Los Angeles River Essay

The very first instance of people in the area of the Los Angeles River were the Tongva Native Americans. Evidence suggests that they may have arrived as early as 5000 B.C.. At this time there was an abundance of both vegetation and wildlife surrounding the river ranging from berry bushes to bears. Hundreds of years later the city began to grow when Europeans settled the area in the middle of the 19th century. At this point the river was tame for most of the year but during the winter the river would flood frequently. In fact, the river was so lively that its mouth shifted as drastically as from San Pedro Bay to Santa Monica Bay during the rainier season of winter. As time continued and the city began to develop more and more, the unpredictable …show more content…
The original reasons for its concrete channelization include controlling its unpredictable path as well as preventing floods from occurring. However, today the river is much less than what it once was largely due to its current concrete state. As California continues to experience the worst drought in its history, the channelization of the Los Angeles River only contributes to this problem. Given that the natural soil is no longer exposed to allow the absorption of some of the river’s water as it flows overland, there is much less available as groundwater. Furthermore, the impermeable nature of the concrete not only prevents water from being absorbed by the earth, but actually helps move the water into the ocean as fast as possible. Aside from its negative effects upon Southern California’s water supply, the channelization of the river has also made it impossible for numerous species that once thrived in the river to survive at all today. Additionally the water that flows in the river today is mostly from artificial sources as 80% of the flow now comes from a wastewater treatment plant in the San Fernando Valley. (Rosner, 2014) Lastly it has become a center for pollution as trash and debris are commonly found discarded in its waters. This not only decreases the degree to which the river is able to support wildlife, but the degree to which it is able to serve the purposes that people need it for as