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Sierra Madre details Yucca Basin cleanup; contractor removed about 900 tons of debris
Summary
Public Works staff told the City Council the contractor excavated roughly 900 tons of debris from Yucca Basin under a contract capped near $62,500, described use of a removable primary gate and new secondary gate, and said annual maintenance and future budget allocations will be required.
Bridal Dickinson of Sierra Madre Public Works briefed the City Council on cleanup work at Yucca Basin and the next steps for maintenance.
"We rubbed out about 900 tons of debris out of the basin," Dickinson said, summarizing contractor work that began in December. Dickinson said the contractor mobilized on Dec. 8, removed material from the basin and that city staff built a secondary gate that stopped a Christmas-Eve washout when debris breached the main gate.
Dickinson explained the basin’s design required removable gating: the basin was originally under county control and is now configured to allow large equipment to enter and dig out debris. Permanent gates would block future maintenance access, she said, so the city uses posts and removable boards to close the opening during storms and permit equipment to enter for cleanout.
Council members asked whether Los Angeles County could assume responsibility for the basin. City staff said the county can be offered the property but they doubted the county would accept it. Dickinson said the contract for the recent work was roughly $62,500 and the city will assess how much remains to be done and budget future maintenance as needed.
Dickinson told the council the contractor expects to finish the current scope by the following Tuesday and that the city will include annual maintenance and gate improvements in future budgets. She also described short-term erosion control measures (straw waddles) placed during the rainy season to reduce muddy runoff.
Next steps: staff will evaluate remaining debris, return with a budget estimate for ongoing maintenance, and consider modifications to the primary gate to reduce repeated washouts.
