Wal-Mart versus the river Mega-mart seeks to build in potential wetland

After losing the battle to build a store in Inglewood, Wal-Mart is now focused on Rosemead in the San Gabriel Valley.

The mega-store retailer has selected a site at the corner of Walnut Grove Avenue and Rush Street next to Whittier Narrows Regional Park. This 24-acre property, one corner of which contains Alhambra Wash, is one of the last empty parcels in an area consisting largely of homes, schools, and office buildings.

The plan has drawn a great deal of concern from local residents. The new store is projected to draw 10,000 vehicle trips per day in an area that already has significant traffic problems at peak periods. Caltrans' request for traffic analyses of the freeway situation has not been fully considered in the project's environmental impact report.

The EIR has a few other flaws, in that it considers neither alternative locations nor alternative uses for the site. Cities now face a requirement to clean up storm water that flows from their cities. Total maximum daily load (TMDL) requirements are being established for many contaminants that are swept down local stream channels to deposit on the beaches or in the ocean waters. Trash is the most visible of these components, but many others, such as metals, sediment, and pesticides, are more serious health risks.

At the outlet to the concrete Alhambra Wash channel, water drops into the Rio Hondo River behind Whittier Narrows Dam. For 2.5 miles, the Rio Hondo, encased in concrete everywhere else, runs in a wide, habitat-filled natural course. This reach would be a delight to the eye and a haven for wildlife, except for one factor-it is littered with trash. Plastic, paper, metal cans, rubber, and more are everywhere-in the water, along the banks, and in the trees. Much of it comes from Rosemead, a city that joined an unsuccessful lawsuit against the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board to stop them from imposing TMDLs for trash and other contaminants.

In 2003, the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club proposed removal of the concrete walls of Alhambra Wash in the flood zone behind Whittier Narrows Dam. Amigos de los Ríos, an independent nonprofit initiated by the Chapter's San Gabriel River Campaign, is now studying this possibility under a grant from the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy. In this proposal, the concrete would be converted to braided stream channels winding among the fairways of the Whittier Narrows Golf Course. Not only would this add habitat and storm water infiltration, but also these channels would add interest and excitement for players on what is now a rather flat and predictable course.

But trash remains the problem. Who wants to enjoy a naturalized stream full of the castoffs of city residents? What is needed is a collection point near the end of the concrete wash where contaminated storm water could be captured, treated, and released, with the contaminants removed.

For Alhambra Wash, the Wal-Mart site would make an ideal site to establish a wetland that could capture contaminated storm water, hold it for treatment, and release it gradually into the braided channels downstream. This proposal would help Rosemead and all upstream cities meet their TMDL requirements. Additionally, this project could provide multiple benefits, since its basins would be sculpted to look like natural, habitat-lined pools, with walking trails and other amenities to serve a park-poor community.

Despite an initial setback for Wal-Mart opponents, the saga is not yet over. When the city council unanimously approved the Wal-Mart plan, disregarding the more than thousand resident signatures calling for a vote on the issue, a neighborhood group organized and went after the council itself. Save Our Community ran three candidates in the March election, all of whom were supported by the Angeles Chapter Political Committee. Two of those candidates, John Nuñez and John Tran, won handily. The third, Polly Low, who ran as a write-in, narrowly lost to 16-year incumbent Margaret Clark.

Portions of Save Our Community's EIR lawsuit have been upheld in court. Recall petitions targeting two long-time incumbents are being circulated. The council is considering a reversal of its decision not to put the matter to a full city vote.

The November election is likely to be a critical time for this big-box versus parkland issue. Chapter members in Rosemead, South San Gabriel, or other nearby cities who value open space, habitat, and clean storm water over corporate interests, should look for opportunities to help out in this pivotal election.