Comments on: Silver Lake, drained of life. (updated)

By: Donna Barstow

Donna Barstow — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:31:45 +0000

Love your comment, Heather, and included it in my post of July 3, called Now Playing: Silver Lake meadow will be split in two.

By: Heather

Heather — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:16:14 +0000

My beloved bird baths are empty. I live a few blocks from the Silverlake Reservoir and since it’s draining and ball filling my backyard birds have basically vanished. I’ve lived in the area since June of 1999 and during the Spring and Summer months I’ve always enjoyed daily visits from Robins, Orioles, Band-Tailed Pigeons, Blue Jays, Mockingbirds, Wild Parakeets, Ravens, Woodpeckers and even the occasional Hawk (Morning Doves and Sparrows have remained). The wonderful horn sounding squawks of ducks and geese flying over my home each morning and dusk have completely ceased. My heart is broken.

By: Donna

Donna — Fri, 02 May 2008 21:02:08 +0000

Hi, LA Girl!

I would like to know more about the snobs who didn’t want something like Rowena, which as you say, is quite beautiful. I believe it’s because Los Feliz demanded it, and Silver Lake is too sheep-ish. Can you point me as to any more details as to why SL rejected any solutions? I talked to DWP about this, and they didn’t mention they had offered it before, but then I didn’t know to ask them that…

I don’t believe anyone or anything deserves no water, no.

There are no “critters in the reservoir silt”, or you would see seagulls and ducks and water birds in your front lawn. It’s not like they make a choice what to eat, or what habitat they need. There is no safety in the lowlying roughs of the river, either.

You are right, the trees are irrigated separately. However, both reservoirs are built on groundwater, which the bigger trees need, too. And some trees need the moisture in the air from the water.

How is an artificial brick and mortar building a landmark? We takes them where we can gets them in LA.

By: LA girl

LA girl — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:07:51 +0000

The bromides, parasite laden bird feces, settling car exhaust, and other contaminants have been a problem for a long time. But because of water demand, the lake could not be drained until the bypass pipe to the new tanks in Griffith Park became operational. In the meantime, the people of South Central have been exposed to the toxins while we in Silver Lake have been drinking nice clean water out of Lake Hollywood’s sanitary steel tanks for years. All because the reactionary snobs around the lake didn’t want a beautiful park like the one at Rowena - see http://www.silverlake.org/rowena_frmset.htm - we are stuck with the butt ugly cracked asphalt cesspool that still has to be covered if people will be drinking from it.
I’m glad it is empty. It serves the silly people right for turning down the visual park LADWP offered over a decade ago.
BTW, Why would the birds want to go to Echo Park, when the river is closer? Once they pluck all the critters out of the reservoir silt, they will go to other places to eat.
How was the “water available to … trees” when it was contained in concrete? The trees are irrigated separately.
How is an artificial concrete reservoir an “environmental landmark”?

By: Donna

Donna — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 23:41:30 +0000

Thank you!

Yes, I know about that meadow plan, but I haven’t written about it yet because I need more info.

Obviously you’re quite right, we don’t need more parks. Griffith Park is the second biggest city park in the country, and woefully underused all week long. I also believe that the walkway around Silver Lake is ALREADY used as a public park, with dogs, bikers, prams, runners, and benches surrounding a pretty body of water. That meets the definition of a park.

What we are lacking is open land, and that is what the city wants to steal from…the city.

By: blogreader

blogreader — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 18:19:37 +0000

Great blog. Have you heard the city is planning on turning the meadow around Silver Lake into a Los Angeles city public park? I was quite distraught at this news as it will displace the wild coyotes that roam the grassy meadows and the natural habitat of other wild animals that call Silver Lake home? It just breaks my heart….I don’t buy the argument that “we need more parks.” Why Silver Lake? Echo Park and Griffth Park are not far away. This appears to be an especially bad move because the city appears to have a shortage of funds to *maintain* the park…So while the idea of a pristine, neighborhood park is attractive, I fear that this will really result in a trashed meadow and the irrevocable destruction of the meadow. What are your thoughts?

By: Donna

Donna — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:06:52 +0000

Thanks, Candy and Amber!

They did nothing with the water from the lake, Candy. It was a waste. Good point on the chlorine - you're right, that's the culprit right there. Care to hire out as a desperately needed consultant for the DWP?!

Actually, they did have fish at one time in there, I read. Probably the LADWP ate them all.

By: Amber

Amber — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 06:33:37 +0000

Yeah, you would think that they would take into consideration all the wildlife that has made a home on that reservoir throughout the years. I used to live in the area, and when I drove by today, I was completely grief-stricken. Such a tragedy in my eyes. Let’s hope that our local government doesn’t turn out to be as corrupt as our national government and we keep our reservoir.

By: Candy

Candy — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 21:00:45 +0000

DB,
How awful to lose your beautiful little lake! I suspect this is really all about avoiding waste through evaporation, and that more and more, water conservation will be a huge economic issue. Still, covered reservoirs are fine when created that way and landscaped, etc, but when an entire neighborhood (and, as you point out, plenty of wildlife) have grown up around the open water, it seems criminal to drain it and leave a huge concrete eyesore. (And what did they do with the water they removed from the lake?) I’m surprised the skateboarders haven’t taken over the cement pond already.

I just looked up bromide in reservoirs–seems to be a growing problem in the west, whether from sea water intrusion, high-carbon vegetable matter + chlorine, or agricultural chemical runoff. Nobody seems to be sure how to fix it, but I can’t help but wonder whether fish wouldn’t help, if the problem is (seems most likely) the vegetation (algae, dead leaves, etc.) Bromide itself is apparently no big deal, but it reacts with other chemicals (chlorine–something way too much used anyway) to become something toxic.

I hope all you silver lakers will prevail.

By: Donna

Donna — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 21:24:04 +0000

Hi, David, thanks!
Yes, especially the dead bodies part. I know I read about a girl ghost on the lake somewhere, but her bones were not to be found, I guess...

tcolberg, interesting about which side of the lake has a better layout! I never thought of it like that - I just prefer running or visiting the west side because it's much less traffic and a nice wide street. You could be right about the depth, but both the empty bottom pix were taken a few yards from each other. The silver overhanging light in the one photo is only about 7' tall, and is within the fence. But I'd be interested to see how deep you think it is over there on the east side!

By: David

David — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 19:37:30 +0000

I was kinda hoping for old cars, dead bodies, and a few mysteries solved.
But like the lake, the results were not that deep. Nice pics!

By: tcolberg

tcolberg — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 06:28:11 +0000

Before seeing your figure for the depth of the reservoir from the LATimes, I guessed it to be around 40′, based on the size of people and other objects on the opposite side in relation to the side walls.

It’s not often I get to see pictures of my house in pictures of Silver Lake as the West to East view seems to be far less scenic. To me, the west side is much more aesthetic with its seemingly random distribution of houses.