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Fighting For an Endangered River Amidst drugs, crime and environmental degradation, the recent dedication of one small riverside park in Los Angeles signifies the first success in a monumental battle to save the Los Angeles River, the most endangered urban river in America. Once ecologically rich, the 52-mile river is now little more than a polluted storm drain bound by high concrete channel walls covered in graffiti. Elysian Valley Gateway Park, located along the northeast section of the Los Angeles River, represents the first of a hoped-for 51-mile network of parks, trails and open space along the river, says Louis Quirarte, chair of the Sierra Club's Central Group and Environmental Justice task force. The Club, with groups such as the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, the L.A. River Task Force and Friends of the L.A. River (FOLAR), is working to reclaim the river and surrounding landscape through lawsuits, education and property acquisition. Quirarte says the area is being ravaged by illegal dumping, graffiti, turf wars and drug trafficking. "Our current project, converting a large area between Griffith Park and downtown L.A., was recently the site of a murder," he says, "but we're working hard to revitalize these inner city areas and make them a resource for everyone." The Club filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles County challenging a proposed modification to the river's flood control system that would increase channelization and require the erection of 6-to-10-foot-high concrete walls and bridges. The lawsuit contends that the county's proposal violates the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because its Environmental Impact Report lacks analysis of alternative plans. The proposal also ignores EPA recommendations to de-emphasize channelization and focus on floodwater management schemes that improve recreation, open space, water quality and water supply. "If we capture the water upstream, we could create riverine parks and increase recreational activities," says Quirarte. "To win this lawsuit would absolutely make the difference in our efforts to save the river." For more information: Contact Louis Quirarte at (213) 222-2620.
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