PASADENA — Plans to remove up to 4 million cubic yards of dirt from behind Devil's Gate Dam are provoking concerns about the destruction of wilderness, heavy truck traffic and the possible presence of Native American remains.
More than 60 people — including members of the Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians worried that bones of their ancestors may have mingled with sediment deposits behind the dam — gathered Wednesday at the Rose Bowl for a meeting that kicked off a two-year environmental review process ordered by the county. A second public meeting is set for 9 a.m. Saturday in the cafeteria at La Cañada High School, 4463 Oak Grove Drive in La Cañada Flintridge.
The study will determine the size of the dig after weighing impacts on Hahamongna Watershed Park and surrounding neighborhoods. Excavation behind Devil's Gate would begin in spring 2014 and could continue for five years, according to Los Angeles County Department of Public Works officials.