LA HABRA : Plan Would Beautify Flood Channel

People who live near Imperial Highway may soon see fencing and beautification work along a portion of the county flood control channel.

The channel, on the south side of Imperial Highway, has been an eyesore to residents since 1991 when the county began construction of a flood control waterway.

To correct the problem and lessen the noise spilling into adjoining neighborhoods from Imperial Highway, La Habra City Council members recently approved a county plan to build a sidewalk, a block and chain-link fence and shrubbery along the channel from Euclid Street to Lakeview Avenue.

The project will cost the county about $150,000.

Caltrans must approve the work, which is next to a state road, before it can begin.

Francisco Alonso, of the county Environmental Management Agency, said he expects approval within a month and construction to begin in July and be done by October.

City Manager Lee Risner said the city is pleased with the plan, as are the residents of the Landmark and Classic homes neighborhoods, which adjoin the channel.

The proposed four-foot-wide sidewalk will meander along the channel, and vines will be planted to cover the walls.

“I think (the channel) is going to look more like a linear park,” Alonso said. “When the project is complete, it will beautify the area and block out some noise, that’s for sure.”