LADWP Visits Johnson Valley
On a beautiful spring morning in early April 2007, Johnson Valley residents Stan and Dixie Coutant received surprise visitors. A helicopter flew into Johnson Valley and landed within a few hundred feet of their house. The Coutants residence is one of many that could be taken away through eminent domain by LADWP and their partners. The following is his account of what transpired that day.
Click on any of the Coutants' photos to view them in larger format
The new benchmark we discovered.
The post immediately above the benchmark.
A closer view.
A chopper appears and comes in for a landing.
Closer…
Even closer…
Almost there… and that’s our fence!
Stan walks out to meet the helicopter.
The inevitable dust cloud rises.
Two surveyors emerge and erect a tripod equipped with electronics.
The pilot continues to wait…
The surveyors go about their work
with little reaction to Stan’s approach.
A surveyor picks up a clipboard, hands Stan a sheet of paper from it, and says, “We figured someone would come out.”
The pilot remains in the chopper.
The men busy themselves…
Here is that letter.
The chopper’s blades continue to spin slowly.
The electronics package sits atop the tripod.
The helicopter spends the day flying above the mountains and valley.
At times it flies out of our sight.
Near the end of the day it returns.
That’s our fence at the bottom edge of the photo.
Surveyors collect the tripod and electronics, and off they go.
Good-bye for now.
The LADWP Green Path Project
During the first week of April, 2007, we discovered a new benchmark across the road from our property. We are in San Bernardino County. Why is this benchmark stamped City of Los Angeles? We would find out the following morning.
Must Read Pages
LADWP visits Johnson Valley
