Plan is unveiled to balance environment and recreation at huge Sepulveda Basin

A final vision plan to improve and enhance the Sepulveda Basin, which is more than twice as big as New York City’s Central Park and that features wildlife habitat and recreational facilities, was unveiled Monday, June 17, laying out a blueprint to transform what residents call the “jewel” of the San Fernando Valley.

“The vision plan is a comprehensive effort to balance recreational amenities with environmental preservation, creating accessible and resilient green space that cater to all residents regardless of their backgrounds or abilities,” L.A. City Councilmember Imelda Padilla said during a press conference by the basin’s Lake Balboa.

Major projects will include restoring the Los Angeles River to its natural state, enhancing biodiversity and capturing stormwater, and improving or adding new recreational amenities. At roughly 2,000 acres of open space, the Sepulveda Basin is L.A.’s second-largest park, behind only Griffith Park.

While most of the basin is used for recreational purposes, it’s also home to the Sepulveda Dam, which is maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help prevent severe area flooding.

Joining Padilla in announcing the Sepulveda Basin Vision Plan was state Sen. Henry Stern, who presented a $2.5 million check – funding from the state – as a “down payment” for the design and engineering phase of the plan.

Stern, who represents the state’s 27th Senate District which includes parts of the Valley, spoke of how his 1-year-old son enjoys chasing ducks at the park.

“This is our basin, but it needs love. … Here in the Valley, we don’t have the same green space and the same access to wild places that they do on the Westside or even in the greater Santa Monica Mountains,” Stern said.

Monday’s press conference came amid negotiations in the California state Legislature over a statewide climate bond measure that might appear on the November ballot. Money from that bond, if passed, could pay for projects like those proposed for the Sepulveda Basin, according to Stern’s office. Stern is co-author of Senate Bill 867, which calls for the climate bond measure.

During the press conference, Stern highlighted work in the vision plan that would enhance existing wildlife habitat found in the basin and would result in planting more trees to help lower the area’s temperature.

“To actually cool the Valley by breaking up concrete, by making this a respite for the urban heat island that drives infant mortality rates and premature births and has all kinds of environmental justice effects, especially on the north side of this basin – now’s the time to start attacking the problem,” Stern said.

Last fall, before the Sepulveda Basin Vision Plan was finalized, Angelenos were asked to weigh in on it. Projects that have been proposed include:

• Dechannelizing and naturalizing the concrete-walled L.A. River and its tributaries. That would include removal of concrete and other manmade structures from the channels, soil excavation, and allowing the river and streams to flow more naturally. The project would replace non-native vegetation with native foliage.
• Increasing water storage capacity in the basin to reduce future flood risks.
• Planting canopy trees to help combat the effects of the urban heat island.
• Creating new paths, including loop trails and bridges so people can walk or bike from one section of the basin to another more easily, including crossing over the L.A. River and tributaries.
• Adding new athletic fields and playgrounds.
• Creating a “civic promenade” along the northern edge of the Sepulveda Basin, with a restaurant, terraced boardwalk, gardens, lawn areas, amphitheaters, an aquatic center, gymnasium, and areas that could house cultural programs.

It’s estimated that it will take 20 to 25 years and cost about $5 billion to complete the four dozen or so projects identified as part of the plan, according to those involved in drafting the document.

Deborah Weintraub, chief deputy city engineer, said projects likely will be completed over three phases, with the hope of completing some by 2028 when L.A. plays host to the Summer Olympics.

Projects that could be part of the first phase include improving the basin’s network of pedestrian and bicycle paths by creating connections so people can walk or bike from one end of the basin to another, restoring wildlife areas, and creating a demonstration garden with the Native American community, Weintraub said.

Longer-term projects, Weintraub said, would include working with the Army Corps of Engineers to widen and naturalize the L.A. River by removing concrete walls and other manmade structures from the channels to allow the river and its streams to flow more naturally.

Kathy Barton, president of the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society, attended Monday’s press conference to show her overall support for the vision plan.

“We would love to see more details about what they plan for the wildlife reserve itself, but you know, I have faith that their plans are consistent with the way that we use the wildlife reserve – for education, for habitat preservation and native plant restoration,” she said.

Weintraub said the vision plan is a master plan and that details about individual projects still need to be worked out.

Mary Nemick, spokesperson for the city’s engineering bureau, said in an email that there will be an opportunity for further public input before each project gets underway. As for the overall vision plan, Nemick said it’s anticipated that the Los Angeles City Council will vote on it in August.

Lorenzo Sandoval, owner of Guppies Fishing Adventures, spoke of the importance of having amenities like the Sepulveda Basin for communities that often lack access to parks and other green spaces.

“This (basin), for me as a kid, was one of the coolest, craziest places ever because I lived 10 minutes away, and it was one of my first interactions with wildlife,” Sandoval said. “Coming from a poor family, I wasn’t really able to go on these long trips to Yosemite or Mammoth. But I was able to go to Lake Balboa right down the street, and it’s where I fell in love with the outdoors – right in the middle of the city.”