From the Del Amo bridge looking north (top) the Los Angeles River picks up more urban runoff. Looking south (below), it heads towards the Pacific Ocean a few miles away. 
From the Del Amo bridge looking north (top) the Los Angeles River picks up more urban runoff. Looking south (below), it heads towards the Pacific Ocean a few miles away.
The channel is designed to move water as quickly as possible to the ocean. During winter floods the water at this point can be racing at 35 m.p.h. and the sloped walls make it almost impossible for anyone who is caught in the river to escape. Search and Rescue teams have attempted to lower ropes and life preservers to river flood victims from these last few bridges. But many times the victims are too cold and tired to hold on.
The deaths of two victims in 1980 and 1992 led local resident Nancy Rigg to push for the creation of the Los Angeles County Multi-Agency Swift Water Rescue Task Force. The task force has now mapped out all 470 miles of the county flood control system and chosen numerous rescue locations. Ms. Rigg has also produced a safety video, "No Way Out", with a grant from the county Public Works Department which educates students on the dangers of flool control channels during winter storms. 30 
A recreational bicyclist (left) enjoys the long bike path that stradles the river for several miles.
The City of Lakewood has posted a map of the flood hazard zone online. This map is based on the Army Corps of Engineers' data and issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). According to FEMA, the flood hazard zone can extend up to five miles from the river. FoLAR has published a flood control plan which it claims can safeguard the property owners along the lower river, and provide other functions such as groundwater recharge too.
The prospect of flooding during the winter of 1997 due to El Niño storms focused the attention of residents and government agencies. Classes were taught on how to fill and use sand bags in anticipation of massive flooding, which fortunately never transpired. Los Angeles County secured permitts to clear vegetation and debris from the channels. Enviornmentalists were worried that in the ten percent of the channels that contain soft bottoms, too many native plants would be removed. They urged the removal first of the non-native plants such as arundo and castor bean.
Continue the tour here.So batten down your hard drives and cover your keyboards. The adventures of the urban river awaits you. Good Luck and remember, don't drink the water!
Yes! I like the Los Angeles River Virtual Tour, but my socks are wet and my feet are cold, so I would like to learn more about . . .
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