Plans for new man-made wetland areas are moving forward along the banks of the Arroyo Seco, according to a notice published by the City of Pasadena. 

The Arroyo Seco Water Reuse Project involves two sites within the upper Los Angeles river watershed, and would couple new water quality infrastructure with publicly open space on two sites located within the cities of Pasadena, South Pasadena, and Los Angeles. New park areas would sit above a water treatment system which would be used to filter and treat urban runoff before it enters the Arroyo Seco.

Site plan for San Rafael siteCity of Pasadena

The smaller San Rafael site, named for the nearby San Rafael Avenue overpass, would occupy 1.5 acres on the west side of the Arroyo Seco in Pasadena. Plans call for improving the currently vacant site with new landscaping and trees, seating, pedestrian paths, and a concrete bridge across a channel connecting to the Arroyo Seco. That bridge would allow for a connection to the existing trail network along the Arroyo Seco.

San Pascual, the second and larger site, would be located on 2.2 acres of land just south of San Pascual Avenue on the east side of the river, and would be bounded by the Arroyo Seco to the west and Stoney Drive to the east. As with the larger site, the area is shown with new pathways, seating areas, informational signage, and connections to surrounding roadways.

Aerial view of San Pascual siteCity of Pasadena

Another component of the project is a planned off-site water harvester, which would be installed within the maintenance yard of the Arroyo Seco Golf Course in South Pasadena. The plan to use the Arroyo Seco water to irrigate the golf course has been one of several issues flagged in community opposition to the project, and led to a 2024 lawsuit against the City of Pasadena. Pasadena settled the lawsuit earlier this year by agreeing to conduct an environmental impact report.

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