Drilling to save lake at Arboretum

The first step towards potentially restoring Baldwin Lake to its one-time ecological and visual beauty and health took place recently with the drilling for sediment samples from the deepest parts of the popular Los Angeles County Arboretum attraction.

Most of those parts are not near as deep now as they once were, which does not allow for a healthy eco-system in the man-made picture-esque body of water surrounding the front and side of the famous Queen Anne Cottage.

The Arboretum’s contracted engineering firm TetraTech of Pasadena began work early on July 21, 2015, floating a barge out to a handful of points in the lake. Using a Vibracore drill, a long tube was pushed down as far as possible — sometimes just six or seven feet and sometimes as much as 15-18 feet. Each time the sediment samples gathered in the tube was brought back to shore, extracted and carefully stored and refrigerated. Over the coming weeks it is being analyzed, with a report forthcoming.

Presumably, at one-time there was a lining on the floor of the lake, but Arboretum CEO Richard Schulhof said no one knows that for sure, or what it may have been made of, or what kind of shape it is in.

Officials from the non-profit Arboretum Foundation and the volunteer Save Baldwin Lake Task Force also hope to ultimately restore the historic retaining walls that surround the lake. Tetra Tech also measured the current depth/capacity of Baldwin Lake – it is now a mere two feet. That means that a good rain would rapidly overwhelm the lake’s capacity and further undermine the already de-stabilized shoreline, including the remaining historic retaining walls, according to Sandy Snider, chairman of the Save Baldwin Lake Task Force.

Margaux Viera (L) observes the proceedings with Arboretum CEO Richard Schulhof. Listening in is Pam Warner (center), a member of the Arboretum Foundation and Save Baldwin Lake Task Force.

The report of the findings of the sediment samples will lead to proposals about next steps, including potentially dredging and, if so, deciding whether the materials dredged up will be disposed or re-used. Any next steps will require funding from an as-yet-to-be-identified entity.

The cost of the drilling project was funded by a foundation of the family of the man who developed the Arboretum as we know it today, Elias J. “Lucky” Baldwin. Baldwin’s great-great-great granddaughter Margaux Viera was on hand to observe the drilling.

— By Scott Hettrick (More photos below…)

Tetra Tech Principal Scientist Robert Kurkjian (L) oversees the project.