Santa Anita Dam
The dam is situated in the steep San Gabriel foothills, north of Sierra Madre and Arcadia. It is located just north of the boundary of the Angeles National Forest. The dam is visible from Santa Anita Canyon Road, which runs along the west slope of the Santa Anita Canyon and provides access into trails further upstream along Santa Anita Creek. The viewing window for the dam is very short, only about a half-mile; the access road which runs down into the canyon from Santa Anita Canyon Road is closed to the public. However, the First Water trail, which leads downstream from Chantry Flat along the creek, is said to provide access to the reservoir.
Since the 1990s the maximum allowed storage of water has been restricted, to ensure that the dam will not collapse due to seismic instability. This has partially caused rapid silting of the reservoir and sediment removal was started in mid-2009. The reservoir was drained and about 6,750,000 cubic yards (5,160,000 m) of sediment were removed.
A staged rescue at the dam was broadcast in November 1958 as an episode of the syndicated U.S. television series Rescue 8 titled "The Chasm".
References
- ^ "Santa Anita Dam Riser Modification and Reservoir Sediment Removal Project Environmental Impact Report" (PDF). Los Angeles Department of Public Works. May 2008. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
- ^ Sahagún, Louis (January 24, 2023). "January storms leave L.A. County flood-control dams at risk of overflowing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
External links
- Image of workers walking on the face of the Santa Anita Dam during construction, California, circa 1926. Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.