Green Daily

Oh woe to the Los Angeles River. Not even Cher or Joan Rivers wanted to be paved over as thoroughly as you have been. No prayer to the God of Rain can help you. Yes, indeed, to the right is a photo of L.A.'s river, leveed and walled by cement. This is what the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers once called flood protection: 21 miles of concrete and a severing of all river arteries.

The many freeways in Los Angeles actually follow and sometimes cover what's left of the river. The system of rivers flowing from the San Gabriel Mountains was broken up and channeled immediately to the ocean. Flooding is still a concern, largely because of the channeling that has been done to the region. That has prompted the Army Corps to consider more paving. Ephemeral streams still feed the river, and developers want the rights to pave over those regions. The Army Corps thus far is willing to consider their interests.

A river this dreary seems beyond hope. Who could love this river? Well, Friends of the Los Angeles River can and do. On the group's website a few wins are noted. They've managed to create a community park that protects some of the remaining habitat along the river and helped designated a State Park at Taylor Yards, another bit of riverfront saved.