slope stability

HOLLYWOOD - A chunk of hillside gave way this morning in a neighborhood near the Hollywood Bowl, triggered by a broken pipe, a sprinkler system, or saturation from recent rains, according to Los Angeles Fire Department officials.

The slide dumped 10 to 15 cubic yards of mud and dirt onto Los Tilos Road and moved a parked sport utility vehicle a short distance but it damaged no homes.

Whatever triggered the slide, water ran freely from a ruptured pipe on the slope for at least two hours after the slide was reported.



The slide in the 7000 block of Los Tilos Road occurred about 5:30 a.m., Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said.

Linda Chapman, 63, of Roseville, was staying in her father's former home on Los Tilos Road. She said a crashing sound awoke her and she thought it was a car wreck. When she looked outside, she saw a mound of soil and vegetation piled up against a red Jeep Grand Cherokee, which was pushed onto a sidewalk.

"I woke up my husband," she said. "I thought it was a car crash."



Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Robert Rosario said the slide appeared to have been triggered by a broken water line or a sprinkler system that might have been inadvertently left on all night.

Humphrey said it appeared a 1-inch PVC pipe, possibly a private irrigation line, ruptured. But he also raised the possibility the line may have broken as a result of the slide, rather than being the cause of it.



Rosario estimated the slide at 10 to 15 cubic yards of material. By about 6:30 a.m., firefighters thought they had stopped the flow of water, but that apparently was not the case.

The slide affected access to about two dozen homes, Humphrey said. That section of the road was closed. Stranded residents were taking taxis from the clear section of the road, Humphrey said.



A Building and Safety inspector at the scene said he was considering "yellow-tagging" a downslope home.

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On scene reporting and photos by Guy McCarthy. More images here.

san gabriel storm

Cucamonga and neighbors 8:25 a.m. Sunday



Runoff from Arroyo Seco emerges from Devil's Gate 7:02 a.m. Sunday



Devil's Gate dam keeper's tower 6:58 a.m. Sunday



Arroyo Seco with JPL and burned slopes in distance 6:55 a.m. Sunday



Dawn from Angeles Crest Highway below closure 6:23 a.m. Sunday



Ducks on Arroyo Seco north of Devil's Gate 8:14 a.m. Saturday



Debris flow on Angeles Crest Highway 7:21 a.m. Saturday

More images here.

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snow burn

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST - Snow on higher elevations in the Station Fire burned areas this winter will be a concern only when it melts - whether by direct sun or warm rains.



"It's all a concern when it turns to water," said Forest spokesman Stanton Florea. "This is a typical snowfall for this time of year. Our biggest three months for precipitation in order are January, February and March. This is just the beginning."



In the meantime the sight of white snow on denuded brown and black mountainsides this morning was striking, and traffic on the Angeles Crest Highway was minimal. There was ice on many of the shaded curves but the road was open beyond Newcomb's Ranch.

More images are here.

arroyo negro

DEVIL'S GATE - The Arroyo Seco was running black today.

From the top of Devil's Gate Dam, dark mud and water ran south out of the San Gabriel Mountains and the Station Fire burned areas, through the dam works to eventually meet the Los Angeles River.

Barbara Ellis, 60, was walking her Australian shepherd Abby, and she described what she saw after a downpour today as a tragedy. From the crest of Devil's Gate she looked down at the blackness moving towards the dam.

"I was watching the little cliffs of mud and ash collapsing with a splash, and thinking of the movie '2012,' " Ellis said. "It's a film about the end of the world. I'm afraid this looks a little like the end of the world, in miniature."

Ellis said she could smell an "acrid, smokey smell, straight from the fire" coming off the water and mud running through the Devil's Gate works to emerge in a jet stream headed south.

"The Arroyo Seco's been my favorite place to walk since I came here 10 years ago," Ellis said. "This Station Fire is a major tragedy. It's destroyed habitat that will take 70 years to recover in some cases.

"Now we see the mud and ash coming down and choking off the existing life down here," she said. "It's backed up Flintridge Creek, the drainage that comes off the Verdugo Hills."

Los Angeles County public works officials spent several days in November cleaning out floating debris that washed into the reservoir, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Layers of black ash and mud were still visible today, possibly from the unexpected storm in mid-November that unleashed debris flows above Ocean View Boulevard in La Cañada-Flintridge, Ellis said.

"All this blackness didn't come down here today," Ellis said. "You can see layers of it collapsing into the runoff now. It's like oil in a way. Such a shame."

A video of the runoff emerging from Devil's Gate is posted here. More photos are posted here.



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cucamonga

The editor of LA Observed was kind enough to post this image late Sunday. When I initially shared the image I neglected to point out I was in south Riverside when I took it. Click on the image to see it larger.

The photo is named for Cucamonga Peak, the highest in the image. From LA it has a distinctive profile that sets it apart from others on the range front.

According to "Trails of the Angeles" author John W. Robinson the word "cucamonga" is derived from Shoshone for "sandy place" or "place of many springs." There is also a story about a chief sending his wayward daughter to the summit to serve penance for what he perceived to be passionate misdeeds. I'm not sure where that one comes from.

Cucamonga Peak and the Cucamonga Wilderness, designated wilderness by Congress in 1964, are part of the San Gabriel Mountains. But due to federal mapping of the local mountain forests, the east San Gabriels are considered part of the San Bernardino National Forest. The border between the Angeles and SBdo forests is at the LA-San Bdo county line, and one of the trailheads for Cucamonga Peak is just outside Baldy Village above Claremont.

Robinson in his wisdom makes the range whole again by including the east San Gabriels in "Trails of the Angeles."

Watershed News has been mentioned on LA Observed before. Here's a list from the site's search engine. It's about time I said a proper thank you.

According to the site, "LA Observed is an award-winning website devoted to independent reporting, informed commentary and selective linkage on the Los Angeles region and the news media. The site went live in May 2003 and is read daily by an elite audience of journalists, executives, government officials, politicians, authors, bloggers and others interested in the public life of Los Angeles."

The LA Observed post for this image is here.

Watershed News is now pleased to offer prints of any image you find on this site, aside from the few courtesy photos shared by others. If you are looking for affordable Christmas gifts this year, consider giving an image taken by an award-winning journalist. See my profile for a brief mention of awards. If you don't find an image here on this site that suits you, there are others on my flickr stream.

Even if you find the images to be average at best, you can always justify the affordable cost by knowing you are helping finance a site that up to now has been strictly non-profit. Did I say "affordable" enough times? Good. Contact me at guymccar@gmail.com if you are interested.

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Here's another image from this afternoon:


From San Timoteo Canyon near the junction with Live Oak Canyon, east Redlands, San Bernardino Peak, Yucaipa Ridge, and San Gorgonio high country were visible this afternoon. The high mountains were shrouded in storm clouds all day Sunday.

wet forecast

Station Fire burned area courtesy NASA/JPL/Caltech

By Guy McCarthy

A Pacific storm is expected to bring the first widespread rains to southwest California since the Station Fire burned 250 square miles in the San Gabriel Mountains above Los Angeles in August and September, according to the National Weather Service.

A strong storm system - especially for October - will begin moving into northern and central California late Monday, and "considerable remnant moisture from former western Pacific Typhoon Melor is expected to be pulled into this system," according to a special weather statement issued this afternoon by Oxnard-based forecasters.


Lower Big Tujunga Canyon on Oct. 1

As of Sunday afternoon, the storm appeared to be bringing significant rainfall to southwest California, along with the possibility of mud and debris flows across recent burn areas, the Weather Service stated.

The heaviest rainfalls over Ventura and Los Angeles counties can be expected Tuesday night and Wednesday, with preliminary estimates of 2 to 4 inches in the foothills and mountains. Locally higher amounts are possible in mountain areas, according to the Weather Service.

Along with heavy rainfall, strong southeast to south winds Tuesday and Wednesday may bring gusts up to 55 mph in some mountain areas.


Detail map of burn areas including portion of Station Fire,
courtesy Los Angeles County Department of Public Works

"With the expected heavy rainfall across Southern California, there will be a threat of flash flooding and debris flows near recent burn areas," the Weather Service stated. "Flash flood watches for the burn areas may be issued within the next 24 hours."

Residents of southwest California, especially those with property in and around recently burned areas, should stay tuned to weather forecasts and statements as this Pacific draws closer to the region, the Weather Service advised.

Rainstorms this year in the area burned by the Station Fire have the potential to trigger debris flows that may impact neighborhoods at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, as well as areas in Big Tujunga Canyon, Pacoima Canyon, Arroyo Seco, West Fork of the San Gabriel River, and Devils Canyon, according to an assessment released five days ago by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Triggered by storm rainfall, debris flows can travel faster than a grown person can run, creating a dangerous situation that may occur with little to no notice, according to USGS Research Geologist Susan Cannon. The powerful force of rushing water, soil, and rocks can destroy culverts, bridges, roadways, and structures and can cause injury or death.

The USGS assessment found that some watersheds in the Station Fire burn area could generate debris flows containing up to 100,000 cubic yards of material — large enough to cover an American football field 60 feet deep with mud and rock.



The deadly debris flows that occurred following the 2003 Old and Grand Prix fires in San Bernardino County are an example of what could happen this year in or below Station Fire burned areas, according to the USGS.

"People may remember that 16 people were killed by debris flows during the Christmas Day storm in 2003, but few realize that those were only two debris flows out of the hundreds that were triggered from the burned area," Cannon said.

"Nearly every burned watershed produced destructive debris flows or floods in response to that storm," Cannon said. "Some of the areas burned by the Station Fire show the highest likelihood for big debris flows that I’ve ever seen."

The full USGS report on Station Fire debris flow hazards is here.

The USGS report "Emergency Assessment of Debris-Flow Hazards from Basins Burned by the Grand Prix and Old Fires of 2003, Southern California" is available here.

Survivors' accounts from the Christmas 2003 tragedies are here.

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san gabriels

Looking south from Angeles Crest Highway Oct. 1.

By Guy McCarthy

The wind-driven Sheep Fire on the east end of the San Gabriel Mountains forced officials to call for mandatory evacuations earlier today in Wrightwood in San Bernardino County.

Further west in the same mountain range, the 250-square-mile burned areas of the still-smoldering Station Fire remain a primary concern for many Los Angeles city and county residents.


Above Big Tujunga Dam Oct. 1.

A report by the U.S. Geological Survey detailing probability, volume and location of possible post-fire erosion events in and below the Station Fire burned areas is expected to be released to the public this week, according to Sue Cannon, a USGS project manager based in Golden, Colo.

"We hope to have it available online for the public at the same time we make an announcement," Cannon said in a recent phone interview.

Cannon helped lead a team six years ago that prepared a similar report within weeks of the October 2003 Old and Grand Prix fires, which denuded a 40-mile mountain front from Upland, below the east San Gabriels, to Highland, below the San Bernardino Mountains.


Lower Big Tujunga Canyon Oct. 1.

The need for timely and accurate assessment of post-fire dangers was underscored on Christmas Day 2003, when torrential rains on burned watersheds unleashed flash floods and debris flows that killed 16 people -- including nine children -- in Waterman and Cable canyons just outside the city of San Bernardino.

"The urbanized areas below the Station Fire are of course a focus of the report," Cannon said. "But as we learned in 2003, the interior canyons are especially vulnerable."

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