Los Angeles River Youth
The Los Angeles River
A semi-brief history.
Ten million years ago (post T.Rex, pre J.Lo) the Los Angeles basin was completely submerged under water. The formation of mountain ranges created the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys, draining the water and creating the LA River we know today. But it wasn't all smooth sailing.
Before 1938, the L.A. River had a natural river bed with diverse wildlife. Los Angelenos lived along the river in a symbiotic relationship with nature. The river's seasonal overflows enriched the surrounding farms and allowed wildlife to flourish.
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But during the 1800's, more and more people settled in the Los Angeles area and a city began to form, displacing the farms. Now the river's random propensity to flood, was becoming a possible threat to the growing city.
Elysian Park
6th & June St
Then, in the winter of 1938, two Pacific storms swept across the Los Angeles Basin. More than a YEAR'S worth of rain fell in just a few days. The Los Angeles, San Gabriel and Santa Ana Rivers overflowed their banks and completely inundated LA, Orange and Riverside Counties. Even the San Fernando Valley was underwater.
More than 110 people died.
This "50 year flood" caused more than $78 million in damage (equal to $1.6 billion dollars in 2024).
In response to the flood, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers channelized the river in concrete, with new flood control dams and debris basins.
The channelization of the L.A. River has been instrumental in protecting So.Cal from subsequent flooding events, such as in 1969 and 2005, which both had a larger volume than the 1938 flood.
​However, the channelization of the L.A. River may ultimately have done more harm than good. The new concrete eyesore running through the city decimated property values of all adjacent housing. The result was an abundance of cheap land which was quickly purchased by industrial and manufacturing plants. Any residential area remaining--such as Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Compton, Boyle Heights--were all ignored by city officials and allowed to stagnate economically. The fact that residents of these areas were predominantly People of Color, added to the indifference of those in power.
​Since the L.A. River "flood control channel" was built, high-resolution weather modeling and existing climate models have revealed that the risk of a huge, "megaflood" has increased dramatically due to the escalating effects of climate change.
New predictions by a study conducted at UC Irvine, show that extreme flooding would disproportionately harm Black and poor neighborhoods.
In Long Beach, CA, the city has adopted a plan to fight climate change with a focus on low-income communities and communities of color in areas like those along the L.A. River channel where flooding is expected to increase. However, whether enough flood preventatives can be enacted in time to make a difference, remains to be seen.
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Vineland Ave 1933
Vineland Ave 2015
4th Street Bridge 2015
Vineland Ave 1933
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