Los Angeles County Public Works will invest $45 million to restore a lake and enhance a canyon channel. The projects will be critical in increasing regional resiliency, improving water quality and reducing flood dangers. Currently in the design phase, bidding for construction will open as soon as spring 2025.
The Baldwin Lake and Tule Pond Restoration project will take up the lion’s share of the combined cost, totaling $29.1 million. The county will prioritize efforts to protect and improve water quality, enhance stormwater detention, stop shoreline erosion, restore the aquatic ecosystem and create habitat.
The projects will remove sediment, stabilize the shoreline and restore the lake’s historical wall. Plans also include fixing water quality features such as hydrodynamic separators and media filtration units. Construction is anticipated to begin in summer 2025. The Mint Canyon Channel Erosion Improvement project will cost $15.9 million. The completed project will provide essential protections for the area by reducing flood risk, improving maintenance and operations and integration of multi-use components to prevent erosion.
The county will replace natural portions of the Mint Canyon Channel with a concrete rectangular channel. The site will connect with the existing downstream channel. The project will require the county to remove around 5,800 feet of damaged pipe and wire revetment.
(Photo courtesy of Kelly M. Grow from the California Department of Water Resources.)
