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

COASTAL COMMISSION MEETING - BALLONA WETLANDS RESTORATION HISTORY by Patricia McPherson, GC - MAY 8, 2019 - OXNARD - POWER POINT

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COASTAL COMMISSION MEETING - BALLONA WETLANDS RESTORATION HISTORY by Patricia McPherson, GC - MAY 8, 2019 - OXNARD - POWER POINT 

Download the 43 megabyte PDF Presentation: California Coastal Commission  Meeting - May 8, 2019 - Ballona Wetlands Restoration History Presentation

 

How to Drain a Wetland & Get Away With It: The Betrayal Of The Public's Trust! Ballona

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THEN...
 
As is seen below in the photos from 1952 and 1997 Ballona ponds during the rainy season when allowed to do so, even with the presence of the Army Corp/ LA County built - Ballona Channel.
Playa Vista developers have always argued that their mega-development was not on a wetland, which is countered by their own internal e-mails to Los Angeles Building & Safety Department - 6/8/99 Playa Vista email to LADBS. 
 

SoCalGas, Playa Del Rey Gas Storage Field Leakage - Grassroots Coalition's CPUC Complaint Case; CPUC Consumer Protection and Safety Division - "Facts and Findings"

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Both Grassroots Coalition and California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), Consumer Protection and Safety Division's "Facts and Findings" detail risks created by the SoCalGas underground gas storage operations in Playa del Rey (PDR), CA. 

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