Bouquet Creek in wetter times.
Gov. Jerry Brown signed legisation Thursday that would begin to bring water back to the residents of Bouquet Canyon.
Assembly Bill 353 by Tom Lackey, R-Palmdale, provides an environmental exemption — only the second of its kind in California history — that is needed for L.A. County Public Works to begin restoring Bouquet Creek.
The presence of an endangered species in Bouquet Creek delayed the project and required state legislation before work could begin.
Environmental damage to Bouquet Creek has created water access problems for nearby properties such as the Lombardi Ranch which recently announced it was canceling its fall festival ranch due to dried up water wells.
“Now that the law has been changed to address the environmental issues, Bouquet Creek can finally begin to flow again,” said Assemblyman Lackey. “The residents who rely on Bouquet Creek for their water supplies can finally have some relief. I want to thank Supervisor Antonovich for pushing the Bouquet Creek restoration forward.”
What Bouquet Creek is supposed to look like.
The Bouquet Creek has been badly damaged since 2004 when flooding caused large amounts of sediment to build up in the creek bed. This excess sediment has blocked portions of the creek and is the likely cause of nearby properties seeing their wells dry up due an inability for water to reach them and recharge them. It also causes flooding to occur on Bouquet Canyon Road during heavy rains.
State environmental laws had blocked the project because a fish native to Bouquet Creek is classified as a fully protected species. Fully protected species cannot be disturbed for any reason under current law and AB 353 is only the second time an exemption has been granted.
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7 Comments
Remember going picnicking there!
Use to go up there for easter when I was growing up in the early 80’s
Remember getting run over there on bros new kawi by drunk driver,,,,hate that place,,,,,,#13aug78
Crazy how one mans decision can make a difference… If you ask me it’s kinda bs.
Well, let’s see;
The State of California wouldn’t allow repair to the road because the flooding washed the creeks’ natural habitat onto the roadside. The California F&G agency won’t allow anything to “mess” with the spawning grounds of the unarmored three spine stickleback fish. Which has not been seen in the wild in Bouquet Creek for years. There are reports of it’s existence, but they are not “proven”.
The state of California is responsible for the roadbed of Bouquet Canyon Road, but not for the fish. But the US EPA is also responsible for endangered species – of which the fish is one.
There is no “natural” flow of water into Bouquet Canyon, because the LADWP’s Bouquet Reservoir lies directly upon the canyon that feeds it. Part of the agreement between LADWP, the State, and the Feds is that the reservoir will pass on an equal amount of water into the canyon(creek)that it receives from upstream runoff. The reservoir itself is filled by Owens Valley water from the LA Aqueduct. When the rain and floods of 2005 caused the creek bed (below the reservoir) to be flooded with mud and also to close the road, releases from Bouquet Reservoir were stopped in order to prevent further damage and erosion to Bouquet Canyon Road.
That’s the way it has remained from 2005 to 2015. The Feds (various agencies) the State, and LADWP were locked up and no one could start to fix things until a multi-governmental agreement could be crafted.
That is why LARC has been trucking water in to keep their staff and resident’s alive. That is why Lombardi Ranch and other downstream users/entitlements have been sucking air instead of water from their wells.
The Prince of District Five (LACO Supervisor Mike Antonovich) was in a unique position to bring all these groups together and fix the problem. Hooray for Mike! It only took him 10 years to make it happen.
I am glad to see something is finally being done. My father used to take me fishing there as a kid. Now my daughter age 8 is excited about fishing as I am and loves anytime we can go. Hopefully they will start stocking trout again after this is done. Of course good luck on that since they don’t stock any other creeks around here for us to have fun with our children!!!
I agree! They should pump water into the Santa Clara (dry) River and stock it with fish for fishing, pic nic’g, maybe even entertubing?? That would make this town awesome (for reals). We have nothing like that and it kinda bums me out :,-(