Tujunga Wash Greenway and Stream Restoration

About the Program

Category: County Resiliency (Best in Category)

Year: 2009

Tujunga Wash is a nine-mile rectangular channel constructed between 1950 and 1952 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It conveys storm runoff from the 225-square mile watershed to the Wash’s confluence with the Los Angeles River which outfalls to the Pacific Ocean. The channel flows through highly urbanized residential and commercial areas within the City of Los Angeles. Outside of flood control, the concrete lined channel offers very little benefit to the community and environment. With involvement of the community and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, the scope of the project was established. The goal was to create a greenway and naturalized stream course on the bank of the channel; heavily landscape both sides of the channel with native trees, shrubs, and perennials. They also wanted to construct pathways for people to walk and jog, and install various turnouts and educational exhibits. The design was to put these all within a one-mile direction of the existing flood control right-of-way. The plans were to mimic the project on the remaining 8 miles. The project provides open space recreation, habitat restoration, stream restoration, water quality improvement, groundwater recharge, and educational signage to an area in dire need of these benefits.