Council hears restoration plan for Memorial Park ‘Magenta Drain’; residents ask about upstream water treatment

City staff presented a conceptual restoration plan on Oct. 14 for the small creek that runs through Memorial Park — identified in project documents as the Magenta Drain — and outlined a multi‑phase timeline and a scope that includes improved public access, native plantings and restoration of natural stream functions.

"The city received about $385,000 in Prop 1 grant funding through California Department of Water Resources," Deputy Public Works Director Zach Whitmire told the council. The city will provide a matching contribution and is contracting with Dudek Consulting for engineering and environmental permitting support, Whitmire said.

Planned elements shown in the conceptual design include removal of perimeter fencing in some areas, concrete steps and boulder crossings to allow safe creek access, meandering realignment to replace the current straight channel, cobble and boulder streambed features, and replanting with native vegetation to improve wildlife habitat and stormwater management. Whitmire said planning and design work is expected to complete by March 2026, with construction anticipated to start in August 2026 and finish by the end of 2026.

Several public commenters urged the city to ensure ongoing water quality testing and stronger communication with Empire Mine State Park, upstream of Memorial Park. "There were some exceedances of arsenic and manganese in 2023 and 2024," said Greg Thrush of the Wolf Creek Community Alliance, who urged a community communications plan if upstream treatment problems recur. Jonathan Keane, also with the alliance, said the Magenta Drain is an important tributary that flows into Wolf Creek and asked that state‑park treatment plant performance be addressed as part of the project.

Deputy Director Whitmire said the drainage originates from settlement ponds associated with the Empire Mine site and that a prior cleanup in the early 2000s prompted a Department of Toxic Substances letter concluding contaminants had been removed and that fencing could be taken down. Whitmire acknowledged maintenance and past lapses at the state park treatment facility and said the city will coordinate monitoring and communication as the project moves to design and management stages.

A voicemail from a resident with historical knowledge of the park raised localized concerns about dumped waste and nearby pipes that can influence water quality; another voicemail from a native‑plant society member suggested interpretive signage to identify restored plants and wildlife.

There was no council vote on the conceptual design; staff said the presentation was to solicit public comments and feedback as design continues.