As I read Jimy Tallal’s article on the various plans to remove the Rindge Dam, I found that I had been less than clear about what I am advocating.
I am in favor of the solution that relies solely on the action of the creek to carry the sand, silt and rocks trapped behind the dam to the ocean over a period of 50 or more years. This would be done by removing a portion of the dam wall (say, the top eight or 10 feet) and waiting for one of the twice-a-decade rain events to flush out the upper portion of the trapped sand. The action would then be repeated to prepare for the next major rain event until the dam is gone and the stream runs unencumbered.
The advantage of this approach is that there would be no trucks to the coast on Malibu Canyon Road and a drastically reduced amount of concrete dam debris to be trucked to the landfill in any given year.
As the sand, silt and rocks are transported by the force of the running stream to the ocean over the course of 50 or more years, State Parks will have ample opportunity to monitor its progress and step in on an as-needed basis to prevent flooding by stream bed modification, rather than erecting 10-foot storm walls along the creek.
This solution is not preferred by either the Army Corps of Engineers or State Parks, but was analyzed in the Integrated Feasibility Report.
Paul Grisanti