Six Flags Magic Mountain has agreed to reduce polluted runoff into the Santa Clara River and provide $2 million for habitat restoration projects under an agreement announced Tuesday by conservation groups and the theme park.
The agreement between Magic Mountain, Friends of the Santa Clara River, Los Angeles Waterkeeper and Wishtoyo Foundation’s Ventura Coastkeeper calls for the Valencia amusement park to implement stormwater treatment projects designed to virtually eliminate polluted runoff from the property.
Conservation groups said the agreement also will support restoration efforts benefiting endangered southern California steelhead trout and other wildlife in the Santa Clara River watershed.
“Magic Mountain’s commitment to improved stormwater runoff management will ameliorate impacts to sensitive cultural resources and groundwater dependent ecosystems,” Mati Waiya, executive director of the Wishtoyo Foundation and Ventura Coastkeeper, said in a statement.
The agreement includes funding for the Sisar Creek Bridge Construction Project, which aims to reopen 6.8 miles of spawning habitat for endangered steelhead currently blocked by an existing creek crossing.
According to the groups, $730,000 from the settlement will help unlock an additional $2.1 million in California Department of Fish and Wildlife funding for the project.
The Santa Clara River stretches roughly 100 miles from the San Gabriel Mountains to the Pacific Ocean near Ventura and is considered one of Southern California’s last major natural river systems.
“Magic Mountain is dedicated to protecting natural resources in the Santa Clara River watershed,” Six Flags Magic Mountain President Brian Oerding said in a statement. “We look forward to engaging in these projects that will further the protection of natural and cultural resources in this diverse landscape.”
The agreement also calls for funding studies related to long-term water resilience and conservation projects within the watershed.