EPA declares L.A. River navigable waters

U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson on Wednesday declared the entire concrete-lined Los Angeles River channel "traditional navigable waters," a designation crucial to applying Clean Water Act protections throughout its 834-square-mile urban watershed.

"We're moving away from the concrete," Jackson told more than 200 residents and government officials on the banks of one of the river's heavily polluted tributaries, Compton Creek.

"This is a watershed as important as any other," she said. "So we are going to build a federal partnership to empower communities like yours .... We want the L.A. River to demonstrate how urban waterways across the country can serve as assets in building stronger neighborhoods, attracting new businesses and creating new jobs."

Read more about the EPA's declaration for the L.A. River here.

-- Louis Sahagun in Compton

Photo: Concrete-lined portion of L.A. River near downtown Los Angeles. Credit: Los Angeles Times

Comments

[cover2]

What, in sanitized rubber boots ????????????????

[Ricky Bobby]

Of all the pictures the L.A. Times could have used, they picked the one with the world's largest tag.
Nice!

[Greg from Pasadena]

Of course its navigable- in a Chevy!

[Dan]

I don't think I would put my boat (if I had one) in there. Perhaps my 4x4 quad would work better. Oh wait, maybe it's LOW TIDE! Never mind.

[Maxi3d]

Why going to Laughlin when people could bring their power jet boats and jet skies to the L.A. river now.

[Jeffrey Tipton]

I led the kayak trip down the entire LA River that helped prompt the EPA to upgrade the river. I spent three days in that river and I am still OK...well...pretty OK

[Astonished]

Navigatable by what? My grandson's rubber ducks couldn't float in that sludge. Whatevery you do, DON'T drink that water!