• crosses jurisdictional, watershed, and political boundaries;
• involves multiple agencies, stakeholders, individuals and groups; and
• attempts to address the issues and differing perspectives of all the entities involved through mutually beneficial solutions.

The Arroyo Seco Foundation has been participating in IRWM since 2005 as an active member of the Upper Los Angeles River subregion.

ASF commissioned CDM, an internationally respected engineering firm, to prepare the original propsal for the Hahamongna Canyon project in 2008 as part of the Arroyo Seco Watershed Sustainability Program directed by CalPoly professor Meredith McKenzie. The ASF application, in partnership with the City of Pasadena, was approved by the Upper Los Angeles River subregion and then by the Greater Los Angeles County IRWM Leadership Committee in 2010 before it finally reached the California Department of Water Resources as part of an LA County package of 13 proposals that were funded for a total of $25 million. The Hahamongna grant was the only grant of the thirteen LA County grants in which the applicant was a non-governmental organization.

After the grant was approved by state officials in 2011, ASF worked with Pasadena to develop a workplan and administrative structure to achieve the program goals and agreed to allow the City of Pasadena to take the lead on its implementation. ASF will continue to work closely with Pasadena on key aspects of the Hahamongna improvements including community education and outreach, permitting, design input, and implementation of the habitat restoration program.

“At the same time as it improves environmental conditions in the Arroyo,” Brick said, “the Hahamongna Canyon program will significantly expand Pasadena’s water reliability, achieving California’s goal of enhancing local water resources and reducing reliance on the environmentally sensitive Bay Delta in Northern California.”