By Jason KUROSU

A project to recharge the Verdugo Basin in Crescenta Valley Park has been in the works for the past few years, with the Crescenta Valley Water District continuing to assess the feasibility of the park as a stormwater recharge area.

CVWD District Engineer David Gould headed a stakeholder meeting Wednesday morning, updating the progress on the feasibility study, which has so far included a topographic survey of the north end of CV Park, as well as identifying the park’s trees.

“Our goal is to utilize this information to further develop any plans for infiltration galleries to eventually get stormwater to the ground and provide this information to L.A. County Parks and Recreation so they have an accurate topography of the area and a survey of all the trees,” said Gould.

CVWD was awarded a Local Groundwater Assistance grant from the Dept. of Water Resources (DWR) to pursue the project in 2002, which is intended to capture stormwater for recharge, as well as improve groundwater quality and reduce surface water pollution.

Two flow monitoring stations have been installed in the park in order to record the amount of water coming down the Verdugo Wash and Dunsmore Channel. Gould said they hoped to have some flow data in October, though low water levels have made that difficult thus far.

The next portions of the project will include the installation of groundwater monitoring wells, which will monitor groundwater levels, water quality and geological information on soil conditions. CVWD determined where they will put the wells, using information on past wells drilled in the area, as well as ensuring the wells are located away from trees. Well No. 1 will be on the south side of the park near New York Avenue in between a fence and kid’s park. Well No. 2 will be on the north side of the park along Honolulu Avenue.

“Our goal is by utilizing these monitoring wells and the existing well information we can get a better idea where the best place is to put these infiltration galleries in the future,” said Gould, who anticipated the wells would start drilling in January.

The next step would be conducting percolation tests, in which the rate of flow of water into the ground would be monitored with pits, six-foot holes in the ground filled with water. Again, CVWD is in the process of determining the location of the test pits. Gould said one potential location is the south side of the softball field, likely to be done in February.

Gould summarized the questions which would be answered by the feasibility study, “Can we get the water in the ground, how much water can we get into the ground, what kind of recharge can help our groundwater basin?”

CVWD expects the project to be completed by March 2016.

  Jason Kurosu