Peering out over the edge of the Sepulveda Dam Spillway, on most given days, less than a foot of standing water can be seen in the basin below.
Off in the distance, cars pass over a bridge along Burbank Boulevard, a frequently traveled thoroughfare to the 405 Freeway toward San Diego.
During a large rain event, the entire area, including Burbank Boulevard, could be under water, explained John DeSimone, dam tender, Operations Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, to a group of about a dozen University of California, Los Angeles engineering students touring the dam April 25.