A creepy dam minutes from Los Angeles you've never heard of
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- With areas impossible to see from any road, the dam is containing a reservoir of ugly water of unknown depth, in a gorge surrounded by sheer cliffs, with strange substances, a mystery island and a constant outflow of water that doesn't seem to be going anywhere
"Brackish" means a mixture of salt and fresh waters, as in an estuary - like where a stream meets the sea. It doesn't mean "stagnant". Not trying to be rude - just a correction of terms used to help prevent confusion. Very nice video otherwise. Thank you for posting
Thanks, 73
KI7BDI
It's not just you. That was driving me crazy lol.
Yeah, y'all beat me to it. I live on the gulf coast of Florida. Lots of "brackish" water. Not any brackish water up in the hills of Kali unless someone's dumping waste salt water into a fresh water source.😁
@@truckcop1 ... in California they dump crystal clear fresh water snow melt into the ocean; not the other way around!
Ya for sure wrong adjective here. Northern Ontario Rivers are also darkish. The water gets tea coloured from the leaves it drains through. The colour has no bearing on the water quality at all. Not saying this dams water is drinkable though.
Big Tujunga Dam
Big Tujunga Dam is a 244-foot-high concrete arch dam in Los Angeles County, California, spanning Big Tujunga Canyon northeast of Sunland, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. Completed in 1931, it provides flood control and groundwater recharge for the San Fernando Valley. Wikipedia
Opened: 1931
Height: 208′
Very Interesting, Thanks !
Thanks for the info. I've always been very interested in this kind of stuff.
Amazing that all that water just goes into the ground without any water going down the dry creek bed!
@@camarokurt You're Welcome!
I'm the same as you because I love this stuff.
I live in the Northeast and have been traveling to Southern California since I was 19 years old finding all these cool things.
I stumbled across this video and enjoyed it. I thought that perhaps it was recharging the ground water. The water has to go somewhere. I lived in the San Fernando Valley most of my life and never knew about this dam. I also had to reason to go to this area anyway as I lived in the Granada Hills area and had other things going on in my life.
@@camarokurt The water DOES go down the creek. He just couldn't see it because the trees covered the left side of the gorge where the stream was flowing.
Where I live in Arizona it's the terminus for the Central Arizona Project (CAP) and all of our allotment is recharged into the aquifer. Ground water depletion of the 50's and 60's has been put back plus some. At least we have something to fall back on during this drought of unknown duration.
This dam was redone 15 years ago from its original design. At that time, it had a butterfly valve and a pin valve. This new renovation makes it taller and more automated than the previous design. Strickly flood control only!
Thx for the explanation and for watching
But where does all that water go from the 2nd pond if it's constantly filling and never getting full they must have Pipes or cave systems lower thats taking that water somewhere ? 🤔
@@QIKUGAMES-QIKU It permeates into the ground.
@@QIKUGAMES-QIKU Aquafers! The water does show up in spots. The lake at Hansen Dam still has water in it which is not from any other source. That's the level of the local water table. The murky water from Big T Dam keeps the water table charged at Hansen Dam.
If I have been mis-informed, please correct the information I have been given.
With all the water shortage in California, why isn’t California making use of it? How much would it take to clean it up and use it? Just wondering.
This water doesn’t mysteriously disappear, it goes to a groundwater recharge “Groundwater recharge or deep drainage or deep percolation is a hydrologic process, where water moves downward from surface water to groundwater. Recharge is the primary method through which water enters an aquifer”; nonetheless, your video is interesting enough to make me want to look into this process, so thanks for this video 🙂
This guy shouldn’t be narrating. He is creeped out by concrete and water and cliffs, what a slick
Thank you for explaining this! I know about it going into the ground and into an aquifer and that is also what "cleans" the water as well before it is treated, but I'm sure thatvyou know this. I'm guessing the slow discharge allows as much water as possible to be captured by that aquifer, and less to evaporation, as I'm sure a water department such as LADWP pulls from it. I agree with the other comment that this guy shouldn't be narrating this video, at least without having done some research. The brown stuff that he elludes to being poop is actually water logged wood that goes to where the wind and current bring it. Thanks for letting me vent! 😂
@@rdelfrateYO I agree with your statement!
Water enters an aquafer?
@@rdelfrateYO Thank you for explaining this! I know about it going into the ground and into an aquifer and that is also what "cleans" the water as well, before it is treated. The whole crew is here today with all the answers that sound like I'm still eight years old.
Fascinating! I've observed this dam several times from the road and it's great to see the front of the dam as well as the tour of the canyon. Thanks for posting.
Thx for watching!
You can access the BIG T river from a fire road farther up from the lookout. I've been on that road numerous times over the years, the water that flows down into that reservoir is actually COLD most of the year. People would go down to some large rocks and swim a bit in the summer. When I went down the fire road it was mostly in the fall with a deer permit, you can't hunt in Big T canyon itself but you can follow the fire road up to past the river and there you can legally hunt. They have mule deer that cache themselves up in the hills and come down to the river to drink (you won't see them in the daytime). If you were to follow the river it comes from the back country quite some miles and drains the little creeks which feed the river. Hiking is not advisable off of the fire roads because of the many 'rock chutes' which are on hillsides. One step onto one of those and you're off for a fast fall into the canyon! Rock chutes are from drainage that takes place during rainy weather when water makes slick channels down to the bottom of the hills. There are Coyotes, Skunks, Opossums and small critters whose tracks you can see on the fire road, incl. deer. Critters will drink that green water if they have to but they prefer the river water before it reaches the dam. That dam was built to handle floodwaters from winter/spring storms that previously used to flow down towards Hansen Dam. There are several pools up in the hills that you can hike to get to, but again watch those rock chutes.
Aldamiras Thank you for the Info . Armed recon so you can enjoy nature is my way Also .
Awesome info, thx for the view and sharing this info
do you talk to the animals??
@@tommurphy4307 Sure but they'll just growl back at you, so I dunno....
Travelogue by Aldermirass! Great reporting. Thanks
Mystery? Just 5 minutes of searching and you'd know it's a flood control dam, how it works, and why it was built.
Whoa, your drone has incredible range! What a hidden gem this location was.
Thx, I didn't even come close to stretching it's legs on this flight because I was having too much trouble maintaining signal. Thx for watching.
@@meangene5104 not being a drone operator at all, I wonder if there's a way to pair drones, such that one flies high to bounce a control signal to an explorer drone like yours.
@@johnbjorkman4144 That’s actually a cool idea. I wonder if that’s been developed. Kind of like a mini camera drone and one that flies up high to be a daisy chained “tower” drone. Interesting thought!
@@johnbjorkman4144 you absolutely can do something like that with a bit of know how -and the proper licensing. All you need is a repeater and it could be done. Although there easier ways to accomplish what you’ve suggested. Like a GSM drone. It runs off cell tower infrastructure, your range is a far as your battery will take you.
I’ve herd from some flies on the wall that certain branches of state and federal governments have a network of drone recharging docks so one could fly -basically forever without having to return to charge up. There’s also a way to control drones via satellite but you and I aren’t cool enough to play with those guys’ toys… During or “War on terror” Omar Gaddafi convoy was hit by NATO jets and a single Predator drone. The Predator drone was being controlled by a unit stationed out of Nevada. (Subsequently leading to his murder and further destabilizing the region -but don’t get me started, lol) They can remotely control them from anywhere in the world.
Water comes from hidden springs to the reservoir and after the spill away it's piped underground to a processing plant about 10 miles souths.
Interesting, nice to know, thanks for watching
Gah! Can you get pulled into the pipe?
@@meangene5104 WHAT KIND OF DRONE DO YOU USE?
What is coming out of the springs that requires processing?
@@TheShoward67 Whatever ends up in it. We used to party hardy on several spots along big Tujunga Creek in Wicciup Canyon that empties into Hidden Springs, the area called Hidden Springs Picnic area now and on the other side of the tunnel near the bridge in the 70s and 80s. I imagine some people still do. Last time I went to Wicciup there were broken bottles, trash and beer cans everywhere. When it rains all that crap flows downstream into the reservoir.
Not brackish its green from phytoplankton. The outflow used to go down to Hansen dam. I think past the famous pig farm. It used to be a nice beautiful creek on the outflow that I would catch frogs in. There used to be trout below dam. I saw them as I snarled the stream. It is a little mysterious. I always wanted to sneak into lake but got too old for that in the 60s
brack·ish /ˈbrakiSH/ adjective - (of water) slightly salty, as is the mixture of river water and seawater in estuaries.
Yeah, I was looking for this comment.
Words mean things. If you don't know what the word means don't use it.
I guess dude thought it sounds smarter than saying "The water is dark" but when you use a big word to sound smart you can sound stupid.
@@monster8090 He probably uses "Gramerly" to get his point across.
years ago Hansen was full--i guess the dam is a risk so they emptyed it--dam shame--we water skied at hansen many times
@@monster8090 Okay, the anointed harbinger of language arts. Maybe he was "MISTAKEN" about the definition. Anyone with common sense knows exactly what was meant. You could be much more tactful with your attempt at education. Parasitic Ego's abound. Where are your drone videos of interesting things?
I read up on it and apparently the main purpose of the dam was to create a flood break so the city didn't flood back in the 1930s. Here's the official except from the company responsible:
"The Big Tujunga Dam is located at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains and was constructed in the early 1930’s to control floods and to conserve water. In 2004, the California Division of Safety of Dams imposed a seismic restriction on the dam, that reduced the long-term storage to 1,484 acre-feet from the current 5,960 acre-feet. Shimmick improved the safety of the dam by cleaning the foundation, placing mass concrete, modifying the spillway, removing and replacing the dam crest and appurtenant structures, stabilizing the canyon walls with consolidation drilling, grouting, and rock bolts, and establishing a new dam control system.
Shimmick self-performed the majority of the work on the project including the foundation excavation, batching and placing of 90,000 cubic yards of mass concrete with post cooling, construction of valve house and control house, installation of large diameter outlet pipes and valves from 24 to 72 inches, and the electrical power and control."
That's a good looking dam. Robust design, interesting video. I live in the southern USA and it's surprising how many old out of the way dams and reservoirs are out there that the common public doesn't know about. Good fishing in a lot of them because of that.
The problem was that, in the 20's and 30's, they had no idea what impact closing off this valuable ecosystem for fish would have. This is why fish hatcheries became a thing. So Fish & Wildlife could regulate the fish population they just completely screwed by closing off upstream travel for spawning fish.
@@VermontScaleCustoms Exactly that is why people are rewilding the LA river (there are vids about it). Dams are all basically large methane bombs waiting to go off, they cannot last and destroy the environment. The sooner all of them are taken out the better for animals and the planet.
I was wondering about the fish that might live here. He's saying its brackish
Much of the sturdiness you see is because of seismic retrofitting done, finishing in 2011. The original dam was finished in the 1930s and was at serious risk of collapse in a major earthquake. LADWP (who own the dam) had to add a LOT of concrete to shore it up, along with lowering the average water levels in the reservoir, which is part of why it looks so low.
244-feet. a hell of a salmon ladder! @@VermontScaleCustoms
That reservoir has to be almost continuously (relatively) dredged because of all the sediment that flows into it, especially from the wildfires that frequent the Big Tujunga Canyon watershed. They have a giant dredge disposal site just a mile or so away downstream from the dam.
As to the use of the water that is captured, eventually it replenishes the groundwater supply in the San Fernando Valley. Big Tujunga Canyon and its outflow can be traced through a series of washes and channels through Pacoima, Panorama City, Van Nuys, North Hollywood where it eventually joined with the Los Angeles River in Studio City.
Interesting drone footage but seems like this guy could have done some research as you have and saved us all the from mysterious clickbait aspect of his title
The water above the dam seems a green bacterial bloom. The water below is much cleaner. Do they filter it or is it just a depth perception thingy?
@@Woodbug-b7t
Usually algae, not bacteria. Algae needs sunlight since it is a plant so it naturally floats at the surface. Also, various organic material, like decaying wood, twigs, leaves, porous rocks that hold air and other stuff will float on the top for a very long time. The water being released would need to be from near the bottom of the dam.
The creek below the dam would be full of course sand and gravel which is porous enough for the water to flow through it rather than across the top as long as the water flow is restricted. Anywhere in a creek or gorge where you see plants and maybe trees that are green and growing you will find either a pool of water nearby or a slow stream of water flowing nearby. If you dig a hole deep enough next to the green plants you will find damp sand and eventually enough water to start filling the bottom of the hole. That is a survival tip in case you ever find yourself stranded in such an area.
Between the pressure generated by the water behind the dam and the water flowing underground in the creek below, it helps recharge the aquifer below using the soil to filter out any organics or other contaminants.
@@oldtimefarmboy617 Thanks.
Nice video! As a frequent Southwest flyer out of Ontario Airport, I have seen this dam from the plane - soon after takeoff to the west and turning north. I like looking out the window and trying identify specific features on the ground.
thats where i first arrived in cali in 1980- we got diverted from lax due to fog.
Many years ago I was a Dam Operator, I even spent a few day at this dam, and most others in LA County, mostly at San Gabriel Dam. The "creepy stuff", 4:47 in the water we used to call Wheaties, like the serial. They are small bits of wood, bark and other organic materials washed down during storms. The larger floating debris are caught by log booms, telephone poled chained together and stretched across the lake. The smaller bits get past the booms and accumulate is still side canyons or wherever the wind blows them.
Nice video, it was great to virtually revisit Big Tujunga Dam. It looked different before upgrades to handle larger storm flows. This video has a time lapse of the extensive modifications: ua-cam.com/video/21xp_A4KPhk/v-deo.html
I've done extensometer readings of both Pacoima and Big T dams.
@@ponyhorton4295 do they still have that crazy elevator thing at Pacomia?
@@o2wow Big T had the elevator; Pacoima has the aerial tram.
But it's been years since I've been on either dam, so there may have been changes.
Thx a lot for sharing this and for your insights and thx for watching
@@ponyhorton4295 Thanks! It's been a very long time for me too, I left the old LA County Flood Control District about 1978. I spent more time on San Gabriel Dam. It is amazing the amount of movement in a concrete structure, night to day. I'm guessing Pacoima was "interesting". I spent a few days there and heard some interesting stories from the drilling crews.
My oldest brother who retired worked for LA DWP said many of these dams are build for flood control and the water released adds to the underground water table. Some of the water districts around the area pump water from wells.
All the water companies have wells. All our water comes from wells. Big corporations buy wells. They put storm/flood control water in the aquafers and contaminate the clean water.? Learn something every day.
He says this as a car sits in the parking lot beside the dam.
I really enjoyed the vibe of this video. Great flying and yeah, I can see how you would be disoriented with that landscape. You made a great comment about trying to get out of the water. Those sheer walls would be a nightmare!
Practical Engineering has a lot of good videos about aquifers, groundwater and wells. Wells in aquifers can be used in reverse with water being pumped into them to be pumped back out later it's longer term than a reservoir. This process can also filter the water to some extent a larger amount of murky water requires less processing to become usable.
That guys pretty good.
This was so interesting and I appreciate the time you took to do so.Thanks for posting.
Thx for watching!
@@meangene5104 how far down is the town below? .. It looks like a dam that will be used to wipe out a town for no reason.... Or its a underground base and thats the energy system for it .
Correct the name is Tujunga, it is a flood control dam and is used to replenish ground water which is why there is no down stream flow. It is over 90 years old, has been updated/strengthened a couple times due to concerns of earthquakes. City water department is the actual owner, entering the property definately will not work out to your benefit.
if it was in england you would just be escorted back to the entrance lol
they might double your water bill?
@@tommurphy4307 lol no.
City Water Dept. aka DWP, does NOT own Big Tujunga Dam. It's owned by the L.A. County Public Works Dept who used to be called the L.A. County Flood Control District.
City is not the same as County around here.
L.A. City owns Hollywood Dam, for example, which is for drinking water storage.
@@ponyhorton4295 I love how americans try to explain the british style of councils in cities county's etc, when it's a system stolen from the uk lol 😆
I live in the inland Northwest. We have lots of rivers, lakes, and dams, but I don't know of any that don't continue downstream. So interesting!
well we do things differently in socal
I grew up there, and had no idea it was there! Thanks for sharing!
Awesome vid.I love it.Ive always loved going to this reservoir.
90's.Thank you for the memories!
Nice! Thanks for sharing..
Brackish water is a broad term used to describe water that is more saline than freshwater but less saline than true marine environments. Often these are transitional areas between fresh and marine waters. An estuary, which is the part of a river that meets the sea, is the best known example of brackish water.
Thanks, was also going to post about this.
I was going to say it too.
I worked on this retrofit as a reinforcing Ironworker, installed all the rebar for the new dam face and the new spillway and valve house that is attached to dam face. Nothing' creepy' about this structure or the reservoir, there are hundreds of these throughout California. A concrete batch plant was constructed on site and all the aggregate for the concrete was trucked up, around 80000 cubic yards of concrete were hoisted by crane in a very big 'bucket' and deposited where needed. The new valves in the valve house are huge and came from Switzerland. The top 8 feet of the old dam was cut off and lifted to the ground to make way for the new spillway. Several dams in the area were actually prototypes for the Hoover Dam, construction methods and practices for example. When the general contractor, Shimmick, was cutting the top of the dam off they exposed 2x4s that were left in the concrete from the 1930s and they were in pristine condition, the rebar used at that time was square and 40 grade quality, very soft. This thing is built like a shit brick house, with state-of-the-art valves and control mechanisms with up to date monitoring controls, money well spent in my opinion.
that explains the electrical lines going to the dam
Really cool video. Definitely a mysterious spot. We're conditioned to just see & know where a Dam's water goes. I was stumped at first. I appreciate the comments that told me about how this dam works. However, I'm glad I didn't know til after I watched the video. 👏
Thx, I've ridden by this spot so many times but never bothered to stop and look over the edge.
This is the most entertaining video I've seen in a good while, in a suspenseful, horror flick kind of way. I kept thinking if someone falls in there, they ain't coming out.
It's a cool video, I'm not a fan of music in these types of videos but I would have preferred music to this fellows "creepy" comments, nothing creepy or mysterious about this dam.
I grew up in Tujunga. We spent all out time in that caynon. There has always been water all the way through LVT and beyond. I also lived at Vogel Flats From 1995 to 2006, Would come home after work and was able to fish in the creek. I would love to see more of the Canyon.
Yeah, I'm curious to explore more of that too, and see what the water level is like later in the summer. The depth of the gorge makes it hard to maintain a decent connection to the drone, unfortunately, so I might not get too far in, we'll see - thx for watching
i lived in sunland b77 left in 98 my friends and i use to ride our bikes to v. flats l always loved that old mining cave that had water running threw it.
You're correct about nobody hearing about that dam. Thanks for the information ill do a little reserch on it. Also, great drone flying.
Yeah, I've lived in this area for 40 years, drive and ride (Triumph Rocket 3) these roads all the time but never happened to stop at this overlook. Thx for the view
Fascinating! I live no more than 10 minutes from the dam and never questioned why it was there, what the water source is or why the wash along Mt. Gleason Road in Tujunga was always dry. Thanks so much for the video.
Brackish water is when salt water and fresh water mix, like where a river meets the ocean.
Soon as he said that I was like TF? lol
Yeah you can’t tell it’s brackish by it’s looks I wonder if it’s really brackish water
Maybe he meant "blackish". My kids use that term. They also use "greenish" and ..." I didn't do it" , alot.
@@mikeschuler2946 it’s not, it’s fresh water runoff from rain and snow melt. I live in LA County, been by that dam hundreds of times.
@@grantottaviano7445 didn’t think so . So salt water around
I definitely can relate to your initial thoughts on the dam. About a decade back, while riding motorcycles with my friends, I noticed the dam up there. I was intrigued and spent some time checking it out. The view from the road down to the dam is pretty cool.
You act so surprised. I think you need to get a map out and look at all these little Lakes all around Los Angeles used for flood control by the Metropolitan Water District. Check out Pacoima Dam in Sylmar. They do drain it empty quite often to do clean up of the wood and junk I drove a 40 ft and dump years ago and took a couple loads out of there. By the damn you can see a road going down into the water and they have to rebuild it each time to go down there with bulldozers loaders and also the truckers go down there. They also bring in a portable scale house to measure the weight in and out. I always remember going there because the scale has operator was looking out the other window as I pulled up onto the scale when he turned around and walked over to my side we both were in shock because it was my brother who worked for the Metropolitan water district at the time LOL well anyway we had a good chuckle over it
Mysterious dam is so mysterious...because mysteriously mysterious...and creepy.
That creepy feeling is what keeps me going to this day!That's a special feeling.Now adays,youre never alone? Theres always tons of people everywhere you go?
Back then ,to go for a ride up to there and beyond was the best of my week.How I miss that feeling? Now I'm stressed all the time in a world full of stupidness and uncertainty.
Bless you friend .
I have never in my life seen this before, and I lived right next to it. Thanks for the sick drone footage dude
Thx, me too, thx what was such a shock when I came across it. Thx for watching
Great video 👍 keep doing this types of videos
Thank you for sharing, very interesting
Great video! That top part of the dam looks like a catastrophic overflow. Ive never seen anything like that. You’re right, it is creepy.
Thx for watching
It never rains in the LA area, but when it rains, it rains. Also, the watershed that feeds that river is hundreds of square miles. I'm sure that if you could go through all the old photos that people have lying around, you would see one with the water going over the top. Just hope that this dam doesn't pull a St. Francis dam trick, that was a mess.
@@0GreatMerlin
In a way, I’d love to see the water going over the top. It would be a site to behold. On the other hand, no; it would appear to be catastrophic. It would be scary as all get out. Personally, dams freak me out. I can watch them fine here on UA-cam, but I don’t like being next to them. Same with Niagara Falls.
being up on top is much more fun @@Shaken_AND_Stirred
I can’t imagine being on top of it. In general, there is just something very eery about dams to begin with, in my opinion.
@@tommurphy4307
What is so creepy about a reservoir in a mountain canyon?
Understood, but this one is different, especially flying through the gorge and the fact that you can't see the face of the damn. Check it out you can, thx for watching
Click bait
he's a flatlander
Not sure if creepy is the right word. Maybe the place where you park is a little sketchy and might be creepy at night… but in broad daylight it’s just a reservoir.
Bro how do you get lost going up river my boy? I've flown a few miles away and am able to make it back.
I am always amazed by how much water is hidden underground in the western states.
The old mines in many cases flood after being shut down due to the pumps being shut off, and so many towns have installed pipes in the mines to get water for the area.
In this case, the water is impounded to keep the water table higher, and to supply a limited amount for other use, otherwise, it would just flow underground down the 'dry' riverbed and be lost.
Water out of an abandoned mine. That's a really bad idea.
@@thomasm9552 What is the difference of ground water coming out of the ground, or a mine? It is still in contact with all of the heavy metals and garbage, but no one stops to think of that when they turn on the faucet for a drink of water.
@@jeffreyyoung4104 big difference- the mine water is not filtered thru soil or DG and they used mercury in some gold mines.
You might be interested in the book, “The Secret Knowledge of Water : Discovering the Essence of the American Desert” by Craig Childs. Great read.
@@tommurphy4307 In certain parts of the US, you can dig into the ground and liquid mercury will flow out! It is a natural element found in the ground!
Cool video! Thank you for making it.
It's amazing what you find in the outback when you go looking
It's got a wikipedia. Fascinating, thanks for sharing.... I live in the uk and we have some beautiful old dams built in the 1800s, me and my gf went and explored abbeystead reservoir and dam near me ths other day.
This is "creepy" to people who find vanilla ice cream a bit too spicy.
This is an interesting dam, it has been designed to survive being overtopped. I haven't seen a dam like this designed to do that before.
Here are some facts about the dam:
Construction of the dam began in 1931 and was completed in 1936. It was built by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to provide water storage for the city of Los Angeles.
The dam stands 244 feet tall and 740 feet wide at its crest, and can hold up to 5,960 acre-feet of water.
The dam is located in the Big Tujunga Canyon, which is a tributary of the Los Angeles River. It is situated in a remote and rugged area, which made construction difficult.
The dam is made of concrete and features an arched design that allows it to withstand the weight of the water behind it. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful dams in California.
The Big Tujunga Canyon Dam played an important role in the development of Los Angeles. It helped to provide a reliable source of water to the growing city and allowed for the expansion of the city's infrastructure.
Nice video and thank you for sharing! One thing though, what is creepy about this reservoir? It's an off color with some algae but I can't see anything creepy about it. Hats off to the guy who dove it...lots of respect sir👏!!!!!
Wonderful interesting video! Thanks! Can you please tell me the model of your drone?? I want to buy one to use with FPV goggles. I'd appreciate it. Len
I nearly mistook this video for a photogrammetry recreation of your drone flight with some realistic VFX
but no, you just have a really good drone! I didn't even know this area existed nearby.
Great video and production values.
According to County information the dam was built for flood control initially. Now it’s used for drinking water and groundwater
replenishment. It also protect citizens downstream from flooding.
which is the very definition of 'flood control'
I was born, raised and lived in Glendale Ca., been all through Angeles National Forest and have known about Big Tujunga Dam for as long as I can remember. I never thought it to be creepy at all...
these other people need to grow up and take a tour of the LA national forest....
Awsome footage from your sky cam. Yes indeed that is one creepy, narrow dam. It is freaky to imagine if a person fell in and how would they know which way is up to surface and yes, having steep shore cliffs, most people would panic and have a horrible consequence.
Thank you for your video!
Thx for watching!
Imagine an open bottom outlet with a strong current. Eddies and whirlpools.. 😮
that would be called a 'penstock' @@gaspdahl1
Nice sky view of the dam, I've been there many times my step father was one of the dam operator engineer.
Great video. The views are amazing from the drone. It does look creepy and the water looks unappealing. The water may be green from floating algae and also high in minerals without being brackish though. There is fresh water (low salt) brackish (somewhat salty) and saltwater (very salty) such as the ocean.
Thx for watching and for the comment
The water doesn’t “go nowhere” it replenishes ground water. The reservoir is for drinking water and the damn also provides flood protection for 3 communities. Also, there are some nice rainbow trout in there. Are you sure you’re from California? I’m not and yet I still knew this just from traveling.
Yep, born and raised, not sure you're correct about drinking but it's your opinion, thx for sharing it and thx for watching
well i don't live in akron but i still know a lot about tires....
Just because the river bed downstream looks dry, doesn't mean there isn't water underneath the stream bed. It is more than likely why they built a golf course in the bed. They can tap into the water with shallow wells.
Yeah, makes sense, the water for the course has to come from someplace, thx
you should check your facts on that- california golf courses are required to use reclaimed 'gray' water for irrigation purposes- are you from vegas by any chance?
Because of the small storage capacity of the reservoir relative to the size of its watershed, frequent dredging is required to remove sediment from behind the dam. Most of the sediment is compacted and stored at the Maple Canyon Sediment Placement Site located less than 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the dam. The 2009 Station Fire, which burned some 87% of the Big Tujunga watershed, caused more than 2 million cubic yards (1.5 million m3) of sediment to flow into the reservoir, all of which subsequently had to be removed.
I wouldn't want to dive in, But I bet it has some really deep parts
Exactly, especially deep in the gorge
What a spectacular video! I live nearby and have travelled around in that area but have never seen this. My wife and I will go over and check it out.
This is awesome and creepy. The scariest thought would be to be dropped on that tiny island at 2am with no moon out.
Exactly, that island really creeped me out, especially when I got lost in the gorge
Yes, it sure would!
Just give me a fishing 🎣. All will be good.
I've used that road many times over the years and this is the first time I've seen the damn and how much water there is down there. Thanks.
Yeah, me too, it was quite a shock when a took a moment to stop at the overlook and peak over the edge. Thx for watching
Great filming 👍 Some drone skills there 👌
Thx!
I did well to mute the video and just watch. Then read the facts of the dam posted by a viewer.
@@jesseplz There's nothing wrong talking about his adventures!
Yeah, I yack too much but sometimes I got to share how I'm feeling when I'm flying and seeing these things for the first time, which is the most fun thing about having this drone, wouldn't you agree?
@@meangene5104 You did great, dude ! Some people are not happy unless they're bitching !
Thank you youtube for not disappointing me...lots of insecure jerks who must comment about how smart they are and cut on other people. This is a great video...great drone footage and great narration.
Thx Dave
Have you visited the ruins of the St Francis dam? That story always fascinated me.
Thought about it, I live in SCV, might just have to get up there via San Francisquito Rd and see if I can find some of the remnants, which still are up there if you know where to look. Great suggestion
@@meangene5104 i have been to the remains myself, i am from the UK (London) so when i visited i actually went to see them. The story fascinated me so much. I actually took home a lump of concrete from the dam! You can spot the remains still on google earth.
when i vacationed in london, i stole a hood ornament from a silver cloud- so we're even.@@Knuckle_Sandwich_Hand_Wraps
DUDE, It's more than 20 minutes from downtown L.A. It's mainly for flood control. Most of the time there is so little water flowing down the creek that it's underground in the rocky, sandy creek bed. It's only when there is a lot of rain and or snow melt happening in the watershed area that you can see water flowing on the surface. The creek winds down into the Hanson Dam flood control basin where high levels of runoff water is then detained and released in a carefully metered way through a concrete wash down to the Los Angeles River and eventually to the ocean. Along the way some of the water is spread out in settling ponds to raise the water table and conserve water for metropolitain use.
It is more than 20 minutes, you're right. Thx for watching
Brackish water has salt in it. For example, where a rivers water mixes with ocean water. The more inland you go, the less brackish (salinity) the water is. Has nothing to do with color, pollution, etc.
Yep, I learned that after posting this video, thanks for the info and for watching
lol I was about to type the same. Neat find though.
I live in new Orleans and i was just saying this ..but i can see how it was a honest mistake
@@matthewlambert8789 yes but even honest mistakes should be corrected. Of course it should be done in a friendly way. I would hate for a friend of mine to let me keep saying things that dont really mean what I think they mean.
@@mattsloan32 i totally agree lol just saying i can see how he made the mistake but yes he knows now I'm sure of it
Nice video, looks amazing!
This guy didn’t do any, Any research on this dam whatsoever. I did. Just now. “Big Tujunga Dam is a 244-foot-high concrete arch dam in Los Angeles County, California.
Spanning Big Tujunga Canyon northeast of Sunland, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. Completed in 1931, it provides flood control and groundwater recharge for the San Fernando Valley.
Its reservoir is called Big Tujunga Reservoir, and collects runoff from a watershed of 82 square miles (210 km2). Although it is located inside the Angeles National Forest, public access to the lake is forbidden. The water is usually kept at a low level, in order to protect against winter floods. The name of the dam is derived from a Tongva village name.
The dam was completed in 1931 by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, at a cost of $1.2 million ($21.4 million in 2021 dollars).
It was originally planned as one of several flood control dams inside Big Tujunga Canyon and was thus referred to as Big Tujunga Dam No. 1 until the larger Hansen Dam was completed in 1940.
At the mouth of the canyon, eliminating the need for the other dams. During the Los Angeles flood of 1938, the dam was able to stop a huge debris flow of boulders and uprooted trees, sparing much of Sunland, Tujunga and Glendale from destruction.
In 1976, the dam was recognized as in danger of failure from earthquakes (the San Andreas Fault runs nearby) and the reservoir's level was temporarily restricted to about 25% of capacity.
In 2008 the Los Angeles County Flood Control District began a project to rehabilitate the aging structure.
Approximately 75,000 cu yd (57,000 m3) of concrete was added to the dam, transforming it from a thin-arch to a thick-arch design.
A new spillway was built and the original one was expanded, increasing the floodwater capacity from 23,000 cu ft/s (650 m3/s) to more than 90,000 cu ft/s (2,500 m3/s).
In addition, a 24-inch (610 mm) valve was installed at the dam base to pass low flows for habitat conservation.
The seismic retrofit project was completed in July 2011 at a cost of $100 million. Upgrading one of California’s largest dams to protect against seismic and flood concerns.
www.stantec.com/en/projects/united-states-projects/s/seismic-hydraulic-rehabilitation-big-tujunga-dam
(This website has many many excellent large pictures plus, videos. )
Hey garland, you sound like such a damn cool guy man who certainly has a lot of time on his hands, thanks for watching!
@@meangene5104 I don't know about Garland, but it took me about 5 seconds to open a browser and type in "Big Tujunga Dam" and about 30 seconds to read enough to know it was built for flood control and ground water recharge.
I enjoyed your video! I moved my RV out there and been living good!
I liked your video, but it would have been much better if you gave us the history of the damn. This is a ground water recharge damn which means it's replenishing the LA aquifer.
Yep, gotta agree with you, have learned a ton about it since. Thanks for the view!
thank you for sharing!
I stumbled across this video and was left wondering about the type of drone you used and how long the battery lasts. I was starting to get nervous about power remaining as you flew to the source of the dam.
Same here!
Thx for watching. The drone is a DJI Mavic Air 2, and can fly approx 25 minutes on a full pack, depending on the wind. On this particular flight I brought her back with about 20% left - tons of room to spare. Check out this video where I purposely took it out as far as I could and drained the battery to 0%. ua-cam.com/video/EPvS_Dj9aS4/v-deo.html
You found the Dam in GTA 5. In the game it is called the Land Act Dam.
Whats the mystery ace, Big Tujunga dam. Water comes down from Mill creek Summit to Hidden Springs. Goes through Monkey Canyon to the dam.
Thx for the info, it was a mystery to me, do you know where the water ends up after it discharges from the dam?
@@meangene5104 Water goes down under the 210 freeway to Hanson dam
@@RaiderCBR6.5 Thought so, but I just don't see hardly any water in that river bed, along the golf course and certainly not a whole lot at Hansen.
@@meangene5104 It all depends on amount of rainfall. In heavy rainfall they open up check gates at the base of the dam. During a drought the gates are open only enough to keep the water flowing a little. In 2005 about 150 feet of Big Tujunga canyon road was swept away by the water were the baseball diamonds are. In 1977 at Mill Creek summit above the dam got between 9 to 12 inches of rain in a 24 hour period on feb 9th and 10th. They already had 17 inches that year. A fire engine at hidden Springs got swept down stream. They found it 3 days later, 4 miles down stream. I think about a dozen people died at Hidden springs. Some they never found. You want strange stuff. UFO abductions Tujunga canyon contacts, maybe they picked the house in the movie ET because of this. Highest point of elevation in the city of LA, Mt Lukens Tujunga. Japanese Detention Station, relocation center during the second World War. Tujunga. Tujunga is a weird place. What do you get when you have 3 white chicks from Tujunga sitting at the same table at a bar??????? Full set of teeth.
@@RaiderCBR6.5 Agree with you about Tujunga. Where's the ET house? Something I want to check out. I looked up Mt. Lukens and see there's a truck trail to the top. Do you know if it's accessible to the public? View from the top looks amazing.
Well made, great views, and now cannot stop thinking about falling in once you mentioned it. Thanks for taking the time to make and post it.
Thx for watching!
I have seen Big Tujunga Canyon Dam at times when I traveled up Big Tujunga Canyon Road and stopped at the lookout. It water looks brackish because we have a long drought with very little rain. If we get a decently rainy winter in Southern California the water should look more clear and also water will be flowing down the Tujunga Wash after the dam.
The helipad …landed there countless times in a helicopter. Trained our (government) pilots and that’s one of the “mountain spots” we use for training regularly. Then we’d fly north following the reservoir in those canyons. South of the dam are two bridges, which we also flew under for the advanced mountain training course, which included S&R flight training for our pilots.
Awesome capture though😎
Thx! White knuckled it when I got lost in the gorge
Oh, wow - that dam's in GTAV - my base is on that lake :D
I grew up in Sunland/ Tujunga. The Dam Might not be full now and creeks running , but it has a history of flooding all the way to Hansen dam. My 2 friends were dam keepers there. Fishing is good. Public Not allowed in there but kids in the 70s used to dive in the spill way area was very deep then. It was a lot of fun n always water down stream into Sunland. We had swimming holes. Things have changed but if rains come that golf course will be history . I have seen water from side to side in that creek bed. Washed out bridge into the river wood ranch area on the hill in Sunland. Helicopters flew people back n forth over very treacherous waters. Bridges on foothill Blvd the waters by the golf course were all the way up to those bridges. So yes it floods! Quite often when I was a kid in the 60s.
Wow, that must have been something to see that much water in the riverbed because at the golf course and Hansen, not much at all. Thx for watching
The entire golf course is flood plane - part of why it’s only a golf course and not public housing. This area of the SFV has a LOT going in hydrologically, despite looking dry, and is a major part of LA’s plans to be 100% domestic-water sourced by 2035.
haha- just like we'll be able to charge all our EV's, right? @@kilodeltaeight
Best drone footage I’ve seen of it yet
Appreciate that, definitely not my best but I'm a noob and this was just a few weeks after I bought the drone. Thankfully I've learned since how to film in 60 frames, I'm surprised no one has complained about the stuttery footage in 30. Thanks for watching.
@@meangene5104 can’t complain when we don’t have much to compare it to. I’ve only seen still photos of the back end so this was super cool for me
Not to be a dick but you should really look into underground waterway/rivers. They can be pretty nutty sometimes but that’s likely what’s happening with the outflow.
Cool drone video, the narration begs for explanation, which was mostly provided already. I'm jumping in after 1,090 comments to add a few details to the conversation. I'm familiar with the dam from serving as the state dam safety design engineer for the seismic remediation and new spillway. The project won national awards from the dam industry due to the size, complexity, and challenging construction involved. The dam belongs to LA County Public Works, the state permits the design after an independent engineering analysis, and oversees every aspect of the construction. The arch was thickened on the downstream side from the bottom to the top to improve seismic performance, and a second spillway was added along the crest of the arch to pass the Probably Maximum Flood (PMF). Its called a flip bucket spillway, which shoots the spillway flow downstream away from the dam to avoid eroding and undermining the dam foundation. The structure on the left side (looking downstream) is called a thrust block, which transfers the enormous forces from the arch into the abutment. Thrust blocks are used when the foundation conditions are less than desirable. The rock in this canyon is typical of SoCal where thousands of historic earthquakes have cracked and shattered the bedrock. That left side of the canyon needed dozens of rock anchors and erosion protection, which is the sprayed concrete you see on the slope, commonly called gunnite. Hope some find this extra info interesting, maybe someone already covered all this, I didn't read all the comments.
I did the reinforcing on that, awesome job, the crane we used was massive, I believe it had about 220 tons of counterweight on it, the ten yard concrete bucket, when full, was over 50 tons. I was told 80k yards of concrete were used in this project. Hottest day I remember was 113° at the base where the splash pool is at, we prefabricated the hanging corbel walls that attached to the new face of the damn of which those million dollar release valves sit on. Rebar back in the day was square and 40 grade, very soft. That thing is built to last another 100 years.....it was a pleasure to work on that, retired now.
It's a secret base for a Bond villan
Mwahaha
Yeah, I see the resemblance, good call!
Thanks 🤠 and enjoy your Day Cheers 🍻🍻🤠✊✊
You too my friend, fly safe and bring it back in one piece
Super creepy, inaccessible, non-functional damn.. Except it's fully functioning, accessible by roads, and clearly not creepy. Haunted maybe?
They put those on dams to keep people from getting too close
Big Tujunga Dam is a 244-foot-high (74 m) concrete arch dam in Los Angeles County, California, spanning Big Tujunga Canyon northeast of Sunland, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. Completed in 1931, it provides flood control and groundwater recharge for the San Fernando Valley.
The possible caves with tailing piles at 6:34 & 8:03 are the most interesting parts of this video!
I see what you mean, pretty cool, thx for watching
There are videos of people climbing up and jumping off those cliffs into narrow ravines. Scary!
awesome
Is the dam holding back water? Yes. Well then it’s operational
Born & raised in SoCal. 63 now. Moved to Utah in '88. People make jokes all the time about no rain in SoCal (famous song "It Never Rains in Southern California") but in the '80's, I remember the streets in Orange flooding so bad, cars could get stalled out trying to cross certain intersections. Same in the '70's. I still have family & friends in SoCal. I don't hear about such flood events anymore. But you never know. My dad was from San Diego and remembered flooding in the early '30's where Padre Stadium is now (or whatever it's called). I think people think just because a dam has been built, problem solved. But old man Mullholland built a dam that gave out and killed hundreds in the early '30's. I think the guilt he felt over that disaster took such a toll on him, it ate him up to an earlier death than otherwise. This dam is perhaps unsung and unknown... but maybe that's a good thing. It's doing it's job. Thanks for sharing and all the good comments too. Especially the diver. Very interesting.
Yes, that dam is one we all know well in SCV, the ruins still remain scattered about. It still blows me away that that rushing water made its way all the way out to Ventura
well he didn't build the thing all by himself- how would he know to blame himself- did he forget a critical part or modification?
I was the Dam Operator there for 37 years this dam is fully operational there is water in the stream under the trees it drys up miles below the Dam it is a flood Control and water conservation Dam.What your doing with your drone is totally illegal!
Are you gonna tattletale on him?
I would have been happy to see the video if I were you.
** Hey everybody that's where I worked for 37 years** 🎊🎉🎊🎉
Thank you for the great video and your comments! I wish more videos would be made showing out of the way places. There is a giant wooden pipeline in Vermont that goes for miles.
Are you referring to the pipeline up on the hillside along the south side of Route 9 west of Wilmington VT?
This was truly entertaining. Definitely would like to hear more about this site or maybe something similar
I'm planning to visit the San Gabriel dam next, located in azusa, it's way down in the gorge but a little more visible from the road but it's huge, stay tuned and thanks for watching
My friends used to fly their hang gliders over this Dam all the time. They would launch from the top of Kagel Mountain, just north of this dam, and they would land next to the creek bed for Big Tajunga Wash in Sylmar, Ca. They are among the pioneers in the sport and have been flying hang gliders since the early 1970s. I would be their driver to take them to the top of the mountain and pick them up in the landing zone.
theyve had hang gliders a long time before that.
Awesome subject! Up here in Rhode Island we have no dams. Very cool.
Nice Catch ... keep it up watching you from Nv
Thx bro! Appreciate it!