Crescenta Valley, CA

By Mary O’KEEFE

Just as we were getting used to the rain—it started to snow. Over the weekend many throughout Southern California were surprised, and delighted, to see beautiful, huge flakes of snow falling from the sky without the help of Hollywood special effects.

Some may have remembered the snow “storm” in 1989 in Los Angeles and Ventura counties that had surfers taking photos of snow on Malibu beaches but Saturday’s snow seemed to be something for the record books.

“The [Angeles] Crest was closed due to mud and rock slides,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Jonathan Boyd.

That was due to the rain that preceded the snow, then with the snowfall the roads remained closed and more closures were added.

As of Wednesday Angeles Crest Highway SR 2 was closed from Islip Saddle to 2.6 miles west of Big Pine, and from the LA/San Bernardino County line to the Junction of SR 138 due to snow. Chains are required on many roads as well and conditions change quickly. To get information on roads go to roads.dot.ca.gov or call (800) 427-7623.

“A lot of the major roads [in the Angeles National Forest] were closed over the weekend,” said Dana Dierkes, Angele National Forest spokesperson.

Over the weekend Montrose Search and Rescue (MSAR) had one activation to the Mount Wilson area, when one of the facility managers at the top asked for assistance because water was flooding an area that had sensitive electrical equipment, said Sgt. John Gilbert, LA Sheriff’s Dept. MSAR coordinator.

“We responded along with LA County Fire. The road conditions were so poor, none of us were able to make it up there. The snow was too deep. Thankfully the issue began to resolve itself and the response was canceled,” Gilbert added.

Three homes in La Cañada Flintridge were severely affected by the rainy weather on Sunday with a mudslide.

LA County Fire Station 82 responded to the 460 block of Paulette Place, along with deputies from the CV Sheriff Station.

“Shortly after 4 p.m. [on Sunday], firefighters responded to the area of Paulette Place and Paradise Canyon Lane in the City of La Cañada Flintridge for a reported mud/debris flow incident. Upon arrival, firefighters found that the hillside behind two residences on Paulette Place gave way resulting in mud and debris flow into the rear of two homes, significantly damaging one residence. The home at the top of the hillside on Noren Street was undamaged. This incident likely occurred sometime between early Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon when the residents returned home and called 911,” said Maria Grycan, LACoFD spokeswoman.

La Cañada Flintridge Building and Safety responded and yellow-tagged two residences on Paulette Place. The residence on Noren was not tagged, said Susan Koleda, director of community development at the City of La Cañada Flintridge.

Koleda explained that yellow tagging means that part of the house has been deemed uninhabitable, but not all of the house had been determined unsafe.

The weekend rainfall and snowfall totals were impressive. According to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), from Thursday through Sunday La Cañada Flintridge recorded 9.29 inches of rain, Pasadena had 8.11 inches and Eagle Rock Reservoir had 8.14. La Crescenta saw 2 inches of snow in the 2000 to 1500 foot elevation, Mt. Wilson saw 40 inches of snow, and the highest snowfall in the area was at Mountain High with 93 inches of snow.

There was a small window of drying out on Sunday, then Monday night through Wednesday there was more rain with La Cañada Flintridge recording 2.32 inches. There was snow as well in the area but it melted quickly.

The rest of the week, according to NOAA, should be dryer through the weekend but another storm may be making its way toward Southern California by early next week.

Last night through this morning the National Weather Service has issued a Frost Advisory, as it is going to be cold with wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour. The Advisory is from last night at 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. today.

Gilbert wants to remind those who may want to travel up the Crest or take a winter hike that conditions are constantly changing.

“The conditions have been so tough that rescues cannot be guaranteed. We normally do not have these issues since our weather is favorable for our response or a helicopter extraction. As of late, helicopters are not able to go through the clouds and our ground travel is extremely delayed,” Gilbert said.

And for those who are not going to the mountains but just driving on the roadways and highways during the rain storms CHP reminds drivers to just slow down.

“When it comes to conditions like [the recent rainfall] people may or may not know how water builds up on the freeway creating [puddles] that build especially on elevated runways and walls,” Boyd said.

He added that carpool lanes along with lanes one and four on the freeways can be dangerous as water pools form there that are not seen until the vehicle’s tires go into the water.

Boyd said CHP receives numerous calls concerning spin-outs due to drivers losing control in these kinds of conditions.

In addition to the rain and snow there has been a lot of fog. Boyd reminds drivers to keep their headlights on low beams and not to stop on the roadway unless it is an emergency.

“Try not to drive through standing water and be cautious when using your brakes when driving in snow and ice,” he said. “And simply slow down.”

updated 1:55

Statement from LASD – CV Sheriff’s Station:

***Update Regarding Crescenta Valley High School***

Crescenta Valley Station, in conjunction with Crescenta Valley High School, is currently evacuating students to Christ Armenian Church [Highlands Church]. The address is 4441 La Crescenta Ave., La Crescenta, Ca, 91214.

Parents of students may reunite at that location.

This evacuation is precautionary in nature. This was triggered when an unauthorized person failed to check in on campus with a large duffel bag. Numerous law enforcement resources are on-scene to keep the community safe.

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updated 1:47

According to Captain Robert Hahnlein of the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station, sheriff personnel believe the individual is no longer on campus but CV Sheriff’s Station personnel will sweep the campus to be sure.

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updated 1:31

All students are being directed to the parking lot of Highlands Church at Dyer and Mary streets. Before being released, they will first go through a check out process with their emergency contact information. Tables are set up at the parking lot.

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updated 1:07

According to Captain Robert Hahnlein of the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station, students are being directed to go to the church parking lot at Dyer Street and Mary Street.

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updated 12:50 p.m.

An “orderly dismissal” of students is being conducted at Crescenta Valley High School. Students are being released from the gate in the 4300 block of Ramsdell Avenue. According to superintendent Dr. Vivian Ekchian, there is no danger on the campus.

According to CV Sheriff’s Station captain Robert Hahnlein, “We will be doing a systematic search of the school. Our helicopter will also be above the school assisting us.”

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updated 12:19 p.m.

Northbound La Crescenta Avenue north of the freeway has been shut down to vehicular traffic.

Both lanes of traffic on Ramsdell Avenues from Community Avenue south to the freeway overpass (south of the school) have been shut down to all traffic. Community Avenue from Ramsdell Avenue to Glenwood Avenue is currently closed to all traffic.

A knot of parents is currently at the scene of the school.

According to Sgt. Gilbert of the CV Sheriff’s Station, extra patrols from neighboring stations, including from Altadena, are on scene searching for the individual. A helicopter is also flying overhead.

Students have been told to “ignore the bell” when it rings and to remain sheltered in place.

Crescenta Valley High School students and staff are presently under a precautionary shelter-in-place. A person was seen walking onto campus without checking in.

There have been no threats made, the shelter-in-place is out of an abundance of caution because they take the safety of the students very seriously, according to GUSD Superintendent Dr. Vivian Ekchian.

During its tour, the CVWD reviewed the history of water in the Valley and shared some possible future insights.

By Charly SHELTON

The Crescenta Valley is shaped by water. In a physical sense by the erosion of the mountains by rain, in a cultural sense by the ever-present reminders and memorials of major floods from the 1930s and, more recently, in the 2010s after the Station Fire. In a more basic sense, the settlement here was established around multiple wells and natural springs that flow from the mountain. Water in Southern California is the most precious resource and one that is dwindling as we face the coming aridification of the West.

Last week, the Crescenta Valley Water District, in conjunction with the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley, led a tour of several of its reservoir sites and wells to talk about the past, present and future of water in the Crescenta Valley. Led by David Gould, director of Engineering and Operations for CVWD, the tour consisted of multiple locations across CVWD’s properties in the area, which are usually behind locked fences.

In looking to the past, guests were taken to Pickens Canyon to see a rock tunnel that was cut by hand 500 feet into the mountainside more than 100 years ago. This tunnel leads to a natural spring deep within the rock that is a source of approximately 30,000 gallons of water each day for the CVWD. The water is retrieved from the spring and held in the on-site reservoir tank for distribution to local homes. One home in particular has grandfathered-in rights to the spring and owns 1/12^th of the water rights from it so their water is taken directly from the spring and stored in a privately-owned tank for personal use.

For the present, Gould detailed all of the protections put in place to keep the water flowing in case of a natural disaster. These include rubber joints on pipes that flex with an earthquake and seismic sensors on reservoir tanks for shutting off flow in the event of shaking. And beyond natural disasters, the modern conveniences of computer monitoring from the office or from home make it quick and easy to check on water flow levels, cleanliness standards and more. Back in the 1930s, right after the Glenwood Well was drilled at the site of a lake, the operators needed to live on-site to work the machinery and monitor it around the clock. When the larger facility was built in 1972, the houses of the workers were removed to accommodate the facility and, gradually, the off-site monitoring equipment was installed.

Looking to the future, Gould detailed a new project in the works at Crescenta Valley Park. In the Verdugo Wash, an estimated 500 acre feet of water flows through on low-flow days when there is a drizzle, fog or light rain. The suggested project will see inflatable dams installed inside the wash which, during low-flow days, will expand to catch and divert the flow into an infiltration gallery beneath Crescenta Valley Park’s play area and baseball field. This will help to recapture the water into the groundwater basin rather than sending it out through the drains to the ocean. Then, during storms or other high-flow events that have more water than can be absorbed by the gallery, the dams will be deflated to allow the excess water to drain off and keep the flood risk low. Above the infiltration gallery, on the surface of the project area once it is completed, Gould suggests a native garden in the empty spaces around the play area, as well as turning the lower part of Dunsmore Avenue into a green street to allow the rain to seep through the pavement and be recaptured. This project has been in the works for the last 10 years, and the District is currently seeking the proper funding sources for this $4 million project.

This hatch protects the entrance to the tunnel and is only opened by CVWD personnel to check on the spring and perform maintenance.

“However,” Gould said, “what we’re trying to find are partners. The park is owned by LA County Parks and Rec. The streets are owned by the City of Glendale. So we’re trying to work with them and partner them together. And the City of Los Angeles says [it has] rights to all of this water. So right now those are three things that are going on within the park that we’re trying to battle. It’s going a little slower than I’d like it to go, but we’re trying to get it going anyway. This would be a perfect area.”

A recording of this CVWD/HSCV has been made and will soon be available on the CVWD website for any interested residents to view.

A major storm system caused havoc in the Southland.

By Mary O’KEEFE

The recent California storms brought a lot of rainfall, flooding and tragedy with at least 17 deaths reported across the state.

In Southern California this most recent storm, which hit hardest Monday through Tuesday, brought mud onto a lot of roadways resulting in the shutdown of the Golden State (5) Freeway near Lankershim Boulevard. Flooding was reported on roadways late afternoon on Monday, which slowed traffic.

“On [Tuesday], the 5 north flooded and we had a hard closure for a couple of hours,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Jonathan Boyd.

And there were mudslides along Angeles Crest Highway that, as of Wednesday, was open up to mile marker 64, Boyd said.

The two-day rainfall total through 3 p.m. Tuesday was 5.38 inches in La Cañada Flintridge. For the same period, Pasadena saw 5.41 inches, the Eagle Rock Reservoir recorded 5.9 inches and one of the largest total rainfall amounts was 18.31 inches recorded at Nordhoff Ridge Road in Ventura County, according to David Sweet, NOAA.

There was a lot of rain and, although it didn’t wipe out the nearly two decades of drought California has experienced, it did help replenish reservoirs with most filling to 75% of normal, he added.

“The reservoir near Cachuma Lake in Santa Barbara County went from 30% to 80%,” Sweet said.

Caltrans was prepared for the downpour, and depending on how much rain was expected, had workers working 24 hours – two shifts of 12 hours each.

“These crews are [ready] to respond to emergencies,” said Eric Menjivar, spokesman for Caltrans.

This storm brought a lot of flooding across LA County that crews responded to including a lot of collisions on the roadways.

“We had multiple slides on Angeles Crest Highway to Angeles Forest Highway,” he said.

Because the highway in ANF is only two lanes in most areas, one rockfall can close the entire road.

“The rain was just not stopping and that [created] a problem,” he said. “Lankershim on the northbound 5 [freeway] got flooded a few times Monday and Tuesday and we had all lanes shut down.”

And then Caltrans had to shut down a couple of southbound lanes in the same area due to the amount of rain. Caltrans had its pumps out to control the flooding but they were not working fast enough.

The rain has stopped but Caltrans is preparing for the next storms, even though they are expected to be weaker systems.

As always, there are safety precautions that drivers need to take. The first is not to be on the roadways at all if they do not need to be; however, if it is inescapable the main thing for drivers to remember is to slow down.

“Oftentimes people will [think] because the speed limit is 65 [miles per hour] they can continue to drive 65 in inclement weather,” Boyd said. “But the speed limit isn’t the safe limit. The public may not [realize] that it only takes less than an inch of water to lose traction and hydroplane.”

Boyd said CHP had responded to numerous spin-outs in which vehicles slammed into medians or guardrails.

“And it never fails: in inclement weather we get back-to-back calls for overturned vehicles,” he said. “It doesn’t seem that drivers’ habits change.”

Boyd urged drivers to slow down, especially during inclement weather, and to realize hydroplaning can happen with only a little rain. Also even though the rain has stopped it does not mean the roads are dry; they are still slick in areas.

“We recommend that motorists, before a rain event, try to get their errands done before [the storm] and if you have to go out to drive in the rain for work or [appointments] plan ahead and give yourself extra time,” Menjivar said. “Slow down to protect our workers who are responding to incidents of flooding and other types of conditions on the roadway.”

Equally important is that when windshield wipers are on, headlights must be on. This law, as stated in California Vehicle Code 24400, took effect in January 2008. “Headlights” means “headlights” not just the “running lights” newer cars have – a good reason for this is that with headlights on, your taillights are on, too, improving visibility for those drives behind you.

To get up-to-date information on road closures follow Caltrans District 7 @caltransdist7 on Twitter or go to Caltrans quick map at quickmap.dot.ca.gov. Caltrans QuickMap can be downloaded from the app store.

By Mary O’KEEFE

According to a AAA survey conducted last year, a quarter of US consumers plan to go electric for their next vehicle purchase.

Electric Vehicles (EVs) are still a fraction of the vehicle sales in the US but the trend is growing. Although the price tag for a new EV may be daunting to some, many in the AAA survey said they would consider buying a used EV.

One of the concerns for those who have purchased, or are thinking of purchasing an EV, has been the lack of charging stations but cities and businesses are moving to improve that issue.

And last year AAA launched a pilot program offering roadside charging for EVs in 16 metro areas.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) and Caltrans are partnering to implement the federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, which allocates $5 billion to the states to create a nationwide, interconnected network of DC fast chargers along the National Highway System. California’s share will be $384 million over five years, according to CEC.

DC fast chargers convert AC power to DC power within the charging station to deliver DC power directly to the battery, which makes it a faster charging system.

Keeping up with the EVs, Glendale Water and Power (GWP) recently installed 25 new EV chargers in the Glendale Marketplace parking structure located at 120 S. Artsakh Street.

“We have a plan for GWP customers as we embrace the electric vehicle market,” said Herbert Garcia, GWP public benefits marketing manager.

GWP plans to adopt more charging stations.

“We want to foster this seamlessly,” Garcia said of adding more charging stations. “We want to accommodate residents [as well as] people who are visiting Glendale.”

The City and GWP want to see curbside charging stations as well as placing them in multifamily residential units.

“We are looking into installing some in south Glendale where there are a lot of multifamily [units],” he added.

The City is also looking at other areas including Montrose for new charging stations.

Garcia said he understood the concerns drivers have of where to charge their vehicle, for both those who have already purchased or are thinking of purchasing an EV.

The buyers are more likely to purchase an EV if they feel comfortable they are going to find charging stations, he added.

“That is [called] range anxiety, [meaning] how far can I go on a charge,” he said. “We want them to visit Glendale and eliminate that range anxiety.”

This anxiety is nothing new to the motor vehicle owners. When gasoline powered vehicles were just coming into use, finding a gas station was not always easy prompting many drivers to keep a can of gasoline in the vehicle as they traveled.

“With Glendale’s EV population nearly tripling since 2016, and growth expected in the coming years, installing EV chargers has been one of GWP’s top priorities, making the installation of these 25 new chargers a huge success. GWP also has incentive programs for their customers, including the GWP Charging Station Rebate, and the Off-Peak EV Charging Rebate Program, which gives customers $8/month in rebates for charging during off-peak hours,” according to a GWP statement.

Visit GlendaleCA.gov/ElectricVehicles to learn more about EV programs offered by GWP. You can also visit EV.GlendaleWaterandPower.com to view the EV Buyer’s Guide and access the EV charging stations map.

The chargers are not free, drivers will pay 20 cents per kWh. The final cost depends entirely on the size of battery and how low the battery charge is. The charging stations do accept Apple Pay and credit cards.

The 25 new charging stations bring Glendale’s total public chargers to 47.