How Los Angeles is Restoring its Ancient River System into an Urban Green Oasis

los angeles is the largest city in the state of california with a population of 3.8 million the climate is classified as mediterranean with hot dry summers and mild winters most rain occurs during the winter and early to mid spring however since the 2000s the people in los angeles have been affected by ever increasing droughts the longest recorded drought in california lasted six years between december 2011 and ending in march 2017 as the demand for water increases and as droughts continue california's water supply has been dropping to historically low levels california's interconnected water system serves over 30 million people and it irrigates over 2.3 million hectares of farmland through a complicated web of dams aqueducts and pipelines which moves the water across the state drawing from 157 million acres of land and spanning across eight states it is said to be the world's largest and most productive water system making california's watershed one of the most altered on earth which in turn has had a detrimental effect on the natural environment in the city of los angeles groundwater represents close to one-tenth of the water supply and the majority of the city's water supply once flowed through the los angeles aqueduct and now over 50 percent flows through the colorado river aqueduct which can deliver 1 billion gallons of water per day to southern california 80 percent of the rain water that los angeles receives runs out to sea mainly due to impermeable surfaces of the cityscape such as paved sidewalks and tarmac roads that allow water to rapidly drain into the flood control system and it eventually flows out into the ocean it's estimated that around 25 to 30 billion gallons of storm water from the los angeles river watershed is drained into the ocean each year los angeles is geographically situated in a floodplain where the la river flowed and before the opening of the los angeles aqueduct the river was the primary source of fresh water for the city and due to rapid industrialization in the last century the los angeles river became heavily polluted from agricultural and urban runoff which has had a negative impact on the health of the residents and the environment however the city of los angeles has been turning this around in this video we will show you how the local residents of los angeles city have been transforming the la river using natural-based solutions to restore the watershed improving the lives of hundreds of thousands of people by increasing biodiversity and improving water security so stick with us as we dive into today's video the la river runs for 51 miles from san fernando valley through the city of los angeles and goes out to sea at long beach 31 miles of the river runs through the heart of los angeles urbanization during the 1930s the entire town was destroyed by flooding on two occasions after a record heavy rains as a result the army corps of engineers devised a flood control strategy which encased the entire river in concrete as a plan to save lives and property which transformed it into a drainage system and flood control channel that sends water out to sea all locked behind extensive fencing during a typical storm it's estimated that at least half of the rainfall about 10 million gallons is flushed into the ocean in a desert state like california this is not only a huge waste of natural resources but it also has depleted large areas of ecosystem which almost decimated some fish populations and severely reduced bird numbers which has had a negative impact on biodiversity through time bridges riverbanks freeways and train tracks have been built along the riverside obscuring it from sight and engagement with the communities that live around it however from the mid-1980s a resident's movement to clean up the river and restore its natural habitat began to grow they formed an organization called friends of the los angeles river and since 1989 half a million pounds of trash have been removed the organization have also helped to build bike paths and turned industrial sites into parks they have created a 4.8 mile fish habitat using rock clusters vegetations and pools on the migration route of the steelhead trout who are on the brink of extinction partly due to concretization of the la river friends of the los angeles river are fighting to remove concrete and restore the natural habitat their goal is to create the los angeles greenway from the mountains to the sea which would create a 52-mile natural wildlife park since the late 1980s the la river restoration initiatives have grown into a long-term master plan to revitalize the la river and six of its tributaries with a prioritization on disadvantaged communities their plan is to bring back the habitat and ecosystems on 83 square miles as well as to preserve and enhance 3 000 acres of planted green space along selective tributaries by planting and nurturing 250 000 trees and creating 8500 acres of permeable surfaces which is a natural filtration system to eliminate pollutants from air and waterways the river restoration project is being complemented by re-welding projects in natural areas and urban parks adjacent to the river the rio de los angeles state park a 100 acre wilderness restoration project is rewilding natural areas using bioswales bioswales are channels designed to concentrate and convey stormwater runoff while removing debris and pollution while also providing habitats for wildlife and birds it has become an essential site for migrating birds at devs park they are creating a real wilding and conservation site that integrates the dual purposes of active recreational sports facilities for the community and passive recreation for habitat restoration zones for wildlife and biodiversity the la river restoration has become a leading example of how urban waterways which have been reconstructed into drainage systems and divert water out to sea can be transformed back into rivers that capture and hold rainwater runoff which is especially crucial in drought-prone regions it is proven by restoring the waterways by using natural-based solutions we can increase biodiversity and improve water quality and in turn the river becomes a valuable asset and a huge benefit to the residents of the city you

Channel: Leaf of Life

Views: 461,746

Keywords: climate change, climate crisis, green city, walkable city, biodiversity, ecosystem restoration, los angeles river, population density, los angeles blog, drought, Water crisis, rewilding, natural based solutions, friends of the la river, LA, LA RIVER, Water table, aquifers, river restoration

Id: qW_eeWwr-Ls

Length: 7min 23sec (443 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 25 2022