(March 28, 2008) -- Councilmembers Gary DeLong, Suja Lowenthal and Vice Mayor Bonnie Lowenthal have jointly agendized an item for the April 1 City Council agenda, asking to direct the Council's Federal Legislation Committee "to identify federal resources to study and implement solutions to reduce trash debris and pollution associated with the Los Angeles River, including the possibility of including the Los Angeles River as a project in the [federal] Water Resources Development Act."

Jan. 2008

In their agendizing memo, the trio write:

In April 2008, Congress will begin consideration of the Water Resources Development Act, a federal bill that authorizes national water resources projects. This bill presents an opportunity for Long Beach to begin the process of soliciting federal assistance to the trash and pollution problems in the Los Angeles River, and is the first step towards receiving federal funding for the US Army Corps of Engineers' participation in studying and ultimately implementing solutions to trash, metal, chemical and bacteria pollution.

In order to qualify for federal funding, projects must have a nexus to the main missions of the U .S. Army Corps of Engineers. One of the Army Corps' primary functions is ecosystem and environmental restoration. Large amounts of pollution coming from the LA River, including fertilizers, sewage and other nutrients, cause damage to our aquatic ecosystem and deplete sea life, in addition to the increased risk of human illness. Further, trash and sediment that flows downriver affects the federal navigation channel, which is another main mission of the Army Corps.

It is my hope that we can begin to engage the U .S . Army Corps of Engineers to become a partner to study, develop and ultimately implement solutions to clean up the trash that impacts our beaches and address pollution that degrades our water quality.

Recommended Action: Direct the Federal Legislation Committee [chair DeLong; vice chair Gabelich; member Andrews] and the City Manager to identify federal resources to study and implement solutions to reduce trash debris and pollution associated with the Los Angeles River, including the possibility of including the Los Angeles River as a project in the Water Resources Development Act.

As agendized, the item leaves a key policy point unstated: whether the "solutions" favored by the City include, or exclude, returning the L.A. river to what some historians call its original course, flowing through the Port, where clean-up costs could be borne by shipping interests (who profited from Port expansion) and federal dollars as needed.

Decades ago, the L.A. river's outflow was artificially turned eastward, in effect directing L.A. river trash away from the Port and onto LB's beaches.

1968 view. Source: Port of LB website

Downtown LB businessman John Morris (Smooth's Sports Grille) advocates redirecting the L.A. river's outflow into the Port...and in an Oct. 2007 unofficial/personal opinion "State of the City" message to LB's Rotary said he believes the Port owes the City for damaging LB's water and air quality with Port expansion.

Three months later in his official 2008 State of the City message, Mayor Bob Foster stopped short of saying the Port owed the City...but said that the City would "look at a host of possible solutions" to polluted river runoff historically plaguing LB...and added:

"One option may even include diverting the mouth of the L.A. River westward, back to its ancestral path into the Port. Believe it or not -- and this really pains me to say this -- John Morris may just have it right. [Applause, some cheers] God help us all. [laughter]."

As previously reported by LBReport.com, by February 2008 PoLB senior management had prepared an "information only" memo for LB's Board of Harbor Commissioners to counter arguments urging redirecting the L.A. river. By March 10, Port staff had polished the arguments into a power-point presentation citing reasons it would be more practical, more cost efficient, more effective and less problematic to focus on improving the river's water quality rather than redirecting the river.

At the meeting, Harbor Commissioner James Hankla was more plainspoken. He bluntly urged the Port's (City Attorney) legal counsel to seek enforcement of existing stormwater regulations that are supposed to keep trash (from multiple upriver cities) out of the river in the first place.

PoLB Envir. Planning Dir. Cameron	LB Harbor Comm'ner Hankla
Images source: www.polb.com screen capture

The Press-Telegram and Gazettes editorially supported the Port's position...but reliance on regional water quality rules hit a recent roadblock when OC Superior Court Judge Thierry Colaw (who separately upheld City Hall's Airport Terminal expansion EIR against a challenge from LBUSD and LB's PTA) overturned the water quality regulations. A coalition of 18 upriver cities (including Lakewood and Signal Hill) sued the CA and Regional Water Quality Control Boards, claiming the regulations were too stringent and weren't scientifically based.

Mr. Morris has continued to advocate redirecting the end-course of the river...

Photo source: BKBIA

...citing it recently among multiple business improvement during a Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association event (Happy Hour at Elise's Tea Room).

Photos below are from Feb. 2005 LBReport.com coverage:

[begin archival photos]