Suit Seeks to Bar Subway Tunneling in Hollywood Hills

Subway opponents filed a suit Monday seeking to block tunneling through the Hollywood Hills, contending that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has failed to comply with state and federal environmental laws.

The groups, Rescue Our Canyons and Friends of Runyon Canyon, are seeking to stop the digging 200 to 970 feet below Runyon Canyon Park--a former retreat of swashbuckling 1940s film star Errol Flynn--until a federal judge can determine whether the MTA has adequately studied the environmental impact.

Critics contend that the tunneling--including draining more than 3.5 million gallons of water from the ground and setting off 140,000 pounds of explosives--will destroy a habitat for animals and an urban oasis for humans. Drilling is scheduled to begin by the end of April.

“If what they did to Hollywood Boulevard is any indication, they will be even more callous toward the natural environment,” said state Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica), who joined subway critics at a news conference.

MTA officials had no comment on the lawsuit. No date has been set for a court hearing.

Attorney Jan Chatten-Brown, who filed the suit, contended that taking water from the ground to build the tunnels will lower the water table below the park by at least 50 feet, drying up a source of water for plants and wildlife.

The suit asks a judge to determine whether the MTA and its chief funding partner, the U.S. Department of Transportation, have complied with a provision of federal law.

That provision prohibits using parkland or historic sites for transit projects unless there is no feasible alternative and “all possible measures to mitigate harm to the land have been adopted.”

“The MTA puts that subway above everything--safety and environmental issues,” said Marylane Farris, a Hollywood Hills resident. “They’re just leaving a path of destruction behind them.”