Urgent action needed: identify City of LA creeks for protection under ordinance
March 7, 2012 § 5 Comments
Creek Freaks, I am posting this message on behalf of Shelley Luce, Executive Director, and Mark Abramson, their Senior Watershed Advisor. They need your help by Friday March 16. I have my own comment to add following their request:
Send us your Streams and Creeks!
Calling all Creek Freaks! The Santa Monica By Restoration Commission needs your help identifying and locating streams and creeks in the City of Los Angeles. The City is creating a stream protection ordinance designed to protect the few remaining healthy creeks within the City limits. They have requested a list of streams and creeks that should be protected. We are asking all our friends and creek enthusiasts to send us pictures and locations of creeks within the City so that we can ensure their protection. If you have a favorite creek spot that you feel warrants protection please send the location (preferably latitude and longitude, a picture, and any information that you might have about the stream or creek. The Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission will then visit these sites and compile a list of streams and creeks that should be protected for the inclusion in the City of Los Angeles’ Stream Protection Ordinance. Please send any information to smbrc@waterboards.ca.gov using the subject line Protect this Stream. Your efforts will help protect these few remaining special places for generations to come.
This is a renewal of an effort started in 2006. In 2008, the City sponsored public meetings to get public input on stream protection. Here’s a link to my stream protection presentation from those meetings. You may recall I’d posted about my mapping my best estimate of the remaining streams of the city of LA in 2009 in support of this effort. They aren’t using this map, but it can provide you with a base to start nominating streams for protection from. Unfortunately the Google Earth Gallery is having difficulties with receiving uploads – so if you want kml of these streams, please email me jishica {at} gmail… I did upload them to the Google Earth discussion forum, so you may be able to download them directly there. The maps come with caveats as to accuracy of location, and some guestimates due to a lack of information at the time I made the map revisions. Use them as a starting point for your creek protection search, take photos, post, email, blog away about them – otherwise, they’ll just continue to be at the mercy of developer discretion.
L.A. Creek Freak 
Sorry, this may be a stupid question, but I just want to confirm: Do they want creeks only in the area(s) outlined on the above map?
not a dumb question! And the answer is yes – within the City of LA’s boundaries.
I like along the Arroyo del Jardin de los Flores in Hancock Park. It runs through the country club and then through the neighborhood for about a mile — although under major streets like Wilshire Blvd. and then is covered over. This past eighteen months my neighbors have been dumping stuff in it in connection with their construction projects. What can I do?
Do you need the creaks in the Arroyo Seco Watershed? Or do you already have all those?
Also, where can I find out more about the ordinance?
Jonathan, only ones in the City of Los Angeles. Thanks!