man made hill

USA / California / Las Flores / Pacific Coast Highway (SR 1)*
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Topanga Creek used to flow freely to the beach before dirt, construction debris and who knows what else, was piled up here in the 1960's. About 1,500 Steelhead Trout once swam up the creek each winter. Currently, only about 10 are able to make the journey. Residents' flood fears in the '60s led to this 1,000-foot-long man-made hill that rises as high as 30 feet. The state of California plans to haul off 19,000 cubic yards of material that forms the berm.

source: newspaper article, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug 2008, by Times Staff Writer, Tami Abdollah

for more information, try searching California Department of Parks and Recreation
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Coordinates:   34°2'25"N   118°34'52"W

Comments

  • The above is not entirely correct. The hill outlined is actually a natural hill that is more like 100 feet high and the only thing man made about it is the cut on the south side done when this part of PCH was built in the 20's. Also, Topanga Creek has never flowed to the beach, at least not in the last 100-200 years. It has always entered the ocean on the point. It's part of the reason the point is there (natural sediment deposit). The hill referred to in the Times article is actually more of a berm/dike and is in an area that used to be called the "Rodeo Grounds" about 1000-1500 feet NNW of the hill outlined. The Times article is good, but I wish they would have covered a little more of the history and background of the community that was uprooted. Check out the link below to a good article on that community and its history. Although it is definitely biased against the state and for the uprooted residents. http://www.surfwriter.net/topangabeachstories_66-79.htm
This article was last modified 15 years ago