Long Beach Water has made every effort to keep as many trees as possible around the construction sites, with consideration of neighborhood input. To ensure the wells are drilled safely and surrounding trees do not become a hazard, some trees will need to be removed for construction.
Original construction plans called for the removal of six trees in the construction area of Well Alamitos 9A. However, after listening to community concerns and input, Long Beach Water adjusted the construction site plan.
The revised plan for the Well Alamitos 9A site requires removal of four trees in the construction area: three holly oak trees and one laurel leaf snailseed tree. In addition to being in the construction area, one of these trees was identified to be infected with sooty mold and the other three have unsafe/unstable branching structure.
Two large ash trees initially slated for removal, a palm tree and a jacaranda tree near the site may need to be trimmed but will not be removed.
Following project completion and in line with city policy, eight new trees will be planted to replace the four trees that were removed.
There are six trees identified for removal in the construction area for Well Alamitos 14: three jacaranda trees, two lemon scented gum trees and one California pepper tree. All of the trees are directly in the construction area, which is between the community center and the street, and would present a safety hazard if not removed.
Upon completion of the well project, 12 new trees will be planted. In both cases, replacement trees will be selected in coordination with Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine from a tree list provided by the city, taking community suggestions into account.
See “Tree Plans” below for renderings of tree removal.
The 20 new trees at Stearns Champions Park will likely be about 6 feet tall, as recommended by city tree specialists — this provides the best chance of the root system establishing and the tree surviving and flourishing.
Planned rehabilitation of the community center parking lot (see item 10) may also require some tree removal. Long Beach Water is working directly with Parks, Recreation and Marine on plans that will best benefit the park and community center. The parking lot project would not begin until after well construction is completed, likely in late 2024.