State to Pay for Study of Rockslide at Waterfalls
State officials said Monday they plan to pay for an engineering study that will examine alternatives for removing thousands of tons of rocks and debris that buried six historic Rubio Canyon waterfalls after a construction accident.
The state Office of Emergency Services will pay the entire $62,000 cost of the study and then seek reimbursement from agencies that are eventually held responsible for last year’s rockslide, said state Sen. Adam B. Schiff, a Burbank Democrat.
Environmentalists have complained that blasting for a water pipe repair project triggered the avalanche. The resulting 100-foot pile of boulders has prompted fears of future downstream flooding in Altadena neighborhoods.
Schiff became involved after taking an Oct. 16 inspection hike of the canyon. Citing safety concerns, federal Forest Service officials have since closed the canyon to hikers, said Paul Ayers, an environmentalist who led that outing.
“I don’t think the Forest Service wants anyone to see the corpse,” Ayers said Monday of the slide site.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
