Basin Served Its Purpose

In a recent letter to the editor, Ken P. Johnson opined that the Army Corps of Engineers “can’t handle one inch of rain in the Sepulveda Basin” and asked if there was a general out there.

Much more than one inch of rainfall--exceeding six inches in some areas--came down the Los Angeles River in a matter of about two hours during the February storm. Such precipitation rates, occurring an average of only once in 100 years, will cause serious flood damage if permitted to flow unchecked to the ocean. The Sepulveda Dam and other similar dams in Los Angeles County exist to prevent such damage.

The basin’s flooding in February was exactly what was supposed to happen. Millions of dollars were spent in the 1940s to make sure that it would.

Perhaps Johnson, accustomed to seeing a dry basin, has forgotten its purpose. It would be deplorable if the corps couldn’t handle one inch of rain, but in February, it successfully handled very much more than that.

Without a general.

RONALD F. BRUSHA, Glendale