Burned-Zone Runoff Project Gets Its Final Community Event at Jefferson Park

The City of Pasadena will hold the last of four public outreach events on Wednesday, July 15, asking residents to give final feedback on a project that would bury stormwater-capture infrastructure beneath Jefferson Park while reshaping the park above ground. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Jefferson Branch Library, 1500 E. Villa Street.

It is the closing session of the city’s community outreach series — and the last chance for residents to weigh in before the city aims to submit a community-supported concept by July 31 to pursue design funding for the project, which the city estimates at $16.4 million.

At the event, the Public Works Department will present a refined above-ground park design that incorporates feedback from earlier meetings, according to a city press release. Project partner Amigos de los Ríos will lead youth-based educational activities on sustainability, watershed connections, and native ecology.

The feasibility study is examining both an underground stormwater-capture system and surface improvements to the 4.4-acre park at 1501 E. Villa St., focusing on managing stormwater runoff and meeting water quality compliance while adding improvements such as new recreation areas and play structures, outdoor classrooms, and enhanced urban greening, according to the city press release. The system would target a 567-acre drainage area, roughly 85.7 percent of which lies in unincorporated Los Angeles County, including land affected by the January 2025 Eaton Fire, according to Pasadena Now and the trade publication Stormwater Solutions.

Captured runoff would be filtered to improve water quality before reaching the Rubio Wash, Rio Hondo, and Los Angeles River, according to the city’s project page. The project is one of 10 Priority 1 projects in Pasadena’s 2022 Storm Drain Master Plan.

The outreach effort is funded by a $191,180 Public Education and Community Engagement grant the city secured in June 2025 from Los Angeles County’s Safe, Clean Water Program, according to the city press release. That program was created after county voters approved Measure W in November 2018 and invests about $280 million a year in stormwater projects countywide, according to Pasadena Now and the program’s website.

“This funding is critical to ensuring the Jefferson Park project is not just environmentally effective, but also reflective of community priorities,” Greg de Vinck, the city’s director of public works, said in a city statement about the grant. “Our goal is to engage residents throughout the planning process and shape a project that delivers real, lasting benefits to Jefferson Park.”

The July 15 event follows three earlier sessions in the city’s series of bilingual community events: a guided walking tour on March 12, a pop-up on April 25 that drew about 30 attendees, and a June 9 open house that presented conceptual designs, according to the city and Pasadena Now. The city has secured $441,000 for pre-design work — $250,000 in Measure W Local Return funds plus the outreach grant — but design and construction funding has not yet been identified, according to Pasadena Now.

Residents seeking more information can visit bit.ly/JeffersonParkProject or contact the Stormwater Program Administrator at SWAdministrator@cityofpasadena.net.

The clock is the reason this session matters: after July 15, the city has just over two weeks to turn months of resident input into the concept it will submit by July 31 in its bid for design funding.