Army Corps outlines Whittier Narrows Dam repairs, warns of multi-year construction and park impacts in Pico Rivera

Aaron Smith, a project representative with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, told the Pico Rivera City Council that the Whittier Narrows Dam safety improvement project has secured funding and a construction contract and that major work will begin as soon as the Corps and contractor finalize schedules.

Smith said a contractor selection (Barnard Construction) has been made and that crews could be on site “as early as October,” though in other parts of the presentation he and council members discussed a start and active work window beginning in 2026 with multi-year construction through the early 2030s. He described the work as focused on two failure modes: seepage through the dam’s sandy foundation and overtopping during extremely rare storms. “There is no imminent risk to Pico Rivera,” Smith said, while adding that the consequences of a dam failure would be severe and that the Corps wants to reduce that long-term risk.

Why the work is needed: Smith explained that the sand foundation beneath the earthen dam is vulnerable to erosion if water seeps beneath…