view .pdf file Letter to Army Corp from S.F. Valley Audubon regarding Kayaking in the L.A. River (June 28, 2011) click here to view .pdf file According to an article in the Los Angeles Times by Louis Sahagun (June 25, 2011) there are plans to launch kayak trips along the Los Angeles River. Find the article at http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-la-river-20110625,0,5794583.story Environmental Assessment: License for Pilot Non-Motorized Boating Program within the Los Angeles River, Sepulveda Basin (July 17, 2011) http://www.spl.usace.army.mil/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1997&Itemid=2 Los Angeles River Non-Motorized Boating Pilot Program Recommendations (March 25, 2011) City of Los Angeles Inter-Departmental Correspondence click here to view .pdf file City Council Motion on Non-Motorized Boating in the L.A. River (August 10, 2010) click here to view .pdf file Nesting bird and sensitive-species surveys of sites along the Los Angeles River and tributaries (April 29, 2011) Cooper Ecological Monitoring click here to view .pdf file Recommendations for Near-Term Recreational Access and Use of the Los Angeles River (January 2011) by Friends of the Los Angeles River click here to view .pdf file Navigability and Jurisdiction Evaluation of Los Angeles River Completed According to a Los Angeles Times article dated July 8, 2010 by Louis Sahagun, U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson declared the entire concrete-lined Los Angeles River channel "traditional navigable waters," a designation crucial to applying Clean Water Act protections throughout its 834-square mile urban watershed. (Click HERE for article). Previously, Dean Wallraff, of the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter Conservation Legal Committee, wrote an article in the August 2009 Southern Sierran entitled California Clean Water Law: Restoring Protections for Wetlands and Impermanent Streams. The article also featured a map of Permanent and Impermanent Streams near Los Angeles. The EPA Region 9 Office has prepared a two-page summary on the evaluation of jurisdiction and navigability on the Santa Cruz River, AZ and the Los Angeles River. The summary provides some background and outlines specific information categories for public comment. Report on Non-Native Plants Along the Orange Line Busway in the Sepulveda Basin (3/22/2010) click here to view .pdf file U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Master Plans and Environmental Assessments LACDA, Santa Ana River and Arizona Basins Preliminary Draft Resource and Ecosystem Objectives (2/19/2010) 1.5mb .pdf file Water board moves to enforce ban on trash in L.A. River Cities along the watershed are required by 2016 to keep all trash out of their storm drains. Those that don't comply will now be in violation of the federal Clean Water Act. By Bettina Boxall - December 11, 2009 - Los Angeles Times Regional water quality officials on Thursday put some teeth into their long campaign to cleanse the Los Angeles River system of the tons of trash that turn it into a movable landfill after major storms. Standards previously adopted by the Los Angeles Water Quality Control Board give cities along the watershed until 2016 to keep all trash out of their storm drains. On Thursday, the board incorporated those limits into storm water permits, putting municipalities that don't meet the requirements in violation of the federal Clean Water Act. Until now there had been no penalty for noncompliance. "It's taken two decades to get to this point," board vice-chair Madelyn Glickfeld said after the 5-0 vote. "If we hadn't done this today, it would have been a signal" to cities "to relax, guys." During storms, tons of trash and plastic debris wash up in municipal drains that empty into the Los Angeles River and its tributaries. The trash floating at the river's mouth in Long Beach can be so thick that it is hard to see any water. In the unusually wet winter of 2005, Long Beach hauled more than 12,000 tons of garbage out of the river. Much of the trash winds up in the Pacific Ocean, contributing to huge floating garbage patches. Pieces of plastic can wrap around wildlife and kill birds and fish. Trash was formally identified as a pollution problem in the river in 1996. Five years later, the regional water board adopted standards. But 22 cities sued to overturn the trash limits, saying they would be expensive and difficult to meet. The courts found the board had not performed an adequate environmental impact analysis of the new rules, but otherwise upheld them. After conducting an environmental review, the board readopted the trash standards in 2007. In the meantime, some cities in the watershed, including Los Angeles, started installing screens and collection systems to keep street debris from washing into sewers. Sixteen cities in the watershed recently received $10 million in federal stimulus money to outfit their catch basins. Local officials pointed to progress Thursday. "We have taken trash reduction seriously," said Signal Hill Councilman Larry Forester. Another official showed the board photographs he took after Monday's storm. Parts of the river that have been coated with trash in the past were largely clean. Local representatives argued that it wasn't necessary to write a target of zero trash discharges into the storm permits, and that doing so would set a burdensome precedent for other pollutants. bettina.boxall@latimes.com Senior Park Maintenance Supervisor's Letter Regarding Organized Sports (Jan. 25, 2010) Three maps from the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works identifying the eleven (11) facilities they maintain within the Sepulveda Basin. click here to view 662kb .pdf file The Effects of Dogs on Wildlife, by Tom Chester (April 28, 2005) Click here to download a 12mb .pdf report entitled "Problems in Paradise - Weed Invasion in the Bull Creek Restoration Project." (June 2009) Daily News Article about Bull Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project (April 12, 2009) click here to view 307kb .pdf file Minutes of Friends of Lake Balboa Meeting (May 28, 2009) click here to view .pdf file Photographer Documents Threats to Wildlife Please click the links below to view images of illegal fishing, swimming, dogs off leash (in the lake too), killing of birds, etc. The Best Fishing Hole in the Valley, Illegal Fishing and Off-Leash Dogs, Coot Killed with Beer Bottle, Rape of the Wildlife Reserve


	2008
	Letter from Congressman Brad Sherman to LA Dept Rec and Park General Manager Jon Mukri regarding feasibility of Section 1135 projects in Haskell Creek, Woodley Creek, Hayvenhurst Creek and Encino Creek. click here to view 386kb .pdf file Southbound I-405 to the westbound US-101 Connector Improvement Project EA199610 click here to view 12.4mb .pdf file Environmental Assessment / Initial Study leading to a Negative Declaration and Finding of No Significant Impact, Final Section 4(f) Evalutaion click here to view 54.5mb .pdf file


	2007
	Bull Creek Restoration: Native Plant Extraction, Salvage and Storage; Hydroseeding. click here to view 23.14mb .pdf file


	2006
	Sports Complex Facility: Sepulveda Flood Control Basin (Notice of Proposed Activity) NEPA Notice - click here to view 15kb .pdf file Notice of Intent - click here to view 610kb .pdf file Draft Concept Plan - click here to view 2.01mb .pdf file


	2005
	South Fire Access Road, Sepulveda Basin Draft Environmental Assessment. click here to view 166kb .pdf file Bull Creek Channel Ecosystem Restoration – Draft Detailed Project Report and Environmental Assessment. click here to view 124mb .pdf file Bull Creek Channel Ecosystem Restoration – Alternative 4, Oxbow-Concept Design click here to view 1.07mb .pdf file California Native Plant Society Letter (September 12, 2005) click here to view 1.29mb .pdf file San Fernando Valley Audubon Society Letter (September 4, 2005) click here to view 3.95mb .pdf file The River Project Letter (September 13, 2005) click here to view 2.13mb .pdf file
	2004 Los Angeles River Master Plan LANDSCAPING GUIDELINES AND PLANT PALETTES click here to view 10.4mb pdf file

	2002 - 2003
	Sepulveda Basin Treatment Wetlands Park (Revised Draft Concept Design Report, May 2003) click here to view 29.75mb .pdf file Proposed Sepulveda Wetlands Park (Project Overview) click here to view 10.75mb .pdf file San Fernando Valley Audubon Society Letter (March 7, 2002) click here to view 3.73mb .pdf file California Native Plant Society Letter (May 13, 2002) click here to view 8.72mb .pdf file Canada Goose Project Letter (April 18, 2002) click here to view2.48mb .pdf file


	2001
	Burbank Boulevard Trunk Line Draft Environmental Assessment. click here to view 19.85mb .pdf file

	2000
	Los Angeles River – Clearing Vegetation White Oak to Burbank Blvd. Environmental Assessment click here to view 17.1mb .pdf file

	1999
	Bull Creek – Section 1135 Preliminary Restoration Plan click here to view 24.5mb .pdf file


	1995
	Draft Supplement 1 to the 1981 Sepulveda Basin Master Plan including Draft Environmental Assessment click here to view 42.40mb .pdf file Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Park Final Concept Plan – Design Narrative - click here to view 3606mb .pdf file Exhibit 2 - Overview showing features and plant communities - click here to view 1.3kb .pdf file Exhibit 3 - Overview staging area, restrooms, amphitheatre - click here to view 1.1kb .pdf file Exhibit 4 - Viewing Areas - click here to view 1.1kb .pdf file Conceptual Master Plan – Landscape Revegetation Concepts – Public Workshop click here to view 15.2mb .pdf file Conceptual Master Plan – Design Narrative click here to view 19.75mb .pdf file California Native Plant Society Letter (May 16, 1995) regarding the Conceptual Master Plan click here to view 5.81mb .pdf file


	1994
	Conceptual Management Plan for the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Area click here to view 90.15mb .pdf file Arundo and Exotic Weed Removal Within Bull Creek, Sepulveda Dam Flood Control Basin. click here to view 22.45mb .pdf file Executive Order - Environmentally and Economically Beneficial Practices on Federal Landscaped Grounds click here to view 1.27mb .pdf file


	1993
	Sepulveda Dam Basin Urban Wildlife Refuge Workshop click here to view 12.57mb .pdf file Conceptual Wildlife Management Plan for the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Management Area click here to view 8.73mb .pdf file Wildlife Management Alternatives click here to view 1.7mb .pdf file Progress Report – Los Angeles River Master Plan 56.2mb .pdf file


	1991
	Tillman Water Reclamation Plant Flood Protection Project – Final Negative Declaration and Environmental Assessment 133.5mb .pdf file Los Angeles River Task Force Brainstorming Sessions - 1990 through 1991 25.3mb .pdf file Urban Refuge Policy (U.S. Dept of the Interior) click here to view .pdf file 1990 Sepulveda Dam Basin Wildlife Area (North) Plant Revegetation Analysis click here to view.pdf file


	1987
	Final Environmental Assessment – Sepulveda Recreation Lake and Wildlife Area click here to view 171.24mb .pdf file Public Recreational Use Plan Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Area click here to view 10.69mb .pdf file


	1986
	Sublease and Operating Agreement for Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Area click here to view 42.5mb .pdf file Sepulveda Wildlife Reserve Design with Marsh click here to view .pdf file


	1980
	Sepulveda Basin Master Plan and Final Environmental Impact Report / Statement click here to view 52.15mb .pdf file

	1966 ACOE Real Estate Lease to City of Los Angeles click here to view 927kb .pdf file Outgrant to City of Los Angeles for Recreational Purposes (Exhibit B) click here to view 1277kb .pdf file Exhibit B-1 click here to view 452kb .pdf file Exhibit C click here to view 544kb .pdf file Exhibit D click here to view 125kb .pdf file Supplemental Agreement No. 1 click here to view 125kb .pdf file Supplemental Agreement No. 2 click here to view 595kb .pdf file [Supplemental Agreement No. 3 is dated January 5, 1972 and deleted 15.32 acres from the City's leased area for a Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Training Center.] Real Estate Outgrant to City of Los Angeles for Recreation Purposes BLUEPRINTS - 26 April 1966 Blueprint Exhibit A click here to view 884kb .pdf file Blueprint Exhibit A-1 click here to view 603kb .pdf file Blueprint Exhibit A-2 click here to view 591kb .pdf file


	Papers on Riparian Restoration and Revegetation Projects Relevant to the Sepulveda Dam Basin

	General Interest

	Forward to California Riparian Systems A. Starker Leopold. 1983 click here to view 20mb .pdf file California Riparian Forests: Deciduous Islands in an Evergreen Sea Glen Holstein. 1981 click here to view 20mb .pdf file Environmental Resource Conservation: Riparian System Enhancement Through Water Reclamation Ronald LaRosa. 1981 click here to view 4.7mb .pdf file The Preservation and Restoration of Riparian Resources in Conducting Flood Control Activities William M. Lockard and Richard A. Burgess. 1981 click here to view 18.1mb .pdf file Vegetation of the Santa Ana River and Some Flood Control Implications Ted L. Hanes. 1981 click here to view 5.3mb .pdf file Riparian Restoration Planning in Southern California – What's Missing? Keith B. Macdonald, Harold A. Wier, Julie M. Vanderwier and Michael U. Evans. click here to view 8.3mb .pdf file

	Revegetation

	The Esthetics of Native Plant Revegetation Art Tyree. 1984 click here to view 3.78mb .pdf file Plant Design Inventory Techniques for Modeling the Restoration of Native Riparian Landscapes Kerry J. Dawson. 1981 click here to view 4.91mb .pdf file The Role of Vegetation in an Integrated Pest Management Approach to Levee Management Sheila Daar, William Klitz, and William Olkowski. 1981 click here to view 6mb .pdf file Los Coches Mitigation Area: A Case Study in Native Plant Revegetation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District Raina Fulton. 1987 click here to view 5.24mb .pdf file Revegetation in the Sepulveda Wildlife Reserve: A Seven Year Summary Emilia Parra-Szijj. 1989 click here to view 13.73mb .pdf file Growth of Stipa pulchra in Experimental Field Conditions Emilia A. Parra. 1987 click here to view 7.65mb .pdf file California Department of Transportation Riparian Restoration Projects in San Diego County John P. Reiger. 1987 click here to view 7.13mb .pdf file

	Target Species

	Riparian Forest as Habitat for the Least Bell's Vireo M. Violet Grey and James M. Greaves. 1981 click here to view 6.2mb .pdf file High Quality Restoration of Riparian Ecosystems Karthryn Baird. 1989 click here to view 5.7mb .pdf file The Status of Wintering Canada Geese at Quail Hill Robin Butler. 1989 click here to view 6.5mb .pdf file Management of the Wintering Foraging Habitat for Canada Geese at Quail Hill Peter A. Bowler, Fred M. Roberts Jr., and John Simon click here to view 6.8mb .pdf file


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LA River polluted with harmful levels of fecal bacteria, study finds

Water board moves to enforce ban on trash in L.A. River

Photographer Documents Threats to Wildlife