Let’s Create an Oasis

The Donald Tillman water reclamation plant behind the Sepulveda Dam at the intersection of the Ventura and San Diego freeways is alive and functioning fine. Aside from the small amount of reclaimed water used at its top-notch Japanese garden, 40 million gallons of pure industrial/agricultural-grade water are dumped into the Los Angeles River every day.

Not too far away, completely accessible by public land, lies Sepulveda Pass, joining the Valley and West L.A. What an incredible opportunity for our political leaders to create, at very small expense (the land and water are free), an arboretum for the long-suffering motorists.

Imagine the Sepulveda Pass with flowering trees, waterfalls, wildflowers, etc. The inevitable traffic jams might even become partially tolerable, and the arboretum would surely become world-famous. The administrative problems, e.g., the land is state-owned, the water city-owned, is what we pay our administrators to figure out.

If enough of us write the mayor, it could become a reality.

ALLAN E. EDWARDS

Sherman Oaks