 |
HOME |  |
SCHEDULE | |
PROGRAMS | |
KIDS & FAMILY | |
LOCAL | |
SUPPORT KCET | |
ABOUT US | |
SHOP KCET |  |
| About Us | Contact Us | |
 |
|
 |
          |
|
|
 |
 |
||
|
|
Life & Times Transcript
07/07/06 Val Zavala>> Tonight on Life and Times -- It's an ideal recreation spot, but this popular lake has a problem. It's very close to an earthquake fault. Richard Sanchez>> There are areas in the foundation of this structure that do not have adequate strength when subjected to a major earthquake. Val Zavala>> And then, a remote canyon in Malibu is the site for a standoff. Which should be saved? An historic dam or an endangered fish? It's all straight ahead on tonight's Life and Times. Announcer>> Life and Times is made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Val Zavala>> Welcome to this special edition of Life and Times where we take a look at something that we couldn't live without and yet we never seem to have enough: water. You may never have been to Lake Perris, but millions of southern Californians have. It's a man-made reservoir about eighty miles southeast of Los Angeles and it attracts swimmers, boaters and fishermen who love to come to its shores. The only problem is, there's going to be a lot less of Lake Perris to love. Roger Cooper headed to Riverside County to find out why. Roger Cooper>> It's a picture perfect day on Lake Perris. Looking out at its blue waters, you'd never suspect that Lake Perris has problems. Sailboats still glide across its surface. Jet skis churn up that surface. Fish get nabbed and boat after boat is backed down the launch ramp. A whole lot of people love Lake Perris. Ron Krueger>> We have 1.1 million people annually attend this park. Roger Cooper>> And on the weekends? Ron Krueger>> On any given weekend between Memorial Day and Labor Day on a Saturday, we might have fifteen thousand people in the park. Roger Cooper>> But a radical change is in store for this popular lake. Officials have determined they have no choice but to pull the plug and drain a large amount of water from the lake. The draining process has already started and, when it's done in October, a whopping forty-two percent of the water will have been taken out of Lake Perris. The lake's surface will shrink by almost twenty percent to the area shown in lighter blue. The shoreline will move out to where you see these buoys and the water level will drop twenty-five feet, a distance equal to the height of this lifeguard tower we asked Park Superintendent Ron Krueger to stand beside for scale. So why? Why does Lake Perris have to shrink? The answer lies deep inside the earthen dam they built to create this lake. The state did a study on Perris Dam recently and the results were a little scary. Richard Sanchez is an engineer with the Department of Water Resources. Richard Sanchez>> We found, after extensive exploration and study, that there are areas in the foundation of this structure that do not have adequate strength when subjected to a major earthquake in the vicinity. Roger Cooper>> And we're not too far from a fault? Richard Sanchez>> No, we're not. Actually, the controlling fault is the San Jacinto fault zone and that's only five miles away from this site. Roger Cooper>> A failure of Perris Dam could send lake water rushing toward the thousands of homes built right below the dam and produce problems all the way to Prado Dam near the Orange County line. Susan Sims of the California Department of Water Resources says that's why the state is wasting no time in taking out water. Susan Sims>> The bottom line is that we get the water level down low enough that, in the event of a major earthquake, there's enough room between the top of the water and where we think the dam possibly could slump so that there wouldn't be an uncontrolled release downstream. Roger Cooper>> State engineers say there is no immediate danger, but as a precaution, they want to prepare for the day a 7.5 quake might jolt through the lake. Susan Sims>> But in the course of the next several weeks, we'll be getting the lake level down low enough so that we think that, even if that were to happen, there is plenty of room in the lake for the water to stay within the footprint of the reservoir. Roger Cooper>> Mayor, what did you think the first time you heard they were going to drain your lake? Mayor Daryl Busch>> Well, we were caught a little surprised because we didn't know it was coming. Roger Cooper>> Daryl Bush, the Mayor of Perris, has lived around this lake for the last thirty years. And on the other side of that dam over there, building of houses has taken off. Mayor Daryl Busch>> That's the major portion of the building in our city right now, what's on the other side of the dam. But when we started building and we approved those buildings, there was no knowledge of any weaknesses in the dam. Of course, the city is concerned, but I don't think it's what we would call a problem at this point. They recognize that they have an issue. They're doing all the research and studies to make sure that nothing happens, and one of them is lowering the water on the dam. Roger Cooper>> Lake Perris may look like it's been here forever, but it was created thirty years ago when this spot in Riverside County looked like this. The dam was finished in the early 1970's and water was allowed to flood in and the new lake filled up. Now Lake Perris is regressing part of the way back to how it once looked. The draining process had started only the day before our visit, but already visible was what park employees call the lake's bathtub ring, left behind as the water level drops. As you would expect, you can't lower the water level twenty-five feet without triggering some serious changes. Ron Krueger>> Well, with the reduction of the lake, we will be reducing the surface acres. So for public safety, we have to reduce the number of boats that'll be able to recreate on the lake. So we're looking at about a hundred fifty to two hundred vessels less than we normally have on the lake. Four hundred fifty vessels are usually on the lake at any one given time on a busy Saturday or Sunday. Now we'll have to carry about maybe two hundred to two hundred fifty vessels on the lake. The Moreno Beach swim area will be pretty much high and dry, so it will be closed, but we will also have the Perris swim beach available for the public to swim in. Roger Cooper>> The water is gradually being released through this hundred foot high outlet tower ending up in the water supply distributed to southern California. And that brings up another consideration. Lake Perris is the southernmost component in the vast California Water Project, the six hundred mile system of aqueducts and reservoirs that brings in our water from northern California. Will shrinking this lake create a shortage in our water supply? The Chairman of the Metropolitan Water District, Wes Bannister, says no. Wes Bannister>> It should have very little effect on our water supply, Roger. It's a dent, but it won't be critical. Roger Cooper>> Where there will be an impact is on the local economy which could shrink a little along with the lake. Ron Krueger>> We expect about maybe a fifteen to twenty percent reduction in the number of total park attendance, so we're still looking at maybe nine hundred thousand people still coming and visiting the lake. Realistically, I guess you could equate that twenty percent reduction in the number of visitors as just a number less spending in the immediate area around the area just outside the park at gas stations and stores and whatnot. Roger Cooper>> Lowering the lake is just the first step. Once it's down by forty-two percent, engineers will begin the long and costly process of figuring out how to reinforce the dam. At any rate, this is not a short-term fix? This will take some time? Richard Sanchez>> That's totally correct. This is going to take years to resolve. Mayor Daryl Bush>> I understand this could take up to ten years for this all to happen, so the lake could be reduced in size for a long period of time. Ron Krueger>> We're still eighty percent full and that means, you know, we still have many activities here at the park for people to enjoy and have a well-rounded quality recreational experience. Roger Cooper>> What do you think they'll find when the water drops? Mayor Daryl Busch>> I don't know (laughter). That would be interesting. I never thought about that. Roger Cooper>> No old outboard motors or rubber boots? Ron Krueger>> We might find a couple of those. Roger Cooper>> Eventually, Lake Perris can refill again to its current levels. At least that's what boaters and business owners hope. In the meantime, the residents of Perris seem resigned to living for the next decade with less lake and more land. Just part of life in earthquake country. On Lake Perris, I'm Roger Cooper for Life and Times. Announcer>> Kcet.org is the place to look for the very latest on Life and Times. You'll find previews of upcoming stories, transcripts and audio of past episodes and links to some of our most interesting features. Just go to kcet.org and click on "Life and Times". Val Zavala>> Some people don't believe we have one. Others have heard of it, but have never seen it. I'm talking about the Los Angeles River and there are grand plans for this river, everything from a greenbelt to riverfront housing. So what will the future course of the Los Angeles River be? Toni Guinyard takes a look at some competing proposals. Ed Reyes>> We need to wake up. We need to understand that we have a very real river here. Melanie Winter>> This is the river and this is where our water comes from and water is life. Toni Guinyard>> Fifty-one miles long, the Los Angeles River twists and turns, snaking its way through city after city. Those who celebrate the river see it as much more than how it's viewed by some critics, a drainage ditch, an ugly cement reinforced flood control channel. Ed Reyes>> Why did we chain the river the way we do? Why did we encase it? Why did we keep it? Why did we bridle it to the point where we almost destroyed it? This is not a sewer. This is not just an encased glorified water hole. It really is a river that used to have life and it's up to us to bring it back. Toni Guinyard>> Los Angeles City Council member, Ed Reyes, is among those who talk about the waterway as if it's a person complete with mood swings and attitude. At times angry, demanding attention, more often than not, largely ignored, quiet and calm. Ed Reyes>> We encased it in cement. We killed it. Now it's fighting for its own life. You can see here now the trees, the shrubbery, the flora and fauna bursting through the cement. You see ducks, you see egrets, you see natural wildlife. We're not going to beat nature. Nature is going to beat us. Toni Guinyard>> Reyes says it's time to work with nature and time to stop debating over whether the river is really a river and start working on revitalization projects. He chairs the city's Los Angeles River ad hoc committee and now, nearly a decade after the original river master plan was developed, the city is ready to move forward. Tom Labonge>> We are starting to see a change taken, instead of putting our backs to the river, to face the river. Shelly Backlar>> It's all coming together in some really exciting ways. Toni Guinyard>> Shelly Backlar is Executive Director of the advocacy group, Friends of the Los Angeles River. Its members have long served as the river's voice. Shelly Backlar>> Our broadest goal has always been to bring people to the river, but also to create parkland from the headwaters in the San Fernando Valley all the way down to Long Beach at the mouth of the Los Angeles River. Toni Guinyard>> For so many years, a lot of different ideas have been presented about how best to bring life back to the river and how to bring the river back to life. But one thing that all sides may agree on is that the Los Angeles River has been severely neglected for way too long and it's time to do something about it. Melanie Winter>> This river gave birth to Los Angeles. The river is the reason Los Angeles is and turning our backs to it and treating it like a sewer and ignoring it is like treating your momma that way. Toni Guinyard>> One of the most outspoken supporters of this fifty-one mile long waterway is Melanie Winter, founder and Director of The River Project. Melanie Winter>> This river connects us all and to be able to go from neighborhood to neighborhood walking or biking is something that we lack in Los Angeles. And to do that along a green corridor, along a living body of water, is something that's vital and missing here. If we can remove the concrete from the river while maintaining flood protection, because that's possible, in the areas that we can do that, this should be a priority. Toni Guinyard>> The challenge is reaching a consensus on river revitalization. The city's river ad hoc committee is working to ensure the people living in communities the river winds through will be represented in decisions made. Joe Turner>> As I was a youngster sixty-five years ago, we had green spaces. We had free-running water through the river. Now it's all cement. And I'm looking at a possibility one day of seeing a gondola going down the river. I'm going down to the river and going to enjoy myself. That's a heck of an impact, I know, but that's what I look forward to seeing. Ed Reyes>> Why not make these under-used lands viable? Why not create a mix that talks about natural habitats, natural environments, while creating new opportunities for housing, for commercial development? Melanie Winter>> You don't say, but we need housing, so we need it there. No, there are other places to put housing and there are ways to accommodate people other than the sprawl that we're accustomed to here. And, yes, certainly when you've got a revitalized river, you're going to want housing nearby that or people are going to want to live near that because that becomes attractive, but people don't want to live near a concrete ditch. Toni Guinyard>> There is clear conflict over how to proceed, but there is also renewed enthusiasm. Shelly Backlar>> I think the thing is -- and it's hard to articulate -- but it's just that feeling that you get when you walk along the river and you see the power lines and you see the industrialization and you know that there are freeways there, but then you see a heron or, you know, some mallards fly over and you see the life and you see that they can coexist. Toni Guinyard>> Using the Los Feliz Riverwalk as a backdrop, the city has launched a campaign to educate the public about the river and the proposed revitalization projects. Ed Reyes>> There's going to be a lot of tension, granted, but I'm not afraid of trying to generate this level of excitement and controversy that's going to result in an environment that's going to clean our natural elements, set up a future for our grandchildren and also cause relief from the pressures of these very dense areas along the river corridor. Toni Guinyard>> Do you have that same expectation that this is going to be a tough process? Melanie Winter>> Expectation? I have going on a decade of experience. It is a tough process (laughter). There are a lot of different opinions about the river. Toni Guinyard>> The effort to understand the river and its role in southern California led us to artist, Lane Barden, and his aerial photography exhibit, the Los Angeles River fifty-two miles downstream. Lane Barden>> My approach to this project was to look at what I was seeing and simply be amazed by it. Toni Guinyard>> The Southern California Institute of Architecture teacher captured fifty images of the river from beginning to end. Each photograph was shot downstream from an altitude of five hundred feet. Lane Barden>> The convergence of lines, the way the river undulates through the landscape, to me there's beauty there. Toni Guinyard>> Barden was able to capture from the air what can only be seen in bits and pieces from the ground. Lane Barden>> This is where the concrete in the bottom of the channel ends and it continues like that with no concrete in the bottom, with a natural stream bed, all the way around this curve. Toni Guinyard>> And he has his own idea of what can be done to bring life back to the river. Lane Barden>> I would like to see first a large project downtown that would temporarily dam the river with an inflatable dam to create a public space that would be a kind of performance space, a waterway. Ed Reyes>> I think there's room for everyone along the fifty-one miles. There is. Yes, you'll have purists at both ends. You'll have those that are just total natural settings and those who want commercialized everything. There has to be a balance. Toni Guinyard>> Where are you? Ed Reyes>> I'm in the balancing point. Melanie Winter>> This is a partnership effort and it's going to take us all working together. But if we're working at cross-purposes, it's just going to be such a waste of resources. Toni Guinyard>> Despite the difference in opinions, the effort is fueled by a sense of need to give the public an opportunity that was lost long ago. Melanie Winter>> Just coming down and sticking your toes in the river or sitting by the river bank, having a place to sit and reflect and enjoy and watch and learn. Toni Guinyard>> I'm Toni Guinyard for Life and Times. Announcer>> To send a comment or a question to our program, you can reach us by mail at this address: Life and Times 4401 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90027 You can also call our viewer comment line (323) 953-5555) or contact us the fast way by e-mail at kcet.org. Val Zavala>> You've probably never seen it, but along Malibu Creek, there's a dam. It's big, old and, environmentalists say, useless. And they say, as long as the dam is there, it will prevent the return of steelhead trout to the river. So should the dam be destroyed? As Hena Cuevas tells us, it's costly, complicated and the question is, is a fish worth it? Hena Cuevas>> It's hard to believe that Malibu, with one of the priciest real estate prices in the state, used to be farm country. Back in 1892, these thirteen thousand acres were called the Malibu Ranch, owned by the Frederick Rindge family. In the 1930's, they slowly started selling portions of the property, paving the way for modern day Malibu. Glen Howell>> The name Rindge is so important to Malibu. It's almost like you can't say Malibu without saying Rindge. Hena Cuevas>> Glen Howell is a docent at the Malibu Lagoon Museum. He says the history of the area and the Rindge family are closely inter-connected. Unfortunately, he says nothing in Malibu has the Rindge family name on it except this dam which they built in 1924 to irrigate their crops and provide water to the area. Glen Howell>> It's probably the best built dam in America and it's a unique structure. There's no dam quite built like that dam. Hena Cuevas>> The Rindge Dam is one hundred feet high with a concrete arch structure and a spillway next to it. Just off of Malibu Canyon Road, very few people have heard of it or even know where it is. Glen Howell>> Its location is very remote. It's very difficult to get to it. It's way up the canyon and there's no trail. Hena Cuevas>> But they're slowly hearing about it because now this eighty year old structure is at the center of an environmental controversy. Jim Edmondson>> The Rindge Dam has been a public nuisance since 1953 when it stopped storing water and providing that resource for the community of Malibu. Hena Cuevas>> Jim Edmondson is a member of California Trout, one of the organizations that wants the dam to go. He says the dam has outlived its purpose since Malibu was connected to the Los Angeles water supply in the 1950's. Jim Edmondson>> Today it's causing the erosion of the beaches and hurting the local economy and it's also preventing a very important fish from migrating upstream to its headwaters and it is now an endangered species in a big part because of this dam. Hena Cuevas>> The fish is the steelhead trout, a federally endangered species. They can be found in most of the streams flowing into the ocean from San Luis Obispo County north. Like salmon, they're born in fresh water and travel to the ocean to complete their growth. They then return to their native fresh water, but unlike salmon, they don't die after spawning and can reproduce again. According to Edmondson, steelhead trout used to number in the hundreds in these waters. Jim Edmondson>> Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy didn't have to go to Alaska. They came to Malibu Creek. Hena Cuevas>> That is, until the construction of the Rindge Dam which, he argues, is keeping the trout from going upstream. Jim Edmondson>> It's prevented the fish from using over ninety-five percent of the stream. They're trapped now here in the lower two miles of Malibu Creek. It's a hundred ten square mile watershed and they're only using just a small fraction of it. Suzanne Goode>> Well, this is a great spot because we're looking directly down into Malibu Canyon and you can see the water coming over the spillway of the dam. Hena Cuevas>> Suzanne Goode is an ecologist with California State Parks. She fears there might only be about fifty steelhead left. Suzanne Goode>> Eventually they make their way all the way back down to the lagoon again and spend a few months in the lagoon getting used to the brackish waters there before they venture out into the ocean. Hena Cuevas>> But even that number of fish isn't enough to help the population that's currently living there? Suzanne Goode>> It really isn't. I believe they're probably on the decline because they really aren't able to produce enough offspring because they don't have enough area in which to reproduce. Hena Cuevas>> Goode says these particular steelhead are important because they've been able to adapt to the waters of southern California. Suzanne Goode>> If the global warming really starts to take hold and all of the northern streams get too warm for the steelhead there, these steelhead that we have here may be the only ones that are able to survive in a warmer climate. Hena Cuevas>> But getting rid of the dam hasn't been easy. Descendants of the Rindge family are fighting to preserve it even though they no longer own the property. Some like Howell argue that the dam is important because of what it did for the area. Glen Howell>> It has a significant historical role in the development of Malibu and this unique family that owned Malibu until through the 1930's. So from that standpoint, there are those that think it should be on the National Register of Historic Places, like this house. Hena Cuevas>> The house he's referring to is the Adamson Museum. It was the beach home built in 1930 by Frederick Rindge's daughter, Rhoda Rindge, and her husband, Merritt Adamson. The Rindge Dam provided water to the house. Glen Howell>> And it has a little tag on it that says "Dam Water". Hena Cuevas>> But has the family been able to make a connection that, because the house is an historical monument and is connected via the valve there, the dam should also be considered part of it? Glen Howell>> They are certainly making a case for that and, in my mind, there's a strong case. Hena Cuevas>> And destroying the dam is not a simple proposition. It may have some unintended consequences. One of the side effects of building the dam is that it kept a lot of the sediment from the creek from making it to the ocean and, throughout the decades, it limited the size of the beaches all along Malibu. If the dam were to be removed, all of the sediment could make it back to the ocean. The giant reservoir is about ninety percent full of silt and rock and, according to recent tests, forty percent is considered contaminated by the runoff from urban development upstream. There is also concern about the consequences of releasing all of that pent-up material. Suzanne Goode>> One of the ways that we considered that we might remove the dam is to let the stream do the work of removing the sediment. But if the stream should happen to drop a lot of sediment adjacent to someone's home, then that could cause flooding and that's something that we cannot allow to happen. Hena Cuevas>> It's estimated that demolishing the dam would take about five years and cost forty million dollars and, according to Edmondson, it would result in more steelhead trout. Jim Edmondson>> Studies indicate that we can increase the population by at least one hundred fifty percent by removing this dam. Hena Cuevas>> That sounds like a lot, but if there are only an estimated fifty trout to begin with, their numbers would increase to only one hundred twenty-five. For Howell, that's just too much money for too few fish. Glen Howell>> Why spend all the money that it would take to tear it down? So that's one very clear issue. So I'd say that's probably, in my mind, economics. It just doesn't make sense to spend that much money. Suzanne Goode>> Well, if it is decided that the dam should come down and that it's feasible, I don't think you can really put a price tag on that. What is it worth to have the grizzly bear, for instance? What is it worth to have the trout? It's really priceless. Jim Edmondson>> They are on the brink of extinction. It's time for us to decide. Do we save them for our children or do we wave goodbye? Hena Cuevas>> For Goode, this is an example of the modern dilemma. Do you preserve history or help save an endangered species? Suzanne Goode>> Sometimes we have to make difficult decisions and perhaps sacrifice one a little bit for the sake of the other. Hena Cuevas>> In 1999, State Parks together with the Army Corps of Engineers began a two million dollar feasibility study to determine if removing the dam would be the best way to return the trout to these waters. The study should be finished this year and the next step will be to design a plan on how to best tear the structure down. Glen Howell>> If this dam was to be torn down and people were to know the significance of what's being torn down, I don't think it would end there. I respect their feelings. They're good people. We just have different views and we're trying to work through a common solution and a compromise. Hena Cuevas>> But in this case, finding a compromise may be harder than swimming upstream. I'm Hena Cuevas for Life and Times. Val Zavala>> And that's our program. I'm Val Zavala. For everyone at Life and Times, thanks for watching. We'll see you next time. Announcer>> Life and Times was made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Sponsored in part by:  | |
|
Home | Features | Arts | Health/Science | OC Edition | L&T Blog | Archives | About Us | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use |