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Residents urge 90-day extension, public hearing for Arroyo Seco water-reuse project citing ecological and cultural concerns
Summary
Multiple speakers told the council the Arroyo Seco water-reuse environmental document is too large to review in 45 days and asked that the comment period be extended to 90 days and that a noticed public hearing be scheduled to address potential harm to riparian woodlands and tribal cultural resources.
Residents and community groups told the Pasadena City Council Tuesday that the draft environmental materials for the Arroyo Seco water-reuse project are too lengthy and complex to evaluate in the current 45-day comment window and urged the city to extend the period to 90 days and hold a noticed public hearing.
Barbara Eisenstein opened the item during public comment, describing the project's draft environmental report as "1,373 pages" with hundreds of pages of appendices and saying the existing comment window would not give neighbors, environmental experts and legal reviewers time to meaningfully engage. "The comment deadline of June 17th should be extended to at least 90 days," she said, and asked the council to "schedule a noticed public hearing before that deadline so residents can speak directly to the environmental concerns."
Several additional speakers echoed those concerns, citing potential permanent alteration to riparian oak and sycamore woodland in the lower Arroyo Seco, the loss of mature trees, possible impacts to wildlife corridors and assertions that portions of the project footprint overlap sites with known tribal cultural sensitivity. Commenters also raised procedural complaints about the timing and language of outreach notices, the pace of public-record responses and the adequacy of alternatives analysis in the draft environmental assessment.
Councilmembers asked staff to prepare a feasibility report on extending the comment period; city staff confirmed they would provide an update. No final decision on the comment-period request was made Tuesday; council and staff indicated public hearings and follow-up would be scheduled as appropriate in the coming weeks.
What happens next: Staff will provide an update to council on the feasibility and legal considerations for a comment-period extension and possible noticed hearings. Community groups asked the city to prioritize translation and targeted outreach to the neighborhoods most likely to be affected.
Sources: public comment remarks (Barbara Eisenstein and others) at the Pasadena City Council meeting.
