City Invites Residents to Walk the Site of a Major Stormwater Project at Brookside Park

The city wants Pasadena residents to put on walking shoes and see for themselves what a regional stormwater capture system would look like — at the actual site where it would be built.

The Department of Public Works will host an interactive walking experience on Friday, April 17, at Parking Lot I in Brookside Park, just south of the Rose Bowl, where the proposed Brookside Park Stormwater Capture Project would install underground infrastructure to capture, treat, and infiltrate runoff from more than 1,100 acres of the city. Facilitated walking groups will depart every 15 minutes from 10 a.m. to noon, with visual displays along the route illustrating possible project features, according to a city press release issued April 7.

The project aims to divert stormwater and dry weather runoff from the Seco Street Drain through below-ground treatment components before reaching a subsurface infiltration gallery beneath the parking lot, according to the Department of Public Works. A portion of treated water would be returned to the Arroyo Seco Channel. The system is designed to recharge the Raymond Basin, a 40-square-mile aquifer beneath Pasadena and neighboring communities that supplies roughly one-third of the city’s water, according to Pasadena Water and Power.

Pasadena City Councilmember Tyron Hampton, who represents District 1 where Brookside Park is located, will attend the April 17 event, the city said.

The walking experience is a companion to a separate Design-Focused Meeting on Wednesday, April 22, from 3 to 6:30 p.m. in the Mediterranean Room at the Brookside Golf Club, 1133 Rosemont Ave. That indoor session will feature a refined project design and demonstrate how nature-based solutions, including a proposed bioswale habitat, are incorporated into the plan, according to the city. Earth Day themed activities and refreshments will be provided. Parking for the April 22 event is available in Lot CH, Lot D, and along Rosemont Avenue.

The Department of Public Works is leading the design with funding from the Los Angeles County Safe, Clean Water Program, a Measure W initiative approved by county voters in 2018 that provides dedicated funding for stormwater capture, water quality improvement, and public health protection, according to the city.

The two events are the latest in a series of public outreach efforts for the project. Previous engagement activities included events at Kidspace in April 2025, a nature walk and trash clean-up at Lower Arroyo Park in May 2025, and a public information meeting at La Casita Del Arroyo in November 2025, according to the city’s project page.

The April 17 interactive experience will be held at Brookside Park, Parking Lot I, 360 N. Arroyo Blvd. For more information, visit bit.ly/BrooksideParkProject or contact the Stormwater Program Administrator at SWAdministrator@cityofpasadena.net. The City Service Center can be reached at (626) 744-7311, Monday through Friday during business hours.

The drainage area for the project covers approximately 1,166 acres, most of it within the City of Pasadena, according to the Department of Public Works. Community input gathered at both events will inform the final design.