Pacoima Reservoir - Sediment Removal Project

Posted on 08/17/2023

The Pacoima Dam is a constant-angle concrete arch dam that was constructed in 1929 and is located approximately 3 miles northeast of the City of San Fernando. At the time, it was the tallest arch dam in the United States with a height of 365 feet. The Pacoima Reservoir has an original design capacity of 6,060 acre-feet (approximately 9.78 million cubic yards) and contains a tributary watershed covering 28.2 square miles. Pacoima Dam serves to provide vital flood protection, debris control, and water conservation for the Los Angeles region, including the immediate downstream communities of Sylmar and Pacoima.

Pacoima's watershed has been burned by a series of fires in recent years, including the Marek (2008), Sayre (2008), Station (2009) and Sand (2016) fires. Many of the larger areas within the watershed have been burned multiple times, with approximately 96 percent of the tributary watershed having been burned by at least one fire. The storm events following these fires have considerably increased sediment deposition into the reservoir.

The Los Angeles County Flood Control District (LACFCD) proposes a project to remove sediment from Pacoima Reservoir in order to restore flood control and water conservation capacity to the reservoir, create a long-term, safe, and reliable means of access to the reservoir, and increase the reliability of operations and safety of Pacoima Dam.

Notice of Preparation:

The LACFCD is preparing a Draft Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). A Notice of Preparation (NOP) has been prepared to seek input regarding the scope and content of the environmental information to be included in the Draft PEIR. To learn more about the proposed Pacoima Reservoir Restoration Project (PRRP), please see the NOP.

A 30-day review period for the NOP will begin on August 16, 2023, and will end on September 14, 2023. The LACFCD requests the submittal of written comments on the NOP by Thursday, September 14, 2023.

Written comments can be submitted via mail to:
Los Angeles County Public Works, P.O. Box 1460, Alhambra, California 91802-1460
Attn: Alex Ho, Associate Civil Engineer

Written comments can be submitted via email to:
[email protected]

Scoping Meetings:

The LACFCD, as the lead agency under CEQA, will conduct scoping meetings in compliance with Section 15082(c) of the State CEQA Guidelines. The scoping meetings will provide an opportunity for responsible agencies, trustee, agencies, and interested organizations and individuals to hear a summary of the proposed PRRP and to provide written comments regarding the scope and content of the environmental information to be included in the PEIR. The meetings will be offered twice, in-person and virtually via Zoom. The meeting information is as follows: