Sepulveda Basin

The Sepulveda Basin includes many potential educational facilities. The wildlife lake always has a huge selection of birds to observe. The lake is full of microscopic organisms to observe and there are many chaparrel native plant species. There are many developed facilities to manage a class size group.

Besides the lake and the greenspace areas of educational interest is the Tillman water reclamation plant and Japanese gardens, both which can be toured (closed for Covid19). Nearby is Balboa Lake which is fed ongoing reclaimed water from the reclamation plant. Reclaimed water supplies much local irrigation.

The San Fernando Valley had a history of destructive flooding. After two floods in the 1930s, most notably the 1938 flood, federal assistance was requested. The Army Corps of Engineers took a lead role in channelizing the river and constructing several dams which would create flood control basins behind them. Channelization began in 1938, and by 1960, the project was completed to form the present fifty-one mile engineered waterway. Included in this work were Hansen Dam, completed in 1940 and followed by Sepulveda Dam in 1941.