ACTIVISTS PRESS COUNTY TO KEEP PLANTS IN RIVER.Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Daily News Staff Writer With a canopy of cottonwoods as their backdrop, a group of environmentalists protested plans Friday to bulldoze bull·doze v. bull·dozed, bull·doz·ing, bull·dozes v.tr. 1. To clear, dig up, or move with a bulldozer. 2. To treat in an abusive manner; bully. 3. such plant life in local rivers because it could cause flooding if predictions for a rainy winter come true. Members of Friends of the Santa Clara River Santa Clara River may refer to:
Santa Clara (sän`tä klä`rä), city (1994 est. pop. 217,000), capital of Villa Clara prov., central Cuba. , one of Southern California's last natural rivers. ``We're here to say that there are ways to handle El Nino without clear-cutting the natural vegetation in the river,'' said SCOPE President Michael Kotch. At issue is the county Department of Public Works public works pl.n. Construction projects, such as highways or dams, financed by public funds and constructed by a government for the benefit or use of the general public. Noun 1. rush to get permits to clear waterways of brush and trees, vegetation they say could block heavy flow in the Santa Clarita Valley's normally dry rivers and cause flooding. Predictions of high rainfall have put county officials in a frenzy, rushing to obtain the necessary permits from various state and federal agencies that monitor environmental concerns and water quality. The intent is to remove all growth from the rivers, including sensitive wetland habitats. SCOPE and other environmental groups call the plan ill-conceived. ``The vegetation is actually providing natural erosion control Erosion control is the practice of preventing or controlling wind or water erosion in agriculture, land development and construction. This usually involves the creation of some sort of physical barrier, such as vegetation or rock, to absorb some of the energy of the wind or water ,'' said Jonathon Baskin, a biologist with Friends of the Santa Clara River. ``If you remove it, the river will come along and take away the land.'' Heavy erosion would prompt a public outcry and the final result would be a river banked by concrete, Baskin said. ``You'll get a concrete line and end up with the L.A. River - a concrete ditch full of weeds,'' he said. Members suggested the county lengthen the bridges that cross the Santa Clara and its tributaries, noting that flooding is caused when natural waterways are constricted con·strict v. con·strict·ed, con·strict·ing, con·stricts v.tr. 1. To make smaller or narrower by binding or squeezing. 2. To squeeze or compress. 3. . Removing non-native plants - particularly the bamboo-like arundo - would also improve water flow. They also cautioned city and county planners prohibit development in flood plains allowing water to flow more naturally. County officials view the region's river system as flood control, with the primary purpose of the waterways to collect run-off and deposit it west to river's end in Oxnard. Vegetation that has been allowed to grow over several years could cost lives, James A. Noyes, chief deputy director of the public works department Many governments worldwide have had departments or ministries referred to as the Public Works Department either formally or informally. In Australia: - New South Wales -
He has, however, disputed suggestions that only native plants be removed from river beds, noting the cost of the selective work compared to the ease of driving a bulldozer through the river beds. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: (color) Michael Kotch of the Santa Clarita Organization for Planning the Environment explains ecology activists' contention that plants can be used for flood control and erosion containment in Los Angeles County. Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News |
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