Grant Helps Local Dam Meet Seismic Standards
Big Tujunga Dam in Sunland will be brought up to state seismic safety standards with an $11.9-million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, county Supervisor Mike Antonovich announced.
The grant will pay for five dams in the Los Angeles area to be strengthened and protected from earthquake damage. The projects are expected to be complete in four years.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works applied for the grant after the 1994 Northridge earthquake, although none of the dams was damaged in the quake. The agency will seek bids for the projects, said Dennis Morefield, a Department of Public Works spokesman.
“Reinforcement will be a major part of the projects, but we don’t have specifics yet,” Morefield said. “It’s going to be a good way to prevent any future earthquake damage to the dams, which could be calamitous.”
Other dams that will be modified are Big Dalton Dam and Little Dalton Debris Dam in Glendora, Santa Anita Dam in Monrovia and Thompson Creek Dam in Claremont.
FEMA will pay 75% of the costs of the projects, and the rest will be allocated from county Flood Control District funds.
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