By: Patty Cortez, Assistant General Manager, Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District

On a bright Saturday morning, volunteers gather in the Angeles National Forest with a shared purpose: restoring and protecting the watershed that supports the San Gabriel Valley. Traveling from across the region, participants range from Girl Scout troops and college students to seniors, all ready to spend the day planting trees, collecting trash, and making a tangible difference through the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District’s (Upper Water) Watershed Restoration Program.

Safeguarding the Source of Local Water

The Watershed Restoration Program is a cooperative partnership between Upper Water and the U.S. Forest Service. Together, they work to preserve critical watershed areas within the Angeles National Forest—land that plays a vital role in capturing, storing, and replenishing local water supplies.

Much of this work takes place in Azusa Canyon along Highway 39, an essential part of Upper Water’s watershed. Here, rain and snowmelt naturally percolate into the ground, where water is stored in local canyon reservoirs and later released into spreading grounds. This process helps recharge the region’s groundwater basin.

Restoration in the Face of Ongoing Challenges

Over time, fires, mudslides, invasive vegetation, and heavy recreational use have accelerated erosion throughout the canyon. The loss of riparian vegetation and destabilized riverbanks increase soil runoff into streams and reservoirs, leading to siltation. This buildup reduces reservoir storage capacity and limits the ability of water to seep into the ground—directly impacting groundwater replenishment.

Upper Water’s Watershed Restoration Program addresses these challenges through hands-on community involvement. Several times a year, volunteers help replant germinated seedlings and remove trash from watershed areas. These efforts stabilize soil, reduce erosion, and lessen the effects of human activity on sensitive natural environments.

Even during periods of uncertainty, such as recent government shutdowns, Upper Water and its partners have continued restoration efforts whenever possible, reinforcing a strong commitment to the watershed and the communities that depend on it.

Sustaining this level of volunteer engagement requires more than one-time events; it depends on building long-term relationships rooted in trust, communication, and shared purpose. Upper Water has cultivated a consistent volunteer base by maintaining regular communication with partner organizations about upcoming opportunities, creating welcoming and well-organized events where volunteers can clearly see the impact of their work, and fostering long-standing partnerships with the U.S. Forest Service. By treating volunteers and partners as long-term collaborators rather than occasional participants—and by making stewardship visible, accessible, and meaningful—districts can support ongoing community involvement that strengthens watershed protection year after year.

Upper Water encourages the public to join upcoming spring restoration events. To learn more about the Watershed Restoration Program, visit upperwater.org.

Upper Water’s mission is to provide a reliable, sustainable, diversified, and affordable portfolio of high-quality water supplies to the San Gabriel Valley, including water conservation, recycled water, stormwater capture, storage, water transfers, and imported water. Upper Water serves nearly one million people in its 144-square-mile service territory. Governed by a five-member elected board of directors, Upper Water is a member agency of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Annually, more than 78 billion gallons of water are used in Upper Water’s service area.