Subway’s Impact on Environment
In The Times Valley Edition on Feb. 25, John Diaz of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy expressed his concerns about environmental impacts of the Metro Rail subway tunnels now under construction between Universal City and Hollywood (“MTA Approach to Subway Plan Disturbing”).
He neglected to mention that the conservancy did not participate in the environmental process as it went forward between 1986 and 1989, when the Environmental Impact Review was certified. The EIR is valid and meets all federal requirements.
Nevertheless, the MTA is responding to public concerns and is working to further reduce any impacts on the environment by:
* Limiting the use of explosives to only the special underground facilities to be built in the hardest rock. These areas are largely under open space, not under homes.
* Grouting to greatly reduce water discharge from the tunnels.
* Hiring a botanist to monitor the effects of tunneling on vegetation on private property and in Runyon Canyon Park.
* Assigning a full-time ombudsperson authorized to resolve complaints.
* Establishing a separate property homeowners insurance program for those over the alignment.
It is regrettable that Diaz relied on distortions to make his case. He said the purpose of the vent shaft, which has been deferred, was to provide an emergency escape route for passengers and a ventilation system for the methane exhaust of subway trains. In fact, the electrically powered trains produce zero emissions, and in event of emergency, passengers would evacuate the trains by walking out of the tunnels on a walkway built into the side of the tunnel.
Additional venting capability will eventually be necessary to guarantee adequate emergency ventilation when the system reaches full capacity in the second decade of the 21st century. However, the MTA has committed that a vertical shaft in Runyon Canyon Park is among the options to be considered.
STANLEY G. PHERNAMBUCQ
Phernambucq is executive officer, construction, for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority
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