Army Corps Comes to Senses on LA River

How much more of a fake city can LA be? For years activists have been pursuing a pipe dream that the LA River could be a great river like the Danube, Nile or St. Lawrence or even lesser waterways like the American or even the soon to be "sister river" the Yarkon.

However a recent decision by the US Army Corps of Engineers may have the LA River up the proverbial creek without the proverbial paddle. Essentially the Corps hasn't found that the LA is a "real river" because you can't run boats up and down the length of it, with the exception of a two mile stretch north of it's outflow into Long Beach Harbor.

The decision makes it easier for property owners near the river to develop their land. It most likely would stymie some plans for multi-million tax payer dollar funded projects to "restore" the river.

Though river supporters have romantic notions of the river transforming LA into San Antonio or New Orleans or St. Louis, one has to look back to the history and geography of the river to learn that's just not possible.

The alluvial river was nothing more than a stream that flowed from the mountains as rain and snow fell, eventually finding some way to the ocean. To be sure, native peoples used the river for water, however it's course changed several times over the centuries as a result of floods, earthquakes, etc. For example, the river once flowed into Santa Monica Bay instead of Long Beach as it does today.

As Los Angeles grew the frequent floods on the river caused significant enough devastation that something had to be done. Indeed a 1938 flood was one of the motivating factors that lead to the recall of former Sister City icon, ex-Los Angeles Mayor Frank Shaw. the frequent flooding led to the conversion of the river and surrounding creeks into flood control channels that have saved Los Angeles from devastating floods.

The romantic plans to restore the river bring with them all kinds of nonsense including measures that would violate the rights of property owners on and near the river and create lost more opportunities for developers and politicians to get involved in shady corruption. The river's fans may be well intentioned but it's completely unrealistic to think the river can be turned into something it isn't nor never was. For sure portion of the river and flood control channels could use some beautification and such has been done along some portions of the river quite nicely.

When you consider the many other needs Los Angeles has, the millions that would be spent on the LA River boondoggle would be a mistake. Fortunately the Army Corps of Engineer has given LA a dose of reality.