Rindge Dam is a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

Malibu Creek Malibu Creek is a year-round stream in western Los Angeles County, California. It drains the southern Conejo Valley and Simi Hills, flowing south through the Santa Monica Mountains, and enters Santa Monica Bay in Malibu, California. The Malibu C ...

in the

Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains is a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. Because of its proximity to densely populated regions, it is one of the most visited natural areas in ...

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

. Located in

Malibu Creek State Park Malibu Creek State Park is a state park of California, United States, preserving the Malibu Creek canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains. The park was established in 1974. Opened to the public in 1976, the park is also a component of Santa Monic ...

, it sits just northeast of Malibu Canyon Road, and is partially visible from the turnouts south of the tunnel.

History

The dam was built by hired workers of May Knight Rindge, who owned the Malibu Ranch, the former

Rancho Topanga Malibu Sequit Rancho Topanga Malibu Sequit was a Spanish land grant in the Santa Monica Mountains and adjacent coast, within present day Los Angeles County, California. It was given by Spanish Governor José Joaquín de Arrillaga in 1804 to José Bartolomé T ...

, at that time. The frame of the dam was constructed using rails from the Hueneme, Malibu and Port Los Angeles Railway, which was a 15-mile railroad that May Rindge built through the Malibu Ranch. The dual walls of the dam were built into an already-existing rock monolith in the center of Malibu Creek; the only place they meet is at the top. The main concrete arch of the Rindge Dam was completed in 1924. The spillway of the dam was finished in 1926. The behind the dam have been completely filled with sediment since circa 1950, which creates a waterfall from Malibu Creek. The dam became incorporated into Malibu Creek State Park in 1976.

Proposed removal

Fish advocates have called for the dam's removal because it is blocking

Steelhead trout Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the common name of the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or redband trout (O. m. gairdneri). Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific basin in Northeast Asia and N ...

from accessing the upper reaches of the Malibu Creek watershed. Others have campaigned in vain for the designation of the Rindge Dam as a

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...

. The Rindge Dam is property of the

California Department of Parks and Recreation The California Department of Parks and Recreation, more commonly known as California State Parks, manages the California state parks system. The system administers 279 separate park units on 1.4 million acres (570,000 hectares), with over 280 ...

and the structure has been in disrepair for decades. The dam was declared off-limits to the public in 2014. The US House of Representatives authorized a dam removal study in 1992. The US Army Corps of Engineers released a draft in January 2017, entitled the "Malibu Creek Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study". Estimates for the cost of demolition have been as high as $80 million. On March 9 2018, the

California Coastal Commission The California Coastal Commission (CCC) is a state agency within the California Natural Resources Agency with quasi-judicial control of land and public access along the state's coastline. Its mission as defined in the California Coastal Act is " ...

endorsed a plan to remove Rindge Dam. The Plan, developed by the Army Corps of Engineers, proposes removing the dam arch and spillway, along with 780,000 cubic yards of sediment impounded behind the dam. Approximately 278,000 cubic yards of clean sandy sediments would be removed by truck to

Ventura Harbor Ventura, officially named San Buenaventura (Spanish for "Saint Bonaventure"), is a city on the Southern Coast of California and the county seat of Ventura County. The population was 110,763 at the 2020 census. Ventura is a popular tourist ...

, tested for pollution, and then deposited by barge in shallow ocean waters near the mouth of Malibu Creek, east of Malibu Pier. The sediment will be placed to avoid damage to nearshore kelp beds, and to allow the sand to eventually move shoreward and downshore to replenish nearby beaches. The remaining sediment would be deposited in the Calabasas Landfill. The project would also modify or remove barriers, mostly culverts under roads, that block fish migration on the Cold Creek and Las Virgenes Creek tributaries of Malibu Creek upstream from the dam. The project would start in 2025, and take eight years to complete. Risks associated with the dam removal project include risk of slope instability where the dam and sediments are removed, and an increased risk of flooding downstream from the dam. Downstream neighbors and the City of Malibu have expressed concern about these risks. In 2019

California Trout California Trout is a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) conservation group with a mission to ensure resilient wild fish in California waters. California Trout have three conservation initiatives focused on: * Strongholds * Source Water Areas * Wild ...

listed Rindge Dam as one of its top five priorities for dam removal, along with Scott Dam on the Eel River in Potter Valley,

Matilija Dam Matilija Dam is a concrete arch dam in Ventura County, California, completed in 1947. Designed for water storage and flood control, it impounds Matilija Creek to create the Matilija Reservoir in the Los Padres National Forest, south of the Matil ...

near Ojai, four hydroelectric dams on the

Klamath River The Klamath River (Karuk: ''Ishkêesh'', Klamath: ''Koke'', Yurok: ''Hehlkeek 'We-Roy'') flows through Oregon and northern California in the United States, emptying into the Pacific Ocean. By average discharge, the Klamath is the second larges ...

, and Searsville Dam above

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

."Top Five California Dams Out." ''California Trout''. Accessed July 7 2019

/ref> The 1947 Matilija Dam, in the

Los Padres National Forest Los Padres National Forest is a United States national forest in Southern California, southern and central California. Administered by the United States Forest Service, Los Padres includes most of the mountainous land along the California coast ...

north of

Ojai Ojai ( ; Chumash: ''’Awhaỳ'') is a city in Ventura County, California. Located in the Ojai Valley, it is northwest of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara. The valley is part of the east–west trending Western Transverse Ranges and is ...

also blocks steelhead trout spawning grounds and is planned for removal. Designed for water storage and flood control on Matilija Creek, it no longer performs either since it has silted up.

References

External links

{{LA County dams Dams in Los Angeles County, California Dams completed in 1926 United States state-owned dams Santa Monica Mountains Buildings and structures in Malibu, California

History

Proposed removal

See also

References

External links