The Los Angeles River, which resembles a man-made canal far more than a river, and is recognizable to many from films, though the scenes may not have involved water at all, but car chases, has been opened up to unrestricted public recreation for the first time since the 1930s, according to CNN. The river was closed after devastating floods caused officials to close public access to the river and pave its banks with concrete to improve storm drainage, somewhat ironic considering the improved drainage has caused the river to look pathetically low on water for much of the year.
Anthea Raymond was the third person to paddle a 2.5-miles stretch of the river that has been opened for public use.
"My experience was, 'wow,'" Raymond told CNN after he went through the water as a representative of the Los Angeles River Expeditions and the Los Angeles Kayak Club. "There's always the sound of water.
"That's what's so awesome," Raymond continued.
Most cities that have large rivers, like New York or Chicago, have large rivers all the time, while the Los Angeles River is more of what CNN describes as, "a seasonal desert waterway: It's flush with rapids during the rain season but becomes a modest stream in the hot summer, slowing to a trickle in some places."
The river has been off-limits to public recreation since the Depression era because it's an Army Corps of Engineers flood control channel, according to officials. Public pressure and leadership from a local councilman and the corps' commander led officials to create the Los Angeles River Pilot Recreational Zone, an area along a segment of the river that has tree-lined islands and views of the vistas of the San Gabriel Mountains, as well as being home to wildlife such as herons, egrets, hawks and kingfishers.
Fishing enthusiasts can throw a line as long as they have the proper permit. People can also kayak, canoe or use a motorized boat without a permit or cost, according to Dash Stolarz, the spokesman of the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, which is in charge of managing the pilot recreation zone.
The pilot program allows recreational use of the river between Memorial Day and Labor Day, a period when storms are unlikely. Officials expect the program will be renewed, according to Stolarz.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declared the river a "traditional navigable waterway" in 2010, allowing for Clean Water Act protections, which made the pilot program possible.
"People were downright giddy to get into a kayak on the Los Angeles River," Mitch O'Farrell, a councilman-elect, said "Even that 2.5-mile has rapids.
"It takes some concentration," he added "It does take certain risks."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
