Water in the World: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Access and Sustainability

The Los Angeles River: A City’s Urban Heartbeat

DIGS 220

The Los Angeles River will soon be the most popular river in America. But now, no one knows that it exists. This essay examines the fall of the Los Angeles River, the founding place of this urban metropolis. Through use of historical, scientific, and political accounts, I detail how the river was transformed from the life source of Los Angeles to a concrete flood control channel in the heart of the city. I also examine the proposed revitalization plans for the river and argue that these plans can transform Los Angeles from an environmentalist’s nightmare into a city with nature at its heart. I begin with a historical analysis of the city and the river. The first written account of the city was at the confluence of the Arroyo Seco and the Los Angeles River, where you will now find hardly a stream of water in a concrete channel bordered by homeless encampments. As Los Angeles grew, its demand for water increased and it eventually outgrew the capacity of the river, at which point it was relegated as a flood control channel and replaced with water piped in from hundreds of miles away. The river used to be an ecological hotspot, populated with hundreds of species. Now, in its urban areas, the most biodiversity one can find is bacteria from industrial runoff. Throughout the twentieth century, ignorance of ecological processes led to the channeling of the river and destruction of beautiful habitat. The Los Angeles River Revitalization Plan, however, provides a creative solution to the problems created by the channeling of the river. The plan proposes to revitalize the entire length of the river that runs through the city, restoring habitat and using natural processes to return water to the river. The restoration project began in the 1970s with a group call Friends of the Los Angeles River, which links art and urban design for restoration. The project now involves over 30 nongovernmental agencies as well as every local, state, and federal group that has any stake in the project. The Army Corps of Engineers, responsible for the original canalling of the river, has the most power to approve and reject plans. The plan, however restorative it is, must be able to control the river in case of a flood. Herein lays the core issue of the river: it is urban. The Los Angeles River must, first and foremost, protect the citizens of the city. This, however, is the challenge that can make it the most popular river in America. This river project can remedy the classical dissonance between nature and L.A. while improving local water availability for the city, restoring riparian biodiversity, and raising the standard of living for the lower class. The revitalization plan overcomes the challenge of its location by returning to natural processes while balancing the urban needs of the river. If it accomplishes these goals, it will set a precedent for urban rivers around the world.