Because of the small storage capacity of the reservoir relative to the size of its watershed , frequent dredging is required to remove sediment from behind the dam . Most of the sediment is compacted and stored at the Maple Canyon Sediment Placement Site located less than west of the dam . The 2009 Station Fire , which burned some 87 percent of the Big Tujunga watershed , caused more than 2 million cubic yards ( 1.5 million m3 ) of sediment to flow into the reservoir , all of which had to be subsequently removed
Station Fire
Station Fire (2009)
Big Tujunga Dam