Repairs in progress at lake in Westlake
By John Loesing
Acorn Staff Writer

Repair work in progress at the lake in Westlake Village

A pile of debris in Westlake Lake, dubbed affectionately as "Bird Island," is being scooped out and hauled away as part of a major effort to clean up the lake and make it safer during winter storms.

The rubbish flowed from the Lake Sherwood area by way of Potrero Creek over time and eventually reached about 10 feet high, according to authorities.

The rubble caused the creek to become constricted near the bridge at Triunfo Canyon Road and created fast-moving water that eventually damaged several retaining walls near the lake’s expensive homes.

"We took measures to protect the houses as best we could, but we were very lucky we didn’t have another big storm," said Lenny Targon, president of the Westlake Lake Management Association.

"Another big storm and those homes could have gone into the lake," Targon said.

Officials from the Ventura County Flood Control District surveyed the damage and ordered a series of construction measures beginning last fall to make the area safer.

The $1.8 million job should be finished next month.

"That lake is a man-made lake and very shallow. It’s only about 10 feet deep, so they cannot afford to have the debris there," said Masood Jilani, a spokesperson for the flood control district.

In addition to cleaning up the island of trash, workers built a catch basin in the creek upstream from Triunfo Canyon Road bridge. Engineers hope their efforts will prevent future trash from accumulating in the lake. A smaller, underwater catch basin installed downstream, they said, will collect the finer debris.

Crews also are building a baffle structure near the bridge to help break the hard flow of the incoming water.

"It slows down the velocity of the storm water and that causes the debris to drop immediately so the lake the will be safe and clear," Jilani said.

Taken together, the measures should prevent future damage to the lake and its protective banks, also known as wing-walls because they rise up on each side of the Triunfo Canyon bridge. Workers currently are repairing the damaged walls.

"We are thrilled. It’s been a long process," Targon said.

The 150-acre lake has nine miles of shoreline and 1,330 homes.

The work is being done on the Thousand Oaks side. Other parts of the lake fall within city of Westlake Village boundaries.