$11 Million Stormwater Project at Brookside Park Aims to Transform Pasadena’s Water Future

Pasadena’s ambitious plan to capture and clean stormwater from more than 1,100 acres of the city could reshape both water quality and supply for years to come, but residents have only until Friday to use a survey to influence how the Brookside Park project will look and function.

The $11 million initiative will enhance Parking Lot I at Brookside Park, which sits just south of the Rose Bowl, adjacent to the park.

The project will divert flows from the historic Seco Street Drain through underground treatment components before reaching an 11-acre-foot subsurface infiltration gallery. The system will improve water quality in the Arroyo Seco and Los Angeles River while simultaneously increasing Pasadena’s water supply by recharging the Raymond Basin.

“The project aims to capture, treat and infiltrate stormwater from over 1,100 acres of the city,” according to the Department of Public Works. “A portion of treated water will return to the Arroyo Seco Channel to maintain ecosystem health.”

Above-ground improvements will include bioretention cells, shade trees and vegetated bioswales to improve surface runoff pollution. These visible elements will be determined through a collaborative design process incorporating input from the community, stakeholders, and park users.

According to the Department of Public Works, the survey will help shape above-ground improvements for the project.

The Department of Public Works is leading the design with funding from the Los Angeles County Safe, Clean Water Program. The original concept’s feasibility study was funded by the city’s Measure W Local Returns.

Residents can complete the survey through August 1 at bit.ly/BrooksideParkProject or bit.ly/BrooksideParkSurvey.