Dominguez Channel to Receive Federal Monies and Improvements

At the March 22 city council meeting in Carson, Los Angeles County Public Works director Mark Pestrella gave a report on improvements coming to the Dominguez Channel.

He started his report by noting that following rains up until that date, LA County Flood Control had conserved enough water to supply 2.1 million people for a year. We have a lot of snow lies or major damage to properties throughout LA County, including Carson. There have been 12 storms so far this season, producing more than double the average rainfall for LA County. 

Pestrella also told the city council that Los Angeles County and the City of Carson coordinated with Rep. Nanette  Barragán’s office to successfully secure an appropriation item within the 2025 Water Resource Development Act, which was recently signed into law by President Joe Biden. The act allocated $103 million to Los Angeles County for projects like the Dominguez Channel project with the aim of stormwater abatement and improving other water-related infrastructure in the county. Though not all of the $103 million was designated for the Dominguez Channel, it was, however, designated as a qualifying project inside the bill. Pestrella explained that this meant that the federal government made a commitment to do a watershed-wide assessment of the LA area and other areas that feed water into the Dominguez Channel, and to assess improvements to flood mitigation, stormwater capture and other environmental improvements along the channel. 

Pestrella said his staff will be working with the City of Carson to go after money specific to the Dominguez Channel. That includes the County of Los Angeles sponsoring a project with the city that would incorporate Carson’s bikeway plans, as well as a Greenway project in and along Dominguez Channel. That study has been already underway and is under analysis by Pestrella’s office which provides analysis of the current conditions of the channel, including the physical conditions, its hydraulic capacity, and the quality of the water in the channel. 

Pestrella said his staff would be engaging with Carson’s city staff on outreach and preparing to do community outreach.

While Mayor Lula Davis Holmes and Councilman Jim Dear praised the county’s public works director, Councilman Cedric Hicks suggested that public meetings regarding the Greenway parks be on Saturday evenings to allow for the greatest degree of public input on the project. 

“The first thing we want to do is educate the community about this infrastructure. What its function is; and how it operates with current conditions are,” he said. “That work will be done and is already commencing and will be done over the next several months throughout the summer and the beginning of the fall.” 

Pestrella said a public outreach campaign surrounding the greenway project will begin in 2024. The Greenway project is expected to be delivered by 2025.