Settle Basin Trail Dispute

Most of us suffered some sort of aquatic indignity during last winter’s heavy and consistent rains. A leaky roof. Drowned flowers. Most of us have also long since cleaned up the mess left by El Nino storms. But the city of Los Angeles has yet to finish--or, for that matter, really begin--restoring a popular trail around the Sepulveda Basin.

Half of the 3.5-mile dirt path has been closed since February, forcing joggers and walkers to risk a fine by jumping the fences or simply to stop traversing their favorite course through one of the San Fernando Valley’s last big open spaces. Ignoring the dangers of the uneven trail is unwise. So is leaving the trail untended.

City officials argue that the delay stems from a dispute with the Federal Emergency Management Agency over how much repairs should cost. The city’s estimate is nearly five times higher than FEMA’s. In the meantime, a public resource lies wasted. FEMA and the city have agreed to discuss reconciling their estimates. That’s a good start and the two should agree quickly on a settlement so work can begin.

Long-term, though, the city should ease its dependence on FEMA for repairs to an area that is designed to flood in heavy rains. In essence, the basin is a giant drain that prevents flood waters from overwhelming populated areas. Yet since 1992, the city has spent $2.6 million in federal money to clean up messes left by flood waters in the basin, which also serves as a vast public park. FEMA’s upcoming Project Impact is designed to teach communities how to minimize damage in areas prone to disasters. The basin is a prime candidate for participation in the program.

Getting the current mess cleaned up should be the first priority, reopening a public asset to the people who pay for it. Then, the city and FEMA should work together with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a strategy that protects trails in the basin from all but the worst flooding. It’s clear that the techniques developed in earlier decades--before Valley development sharply increased storm runoff--are diminishingly effective. Opening the basin’s trails and keeping them open demands cooperation and investment. Neither the federal nor the local government should dally.