Great Silver Lake Drain of 2008: The Actual Draining Starts

And today, the actual draining of the Silver Lake Reservoir started. As previously covered on Curbed, the draining is part of the city's brave effort to rid the reservoir of its tainted water. Day One kicked off the preparation of the draining process, a spokeswoman for the DWP tells us. Last week, a DWP worker told us the regional water board, worried about sediment in the reservoir, stopped the draining work. But the DWP spokeswoman says that's poppycock, that the agency has been working with the water board to reduce sediment, and that the actual draining was always supposed to happen this week. Expect 45 days straight of draining. Going to take a photo, we just missed seeing a car smash into a hydrant right across from the reservoir. Water was gushing down the street and likely into the reservoir. What crap luck. More draining for the DWP!