The final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Upper Stone Canyon Reservoir Water Quality Improvement Project was released.

You may access the draft EIR and final EIR here:

http://www.ladwp.com/ladwp/cms/ladwp015022.pdf

Proposed project: Upper Stone Canyon Reservoir – construct a new buried concrete-covered reservoir with 3 ft of topsoil and shallow rooting plant species typical of the canyon; allow public access for passive recreation (pedestrian trails), to be operated by LADPR and/or the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. See Section ES-1 of Draft EIR for a summary. See Section 2 of the Draft or Table 2-1 starting on page 1-16 in the Final for a good summary of the proposed alternatives and the impacts for a comprehensive overview of the project.

Project Objectives: Comply with EPA updated water quality standards and preserve local water storage capability to maintain reliability and flexibility; secondary objective to help restore the natural character of Stone Canyon. See ES-3 of the Draft.

Financial investment: $140m over 60 years (see ES-9 of the Draft) for the proposed project. Floating cover alternative $35m and $80m for aluminum.

Recreation: Create parking for 25 vehicles; no other amenities. A gate to prevent after hours use. All access through Mulholland Drive. Trails to be established on east and west sides of reservoir, with overlooks to Lower Stone Reservoir. Trails also established on the buried concrete cover. Exact placement of trails TBD with input from neighboring communities. Peak use estimated at 75 visitors per day on weekends and 31 per day on weekdays. See section ES-9, ES-10 and ES-12 of the Draft.

Time frame: 4 years to complete; construction start in late 2015. See ES-11 of the Draft.

Traffic: All construction vehicles route (incl. delivery and hauling) would be between I-405 and the entry via Skirball Center Drive and Mulholland Drive.

The EIR goes to the DWP Board for adoption on Feb 7th. For questions or comments please email: hillside@beverlyglen.org