2 Lakes at Hansen Dam to Reopen This Summer

The long-delayed restoration of Hansen Dam Recreation Area, once the site of a popular lake done in by sediment and neglect, is expected to be completed by midsummer, officials said Monday.

As a result, swimmers, anglers and boaters will be able to enjoy two new lakes that will have cost $15.8 million. They will be completed in June, and are expected to open by late July or early August, pending approval by the Los Angeles County health department, officials said.

“It’s been a series of planning and replanning, but we’re almost there,” said Edward Louie, project manager for the Army Corps of Engineers. The swimming lake will have filtered, chlorinated water and a maximum depth of five feet. The boating and fishing lake will be up to 13 feet deep. In total, 42 acres within the 1,400-acre park were renovated to make way for the lakes, which were paid for with city, county and federal money.

The park was once a bustling area where families from throughout Los Angeles spent their summer weekends. It opened as a city-run recreation area in 1949, complete with a sandy beach and a boat ramp on a 120-acre lake.

But over the years, water from Tujunga Wash poured silt into the lake. By 1982, the lake had turned to muck. It was never dredged and had to be closed. Without it, the park fell into disrepair. Families stopped coming. Gangs, drug dealers and transients moved in.

Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Mission Hills) made restoration of the area a campaign promise during his initial run for Congress during the early 1980s. He sponsored legislation that expanded the role of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from flood control to include recreation projects.

Still, the project nearly died more than once, and was plagued with problems for more than a decade. By the time it got back on track, the costs had jumped to more than $14 million.

“As you all know, it’s taken a long time to get to this point,” Berman said. “Government doesn’t always move quickly, but we do move.”