Historic Status Urged for Silver Lake Reservoir

Los Angeles Councilman Michael Woo said he will push for designation of the Silver Lake Reservoir in Los Angeles as a cultural-historic monument to prevent damage to its scenic quality by efforts to improve its water quality.

At a news conference recently, Woo pledged to muster scientific and political support on behalf of residents who oppose plans by the Department of Water and Power to cover a portion of the spectacular body of water nestled among one of the city’s finest collections of domestic architecture.

Although the DWP considers Silver Lake too large to cover, it is investigating a plan to cover the smaller Ivanhoe Reservoir, a continuation of the lake’s shoreline to the north, separated only by a slender dam.

The DWP’s plans, being formulated to meet anticipated tightening of state and federal drinking water standards, also include the possible covering of reservoirs in Elysian Park, the Hollywood Hills and Pacific Palisades.

For the moment, Woo’s most concrete weapon is the proposal for historic-cultural status “to protect the reservoir the same way we would protect a historic building.”