By Jason KUROSU

Since the Crescenta Valley Water District received a $157,500 grant for groundwater studies, CVWD has set its sights upon Crescenta Valley Park as the locale for its stormwater recharge facility study. As part of the project, members of various Southern Californian water districts, county public works departments and more formed a task force committee to discuss the particulars of the study.

CVWD Engineer David Gould hosted the task force meeting on Sept. 26 at CV Park, outlining the structure of the two-year, two-stage project, beginning with a study to monitor groundwater levels and quality and gauge the water’s recharge capacity.

The second phase of the project would consist of construction of facilities for capturing runoff and recharging the Verdugo Basin, which Gould said provides 60% of the area’s water. These facilities include two groundwater monitoring wells, infiltration galleries for capturing stormwater and dry weather runoff, percolation test pits and surface water gauging stations.

CVWD anticipates that the project will result in the local water supply increasing by an average of 340 acre-feet per year. The project is also expected to improve groundwater quality by reducing runoff from nearby parking areas. The parking areas will also be reconfigured to help reduce the runoff.

Originally, CVWD requested an LGA (Local Groundwater Assistance) grant for $250,000, but with the Dept. of Water Resources providing only $157,500, CVWD has had to eliminate certain aspects of the project, including the installation of a channel flow gauge and a topography and tree survey of CV Park.

But other factors such as the park’s location, size and amount of open space made it a perfect candidate for the study.

“One thing about La Crescenta is that there’s a lack of open space,” said Gould, referring to the choosing of CV Park for the study and the space required for such a project. “This is one of the few places which will allow us to do it.”

The next task force meeting will be held in January 2014. The project is scheduled for completion in October 2015.

  Jason Kurosu