Ballona Watershed

Support a slow, careful restoration

 
 
 
PARK TO PLAYA BRIDGE OVER LA CIENEGA FROM KENNETH HAHN PARK
TO STONE VIEW NATURE CENTER COMPLETES 13 MILE TRAIL TO THE BEACH
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SUPPORT A SLOW CAREFUL RESTORATION OF BALLONA WETLANDS ECOLOGICAL RESERVE
Dr. Margot Griswold, Restoration Ecologist - 4.6 minute YouTube
Listen to her Proposal to Restore Ballona's Predominantly Freshwater Seasonal Ballona Wetlands
 
... protect Ballona groundwater.
 
LEARN ABOUT BALLONA FRESHWATER
http://saveballona.org/search/node/FRESHWATER
GRASSROOTS COALITION & CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION SETTLE OUT OF COURT  
 

Watch "Greed, Gridlock & Gas: The Playa Vista Story" to understand the Methane & Oilfield Gases of Ballona Wetlands and rising up into Playa Vista Buildings

A Diagram of Aquifer underlying the Ballona Wetlands
Aquifer Diagram_1.png

DOUBT CALIFORNIA IS DRYING OUT? LOOK AT THESE OUTER SPACE PHOTOS!

CA DROUGHT FROM SPACE_0_0.jpg

We have taken rainwater for granted or treated it as an enemy sloping driveways to send rainwater to the street and nearest storm drain since the 1930's. Now the LA River Watershed is taking a different approach. Why not the Ballona Watershed which sends Billions of Gallons of Water to Ballona Flood Control Channel and into the Pacific Ocean, Santa Monica Bay?

When it rains, Los Angeles sends billions of gallons of 'free liquid gold' down the drain
Instead of tossing stormwater into the sea, Los Angeles wants to capture more of it to replenish local groundwater supplies. But that is neither cheap nor easy.
LATIMES.COM
 
 
What did the L.A. Basin look like before there was an L.A.?
A team of scientists, geographers, and other researchers
recently released a report that reconstructs the ...
 
Ballona Watershed Vimeo - Douglas Fay - 60 Year Evolution of Santa Monica Bay
Discusses his famous Dad, Rimmon C. Fay's point of view
https://vimeo.com/176516818 
30 MINUTES PACKED WITH INFORMATION
 
 

VIDEOS:

Oxford Basin Re-Opening Dedication July 7, 2016:  LA County & Activists' POV'S with narration. https://vimeo.com/174161938

JohnTommy Rosas Discussing Many Aspects of the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve Restoration  Preferred Alternative #1
 
 
Congressman Ted Lieu Supports Parts of Ballona Watershed as a National Park
 
 
Implications of Ballona Wetlands Restoration - Travis Longcore

Restoration Ecologist, Ballona Wetlands Restoration - Margot Griswold
 
Lost Creeks of the Ballona Valley offer an opportunity to remove concrete channels, 
day light streams children can enjoy, and infiltrate rainwater into our aquifers.
 
Ballona Valley lost creeks
The light blue lines on the map represent earlier streams. Now our precious rain water goes into storm drains
along with contaminants from our streets.This polluted runoff flows to Ballona Creek, then into the Pacific Ocean.

Rex Frankel, Editor of Rare Earth News & President of Ballona Ecosystem Education Project.

Link to his PICASA SITES below:

EVOLUTION OF BALLONA DESTRUCTION PLANS

                     https://picasaweb.google.com/rexfrankel/EvolutionOfBallonaDestructionPlans#                                                                           

UNBURY BALLONA CREEK TO SAVE BILLIONS

          https://picasaweb.google.com/rexfrankel/UnburyBallonaCreekToSaveBillions#

BALLONA CRITTERS AT RISK FROM STATE BULLDOZING PLANS

     https://picasaweb.google.com/Rare.Earth.fotos/BallonaCrittersAtRiskFromStateSBulldozingPlans

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FACT: Marina real estate, boat slips basins and yacht clubs are all on long-term land leases of 50-60 years. Some have expired, some have been renewed, and others offer opportunities for revision..

FACT: Santa Monica Bay Restoration has advocated opening our Ballona Wetlands to the ocean. See videos by Travis Longcore and Margot Griswold for a greater understanding of our opposition to this.

FACT: A flood plane covers large areas of the lower Ballona Watershed (Venice, Marina del Rey, Ballona Wetlands and Playa del Rey). Sea level rise, a tsunami, or a huge storm event could flood the lower Ballona Watershed. 
FACT: 950 acres of Ballona Wetlands were chiseled out to create Marina del Rey small boat harbor and recreation area by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under U.S. Congress Documents 389 and 780. U.S. Congress, Los Angeles City and Los Angeles County provided funding in almost equal parts.
FACT: U.S. Congress Documents 389 and 780 designated 41.9 acres for Oxford Lagoon Bird Sanctuary. Only 10.7 acres were actually set aside.
FACT: 90% of all our wetlands in Southern California have been built on or paved over. 
FACT: Last 150 years have been the wettest in 4,000 years. Our present drought could continue for 100 years. 
FACT: 120 miles of intermittent streams, 47 miles of perennial streams, and 3.8 square miles of wetlands in Greater Los Angeles existed before storm drains were installed early in the 20th Century.
FACT: 0.61 square miles of Ballona Wetlands and 24 miles of creek existed before storm drains were installed early in the 20th Century.
FACT: Los Angeles imports around 85% of its water from over 200 miles away. It uses 30% of its state electrical power to deliver this water.

Ballona Watershed Related Material

Burning Questions KNBC 5 part series - Is Playa Vista Safe? - Methane - Underground Gas Storage - Staples Center - Peabody Award VIDEOS

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BURNING QUESTIONS KNBC - IS PLAYA VISTA SAFE?
How reliable are Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety Inspections?

Part 1 - Methane Leakage / Dangers of Explosion
https://youtu.be/c4O6jI2y_m4

Ballona Wetlands Preservation and Restoration: California Coastal Commission Hearing June 2013

The presentation slide show on Ballona Wetlands Preservation and Restoration made to the California Coastal Commission at the June 2013 hearing.  See the wide variety of animals currently living in the Ballona Wetlands.

Ballona Wetlands - Acquisition with PUBLIC BOND DOLLAR AGREEMENTS

Ballona Wetlands - Activists want Public Participation in the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve Restoration as promised in the Bond Dollar Agreements

Underground Gas Storage: What Went Wrong At Porter Ranch?

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Before she retired in 2014, Anneliese Anderle was a field engineer for the Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermic Resources, which regulates oil drilling. She worked out of offices in Bakersfield, Cypress and Ventura, and for a while she was responsible for monitoring the massive natural gas storage field at Aliso Canyon.

Southern California Gas owns the facility, which distributes gas to 14 power plants and 21 million customers. In her years monitoring wells at Aliso Canyon, Anderle says she got to know the gas company as "a first-class operation."

Underground Gas Storage: Porter Ranch gas leak takes months to fix

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Not long after plans were laid for the community of Porter Ranch half a century ago, an oil and gas well caught fire less than five miles away.

A company of Texas oil well firefighters stopped the 1968 blaze after six days.

Seven years later, as volunteers planted pines along hillsides of the growing community, the Texans were again on the scene to contain an even more ferocious blowout.

Ballona Bike Path: Bike Tour with Congresswoman Jane Harman

Congresswoman Jane Harman has been a supporter of the Ballona Bike Path and the Santa Monica Bay. At her invitation activists and elected officials were invited to her Ballona Bike Tour. We apologize to those we did not caption.

Ballona Watershed: Historical Photos 1923-1952 Presentation Slide Show

Ballona Watershed Historical Photos 1923-1952

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