Environmental factors that occur in Los Angeles make the area extremely vulnerable to debris flows. Because the debris flows descend into highly populated areas, the city of Los Angeles has put forth numerous efforts to control debris flows and the impact they have on housing developments. The Los Angeles County Flood Control District (now titled Sedimentation Section of the Hydraulic Division of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works) is responsible for the safety of the eight million people that live below the mountains. In order to ensure that debris flows will create the smallest amount of damage possible, debris basins were created. Debris basins look like big empty dry lakes and they are placed all along the San Gabriel
