Pasadena Dam To Get Massive Mud Cleanup

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Authorities plan to remove 25,000 cubic yards of mud and debris from behind a Pasadena dam -- a fraction of the muck that washed down blackened slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains after the 2009 Station wildfire.

The Los Angeles Times reports Monday that crews will start work next month in a basin behind the Devil's Gate dam. They'll clear built-up debris to keep discharge valves from clogging next winter.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles County will continue studying options for removing 1.5 million yards of sediment and debris. Much of it was washed down by storms after the fire that ravaged 250 square miles of forest northeast of Los Angeles.

Authorities wanted to start removing all the mud this summer but the plan was halted in March when county supervisors ordered an environmental impact study.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)