Why The LA River Started California's Water War

Discover the Hidden Wonders and Fascinating History of the LA River in this captivating video tour. Explore the surprising tales, untold stories, and the near-war sparked by the LA River. Decipher the reasons behind channelizing the river and uncover the hidden consequences. From past to present, understand the state of the LA River today and its Hollywood connection. Witness the efforts of Friends of the LA River in restoring nature's paradise and envision an exciting future for this iconic landmark. Join us on this unforgettable journey!
00:48 - Exploring the Hidden Wonders: A Tour of the LA River
02:52 - Unveiling the Untold Stories: The Fascinating History of the LA River
04:50 - The Surprising Tale: How the LA River Almost Sparked a War
06:30 - Decoding the Mystery: The Reasons Behind Channelizing the LA River
09:29 - Hidden Consequences: Unveiling the Negative Impact of Channelizing the LA River
11:21 - From Past to Present: Understanding the State of the LA River Today
12:25 - Hollywood's Love Affair: The LA River in Popular Media
13:14 - Restoring Nature's Paradise: How LA is Revitalizing Its River (Friends of the LA River)
14:53 - Envisioning Tomorrow: The Exciting Future of the LA River
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IT’S HISTORY - Weekly tales of American Urban Decay as presented by your host Ryan Socash.
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» CREDIT
Scriptwriter - Neve Brown,
Editor - Karolina Pleskot
Host - Ryan Socash
» NOTICE
Some images may be used for illustrative purposes only - always reflecting the accurate time frame and content. Events of factual error / mispronounced word/spelling mistakes - retractions will be published in this section.

[@prudencepineapple9448]

The film 'Chinatown' (1974) with Faye Dunaway and Jack Nicholson, was primarily about the 'water wars' in L.A. during the late 1920s-1930s. Good noir film too!

[@elizabradley4797]

Best film in history ~ it is all true & Muhlholland was one greedy sucker ~ the valley never should have been developed ever ~ Los Angeles is a desert ~ was a sleepy town before politics started r*ping the dream of greed ~ was not meant to grow ~ eastrners also wanted to force this ~ destroyed the orange groves ~ just a real stupid situation of greed ~

[@Maldoror200]

@elizabradley4797 ..Good for You, Darlin.., and Very well said..I have to agree ..!!~Peace

[@oceanhome2023]

Ergo “WISKEY IS FOR DRINKING…..WATER IS FOR FIGHTING !!!

[@oceanhome2023]

It’s Chinatown Jake ! Chinatown !

[@CallMeByMyMatingName]

​@@oceanhome2023"Chinatown Jake" sounds like an interesting character...

[@mariusfacktor3597]

13:07 "removing the concrete would once again expose Los Angeles to the vulnerability of floods" No it wouldn't. If tasked with stopping floods today with modern hydrology, we'd have never built these concrete channels. Instead we would build more holding reservoirs to collect water closer to its sources, and we'd make the city more porous with green spaces and less asphalt. The concrete was a primitive 20th century technique that is criticized today by the engineering profession as an example of what not to do.

[@ldm58427]

There's a lot of issues with this video

[@williambrewer1195]

I feel like it doesn’t pass the bullshit test when you see it. Like there’s no way that makes more sense than whatever the river was before. Freaking damn up a reservoir upstream to control downstream floods if you must, but there’s no way taking out all the wildlife and building an enormous concrete basin is efficient. It feels like they had some corrupt concrete and real estate deal or something lol

[@akshonclip]

The flooding comes from extreme localized rainfall. You can’t dam up a flood plain. The problem is the 21st century engineers that fail to look at trends when designing this “green” bullshit.

[@perkyraid9089]

Even if, after removing the concrete the environmental damage that has done to the soil underneath of it too. No idea the technical aspect behind it but it cant be any good…

[@zCONNORz1]

@@perkyraid9089 it’s best not to remove what was laid down years ago. We would only cause more damage to CA we would have erosion issues then

[@Savantrovert]

It's not Griffin Park, it's Griffith Park. If you're into LA history you should definitely check out the story of the park's namesake, Griffith J. Griffith. He was a wealthy landowner in the late 19th century, who attempted to donate the land that is now Griffith Park to the city of Los Angeles partly to try and repair his damaged public image due to him attempting to murder his wife. (He shot her in the head, but she somehow survived) At first the city turned him down, but eventually took the land after his death. He also used the title General even though he did not serve in the military.

[@Tangent360]

It's also not Milton "Burly", it's "Burl".

[@408drez]

Thank you

[@aprilboneski4639]

@@Tangent360 I caught that one too.😀

[@larry4111]

Also Canoga Park, not Canooga lol.

[@carollinegrace1006]

@@Tangent360 It's spelled "Milton Berle," which is probably what tripped-up this kid and his writer, who were likely educated in a California public school.

[@reddog-ex4dx]

Having been born in 1961 in LA I've seen a lot of the history of the LA river. I grew up in the hills around Los Angeles and I asked my dad why the street gutters were so high compared to other places. I remember him saying just what till it rains. It didn't take much to fill those gutters half way. And when it rained for two or three days or more even those high gutters couldn't contain all that water. That water headed down to the LA river through many of its tributaries. What happened up in the Owens River Valley had nothing to do with the LA river. You could do a whole video on how Mulolland stole the water rights from those farmers up there. You should have said more about the Sepulveda Dam basin and how it and Hansem Dam protect downtown LA from flooding. I've seen the Sepulveda Dam basin fill up so fast many a car was under twenty to thirty feet of water before the drivers even knew what was happening! I've seen the water at the top of the concrete walls going past KNBC and KABC studios, which is down stream of the Sepulveda Dam. It would be flowing at around thirty to forty miles an hour. If anybody falls into it, which happens every time it rains, their chances of coming out alive are slim to none and slim is usually walking out the door. Their bodies usually turned up down in Long Beach. It surprises people when they find out why there is water flowing in the river all the time, especially in the middle of a drought. It's all run off from people watering their lawns up stream! Enjoy your videos! Thanks!

[@Maldoror200]

✌️💀..From Phx.., I totally dug your "comment"..,I did not know this.. itsounds f-ng treacherous..!! Wish I could hear more..Good Luck to you, and, ~Peace..✌️😉

[@prevaloir5362]

liar

[@michaelwhite2823]

Don't they warn ya it pours. MAN IT POURS.

[@thawhiteazn]

@@Maldoror200I recommend the book “Cadillac Desert” if you’re interested in the sordid history of the Owens River aqueduct

[@rockland2]

I was also going to comment that the Owens Valley water conflict had absolutely nothing to do with the LA River. The Owens Valley water is for drinking and watering, the LA River is basically used only for storm runoff, the citizens do not drink from it.

[@DeanStephen]

It’s “Griffith Park”, not Griffin.

[@BrainFartTheFirst]

Came here to scream that. Also the second E in Milton Berle is silent.

[@DaleZynhardt]

Okay dan

[@SwimmingintheDeep]

Sometimes I wonder if he makes all these mistakes on purpose. His videos have tons of mistakes but yet I keep watching them.

[@gr0g88]

Its "Get away from my tent" if you visit in person

[@matthewdoyle6236]

Also, it’s Can-O-ga Park…

[@christopherboada7921]

I'm quite a fan of your channel, but as you're a historian, I was stunned that you mispronounced the name of Milton Berle. It's not "BER-ly". It's Berle, one syllable that rhymes with pearl. If you haven't heard of him, he had a major career in entertainment that spanned most of the 20th century. He was an important figure in vaudeville, radio, television, film, and to a lesser extent on Broadway.

[@kmm34]

Uncle Milty still getting laughs.

[@TipzNexAstrum]

At this point I think he's doing it on purpose, I can't remember the last video where he doesn't mispronounce something obvious.

[@larry4111]

Also it's Canoga Park, not Canooga lol. And Griffith Park, not Griffin (although he says Griffith later in the video).

[@josecarrillo8569]

Lol Milton Berly don’t care about you and doesn’t even know you. But here you are protecting his nuts.

[@ponyboycurtis007]

Fair point. But I'll say most prominent historians have a team of people working behind them to iron out details like this. I don't think it takes away from the video. And hey.. all the better.. in this day and age we have a comment section for everyones enlightenment.

[@potatothorn]

donut at 10:25 on the left, got to love it. some people noticed / maybe it's in the comments already but there it is again... very thorough documentary, i like it. photos of the river and storm damage in 1938, wow...

[@Alexmay111]

Anyone else notice the car doing donuts on the left side at 10:28?

[@phatnum17]

I was gonna comment this 😂

[@reddog-ex4dx]

Yup!

[@jasonrackawack9369]

Good eye Looks like the shop from the Hoonigan youtube channel 😂🤣😂😅😉👍 too funny

[@Backroad_Junkie]

Milton Barley? How about Milton Berle. I know he died over 20 years ago, but still...

[@d.e.b.b5788]

I believe that Ryan intentionally mispronounces a lot of words, in order to make his videos more likely to appeal to the uneducated, so that they can feel that they are really smart, so they will watch, and hopefully at least absorb some knowledge that they didn't know before. Many of his videos contain these little inconsequential errors, but for the most part, they are accurate.

[@Backroad_Junkie]

@@d.e.b.b5788 Just the opposite for me. Make them look unprofessional. For a channel that's supposed to be educating people on some subject, it makes them look like a fool, with the loss of credibility. The channel gets the main thrust of the subject correct, but just drops the ball on what would be a simple job of editing.

[@wheressteve]

His soup is delicious.

[@Backroad_Junkie]

@@wheressteve Was gonna bake some chicken today, and it's gonna go down into the 50's with rain. A chicken-barley stew might be in order! Milton would be proud, lol...

[@1practicaljoker]

His mispronunciations make me cringe

[@badkittynomilktonight3334]

Interesting fact. The LA River used to flow into the Santa Monica Bay at the current Balona Creek outlet, this was in recorded history. A series of heavy rains flooding the flood plain across greater Los Angeles the water found or created another path, its current path, to the the sea at San Pedro Bay.

[@davidortega357]

I heard that an Earthquake created a crevices from balone creek opened up to long Beach out to Ocean

[@budshoot6951]

@6:00 - So our government has been labeling people as "terrorists" to sway public judgement for well over 100 years? These farmers were simply trying to preserve their way of life while feeling like they're being strong armed by a greater power with ulterior motives. So many parallels can be drawn between this story and things that occur today on many scales.

[@athos1974]

"A government is made up of a group of people that are usually ungoverned".

[@smalltime0]

When I was 7 my family went on a trip to LA (from Australia). I had seen Grease and didn't know at the time that it was suppose to be a river, I thought they were racing in a storm water drain. My Dad pointed it out as we passed and called it the LA River, I didn't believe him.

[@TheMomseloc]

And you were right. It's THUNDER ROAD!

[@MikeBMW]

The movie "China Town" with Jack Nicholson was all about the water wars. Great movie!

[@anonymousm9113]

This looks remarkably like the Los Santos River. Many memories there, including good times with Smoke (RIP).

[@thechief00]

all we had to do was follow the damn train!

[@OwnYourOwnBus101]

If I may, I want to offer a little clarity on this: The video insinuates that the aqueduct and the LA River are one in the same. The LA River and the aqueduct are two completely separate projects and conversations. One system (The LA River) is modified to manage flooding and water runoff issues in the area, while a completely different system (the aqueduct) is created to bring fresh water into the same drought prone area. I think the key phrase here is “drought prone.” The LA river alone could not supply fresh drinking water on a consistent basis to the then growing population of Los Angeles, much less now. LA is in the desert. That’s why the aqueduct was created. Two separate projects.

[@DanielinLaTuna]

Good points. Also, the LA River could barely support the region even when Wm. Mulholland and Fred Eaton were looking for alternatives to supplement the river and existing groundwater (the river used to go underground sometimes, like desert rivers do. Mr. Eaton, an avid outdoorsman, told Mr. Mulholland, the city water engineer, that he’d been camping in a place up north that had beaucoup water. They took a road trip together and Mulholland realized that he could run a pipeline/aqueduct using gravity alone to deliver the water from where it was to where he needed it to be.

[@christiandevey3898]

To Live and Die in L.A. is another great movie with a scene in the L.A. River

[@Modeltnick]

Lots of movies and television shows were filmed there. Quite an iconic bridge usually in the background.

[@ydne]

America's water evaporation canal.

[@jantschierschky3461]

I was in LA, about 20 years ago. It was raining cats and dogs, that river swelling up and was running so fast you had white tops, would say it was running 10m/sec or more. Impressive sight.

[@chormiclestan]

I remember about 30+ years ago, they were doing construction work on the riverbed system near the merge point of the Rio Hondo river and L.A. river. There were dirt hauling trucks and concrete mixers caught in the floods caused by rains farther up river. Drivers had to be airlifted off of the top of the trucks! Was on the news, and can still be seen on KZbin.

[@lamar1423]

I wandered around that river with its concrete walls with my friends in the '60s. Against the urban backdrop, it has a surreal quality to it. What fun and what adventures we had. Always warned to stay away from going down there but wearing out an old pair of shorts"booty sliding" with the late spring run-offs was hard to resist. Lord only knows what toxins we were swimming in.

[@chormiclestan]

We did the same in the San Gabriel River at the beginning of the concrete portion. If we had only known then, what we know now about that water, we would never have done it!

[@DirtyMac5151]

Milton Berle (Burl, not Burr lee) it was funny to hear it that way. Also, idk that history repeats itself. That would be impossible. There can be time periods that are similar but it's never a 100% repeat.

[@robertnielsen2461]

Interesting ,As a boy I spent many hours playing on the river with my friends and this brought back many childhood memories, thank you!

[@someguy2998]

Who the hell is Miton "Burley"???🤣🤣🤣

[@donl1410]

LOL! Where is this from or where has he been. Milton Burley....LMAO

[@girldaddividendinvestor]

Who's Miton?

[@mistermena8204]

You really should do an in-depth video on the Hudson River and it’s crossings. It’s a huge river with some “interesting” crosses!

[@HappyMuffin]

He’ll screw it up like he screws up every video he makes, congrats

[@Backroad_Junkie]

You should do a video on Mono Lake (and David Gaines.) It's the continuation of this video. Los Angeles was going to pull another Owens Valley and milk all the feeder streams. Unlike the farmers who used a lot of dynamite (lol), Gaines found that shopping around for friendly judges proved to be more effective, and forced Los Angeles to start replacing the water in the Lake. Mono Lake is probably the birthplace of the modern environmentalist movement. Interesting things about Mono Lake. It's directly East of Yosemite. It's the birthplace of something like 80% of all California Seagulls. It's a basin,which means no water flows out of the lake. Because of this, the lake is something like 3 times the saltiness of the ocean, and has a high-ph level. It's also the reason the tufa (calcium carbonate, I think) forms. I won't get into the billions of alkali flies. They won't bother you, but as you walk, they get out of your way. It's like this dark patch parting in front of you, lol. It's surrounded by volcanoes, and even the two islands in the lake are volcanoes. It is supposedly North America's oldest continuously existing lake, at something like a million years old. (I stayed in Lee Vining, the town on Mono Lake leaving Yosemite, so absorbed all the local trivia. 😁)

[@Maldoror200]

@Backroad_Junkie..💀..That's a very interesting story..!! Surprised Noone has done, at least, a small doc' on it..I'm in Phx, so, never even heard of it b4..So, since it is soo intensely "briny", there's prob'ly no fishes, or anything else, living in it, right..?! ..and, "alkali flies"..??.. (smh)..sumthin new, every day.., And, definitelyscary about the volcanoes.(shudders..),learn sumthin' new, (&scary), every day ., yah ?!..~Peace, Kyl

[@notpurple]

loved the route tracing! thanks for that!

[@Mk99987]

How did the water wars and aqueduct construction tie into the LA River?? Maybe Uncle Milty Berley knows.

[@darrylnelson05]

Yeah, the Owen's River watershed and the LA River watershed aren't connected.

[@talanigreywolf7110]

Not sure if you noted it or just missed it but in 2015 a court order issued to Los Angeles stated that the city had to rewater the Owen's gorge.

[@nedludd7622]

Milton Barley? Do you mean Milton Berle? "Signage" is about signs, not the signing of documents. You could have included the paving of Compton Creek which damaged the community, and there is a restoration project there too.

[@kendallkahl8725]

What I can't figure out is why the LA River water keeps getting wasted. They could pump it to a holding lake. Preferably two with one being a settling lake where bubbles could oxygenat the water clearing organic waste and then have it sent to a holding lake where it could be used. Fishing and recreation could be allowed at the primary lake. After it goes to the second lake it could go on and be treated for drinking water. During flooding the pumps could operate at full speed. A weird could be built within the concrete chanel creating a pond that could be pumped that would over topped during flooding.

[@olliemck60]

what about using it for groundwater, where it would need less treatment?

[@rkevic]

Even creeks fill up all the way up to the bridge. I’m glad they are paved since erosion is a big problem, I haven’t heard of any spillage or floods due to the river carrying so much water

[@1babysag]

You did not mention the SciFi favorite “THEM.” The giant ants used the river and its many culverts as nesting areas.

[@paulsto6516]

Great thriller of a movie!

[@oldman975]

I had no idea that the Los Angeles River was a natural estuary,I have always thought it an artificial waterway built to handle runoff from metropolitan area. Thanks for the enlightenment..

[@michaelwhite2823]

Isn't this the same drainage ditch that is right behind the Brady Bunch house on Dillard in Studio City? Look it up people.

[@jamesmiller4184]

Despite the few little "typos" this was a good, detaied and seemingly complete report! Now we need one featuring still-beautiful University Town -- Redlands CA. (A cultural island in a rolling sea of mediocrity and low-life.)

[@HappyMuffin]

The errors dilute history and is inexcusable.

[@aicofrena505]

San Diego almost had a river like that but the people of this city fought to keep the SD river from becoming an LA River

[@BrolicHistory]

LA is very greedy, at least we kept the river. They took the clippers and the chargers

[@RaDeus87]

Imagine how the climate had been if they had gone with earthen dikes with a floodland around the river, it would have added a lot of moisture to the area around the river.

[@harrymaciolek9629]

So with massive amounts of tax money we enabled L.A. to grow far beyond its’ carrying capacity by causing environmental destruction.

[@markh3271]

You've seen the 6th street bridge and the road underneath it, Santa Fe Avenue, more often than the riverbed in movies and TV shows. 4th Street bridge was another one used quite often. The original 6th Street bridge has been replaced recently but the 4th Street bridge is still there.

[@Kodakcompactdisc]

Another quality video Ryan, fair play 👍🏼

[@rkyat]

Anybody else see that car doing donuts at 10:30 😂

[@brendakrieger7000]

Thanks for sharing💧💧

[@myevilplans]

I'd like to see something on mulhuland, the destruction of hetch hetchy valley and how it all ties together with the aqueduct system and the reach across the state

[@faramund9865]

It's stunning how people will think actors are an important part of a flooding.

[@TheNotverysocial]

Without their homes being flooded, the hardships of the common folk would be swept under the rug, and treated as a footnote.

[@Neverhome365]

Dude doing donuts at 10:29 lol

[@nannerz1994]

I moved here two and a half years ago from the Midwest and the things that surprised me were -When it rains it's winter and it's happens all at once -It takes a lot of water for the soil to start actually soaking up water, its so hydrophobic -The streets and gutters frequently flood because they don't have a lot of storm drains "The river is dry most of the year but when it rains, it's like 15 ft deep And there's always rescue of homeless people who live around there because the water rises so fast.

[@DeBaRe]

10:26 someone is drifting his car on the left (at the parking lot) :D

[@neuf1720]

California seceded from Mexico before joining the US. It was its own sovereign country for a little while.

[@markbreitenbach5083]

I worked with a guy his Great Grandfather was born in Los Angeles Mexico before it was part of the United States.

[@MarioSanders-rm8yr]

Technically only for a Year before the illegal anglos came in and invaded

[@mbcase]

Griffith Park...never been to LA? But thanks for calling it a great city!

[@Rollermonkey1]

When you say 'frequent floods' what feels like 20-30 times in the first 4 minutes maybe a representation of HOW FREQUENT these floods were is worth mentioning? Weekly? Every few years?

[@MikeP2055]

Storms and floods are extremely erratic in the West. I lived right against the Santa Clara River, which in reality was a four foot wide stream 99% of the time, in St. George, UT (just north of Vegas). Crazy random winter snow in the higher elevations and rainy springtime weather could turn the tiny stream into a raging torrent in a matter of moments. The Santa Clara hadn't drastically flooded in decades, then we got two "100 year floods" in the span of seven or eight years. The second flood washed three of my neighbors' houses away and undercut the river bank in my backyard so drastically that the house almost had to be demolished. We got tons of snow this winter, so the meltoff is wreaking havoc again. If you look up "Capitol Reef National Park flash food" on KZbin, there's a bunch of footage of an insane flood that wiped out a creek bed and washed away several vehicles. The Parks service had to rescue hikers by helicopter. It was caused by like 3 hours of random monsoon rain.

[@brianberthold3118]

id say by the look of it its more a creek or stream then a river ..

[@nationalist818]

Can-oh-gaa park , Griffith Park, and its not all trapezoidal.

[@Starphot]

As I tell my eastern friends, out here in the West, it's all about the water. I remember in the late 1950's playing in the San Gabriel River near Hawaiian Gardens, CA in the dry season with a horse stable nearby. I remember playing in the river one day and there was a downpour the next day. My dad came home and took us out somewhere. When we passed over the river at Carson St, it was a scary tempest. The stable is still there but the river now has a concrete lining. We moved to Denver in 1960 and was taught about western water in elementary school. Not many people east of the Mississippi have heard of a "Water Court". That happens here as the developers get in with the farmers and ranchers over the water rights.

[@olliemck60]

So Cal's population is slowing down, but still way over its water capacity. Always wonder why more attention was not paid to desalination or sending water from the Midwest.

[@TheMomseloc]

California is so wonderful. I hope everyone stays there instead of moving to Phoenix.

[@Dave49erman]

Very interesting! Lots of details!!

[@rossrreyes]

Amazing how much concrete, river/buildings/streets, have covered up absolutely all the natural ground in the pictures compared to a century ago. It’s concrete purgatory.

[@danielsizemore3678]

Very interesting, great job

[@ITSHISTORY]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@wolfsmith2865]

It's Griffith Park. Spent plenty of time there growing up. We used to enter the river in Pasadena or South Pasadena and ride down into L.A.

[@jeffreyhill8040]

What did you ride?

[@wolfsmith2865]

@@jeffreyhill8040 bicycles

[@jeffreyhill8040]

@@wolfsmith2865 I can buy that... What you are talking about is the Arroyo Seco, of course. It starts way up in the hills next to JPL, goes down past the Rose Bowl, into Pasadena and eventually follows the Pasadena Freeway right into the LA River. Wouldn't be difficult to get into the channel on a bike and ride all the way to downtown.

[@wolfsmith2865]

@Jeffrey Hill yep, we'd go up to Oak Grove Park by Devil's Gate Dam. Then we'd get in near Suicide Bridge or the old National Guard armory, or near the casting ponds and archery ranges in Arroyo Seco Park. Sometimes we'd come up in Highland Park or continue down past the old iron viaduct where the graffiti was. From there it was straight past Heritage Square. I can't recall the paths past the tunnels as it's been 35+ years.

[@jeffreyhill8040]

@@wolfsmith2865 I have a close relative that lives just above the Arroyo and I used to walk her dog on the hiking trail that runs along there. Early-2000's. It is also possible to ride horses on those trails. I kept my horse in Burbank and have actually ridden him into that concrete river bottom right where it crosses into Glendale. Only 2 inches of water there, but a lot of slippery moss to be careful of on horseback.

[@Maggies87]

Canoga Park High School at start of L.A. River was loud and full when it used to rain. Good video. Ok, yeah, small errors. But the up side is lots of comments for the channel. 😁

[@markbreitenbach5083]

Knew friends who went to Canoga High in 1970.

[@malarkey0949]

Very cool.

[@DLeadVox]

❤❤❤ Thanks Ryan!

[@thawhiteazn]

I don’t understand the connection you’re making to flooding and the aqueduct. The Owens River aqueduct was taking water from a different river to bring to LA, how does that help with periodic flooding of the LA River? You also really glossed over the dirty history behind the aqueduct, and I recommend anyone interested check out the book “Cadillac Desert” for more info.

[@freetolook3727]

@7:44 Isn't it funny how Mother Nature gave a big middle finger to man and said "This river is going where it wants to"!?

[@glike2]

BMX Bike rides in the river in 70s and 80s was a lot of fun

[@TomTerrific-vm3qg]

Bike paths have been in the river a long time. We used ride from Whittier Narrows down the San Gabriel river to Long Beach. across town to the L.A. river, then up the L.A. river to the Rio Hondo to connect back to the Whittier Narrows. As the bike paths have a significant portion in the "riverbed" this was not possible when the rivers are actually rivers.

[@ianwalton284]

No bike path when I was a kid in the 70's. Just jump the fence and keep an eye out for pedo bums or gang bangers.

[@ttopero]

I grew up along the edge of the San Gabriel River in the SE LA suburbs. It’s always been overlooked by the LA River despite its longer stretch and importance to the east side of LA county. I wonder if there’s anything about the river or valley that would also warrant a video. Granted, it doesn’t go through Hollywood, Los Angeles or have prominent recognition, and the valley was developed primarily post-war, but it’s got a lot going for it too, if not as controversially.

[@eljefefirmee380]

I grew up in Pico Rivera, the SG river is a hidden gem even though it’s gone through a lot of change

[@David-um4dy]

@eljefefirmee380 I used to bike ride that river from Downey all the way to seal Beach. It passes by el Dorado park. Very underrated river.

[@eljefefirmee380]

@@David-um4dy it looks awesome rn that we have rain water

[@1867Phoenix]

1:14 Terminator 2 Judgement Day moment T-800 rides a motorcycle into the Los Angeles River, with T-1000 in a tow truck chasing John Connor.

[@1970sugan]

With drought in the horizon, concrete needs to be removed to replenish ground water. We have messed up our own ground water supply…

[@Deadguy2]

Dump all that water in the oceans, Truly the most brilliant minds reside there

[@bizzz.R]

Used to call it the Wash growing up. Had fun rollerblading / biking up and down that thing!

[@encinobalboa]

It's Feb. 2024. L.A. just had a historic atmospheric river that dropped 10 or more inches across the region. The L.A. river did it's job and there was no damage. Any alteration to the concrete channel must preserve this protection.

[@drewistheone1]

L. A River Starts in Canoga Ca(NO)ga Park not Kanuga. The beginning of the two rivers start at an area called Owensmouth. Owens Valley is two hundred miles from L. A. Two sperate water systems. Owens Valley water never enters in the L. A. River. The River was shallow. After flooding they widen and deepen by 30ft. the little L. A River. U. S. Corps. of Engineers saved the bridges by building concrete walls. They did line the walls with concrete to make the water flow faster. The bridge footing was built in the river and that slowed the water. So they added Finns (concrete sloping walls) which made the water flow faster with less resistance.

[@randellgribben9772]

it has also become a fly fishing hot spot for the locals.. bass and big carp.. fun to catch and release

[@yeoldegunporn]

Interesting way of explaining the beginning of the Water Wars. Pretty kind to the LADWP.

[@elizabradley4797]

I volunteered in 2013 for Friends of the River. Difficult to schedule with family. But naivety made me hopeful.

[@chrisg8995]

Great job. Thank you! One recommendation would be to work on your pronunciations given it is a history channel. Otherwise keep up the great work!!

[@faramund9865]

I don't really understand why they made straight concrete channels, it just makes the water flow faster. Should've probably asked us, the Dutch people, how to solve this. Could've opted for a much prettier and more effective solution.

[@scotness]

Milton Berle. I love your work just say names right

[@handymanr4729]

River? Its a creek in massive flood plain. Its no wonder the US has city issues galore, massive sprawls of concrete with no trees on a floodf plain.

[@donaldlamkin1305]

Very cool video!

[@crabtonia]

Another useful insight...thank you, Ryan and Team...sometimes, California gets it RIGHT!...dgp/uk

[@c42rlk]

When Los Angeles bought the water rights in the Owens Valley, the farmers and ranchers were unaware that the people buying the farms and ranches were representing the city of Los Angeles. A good book regarding water in the western US is called Cadillac Desert.

[@ab348]

A good movie that is often overlooked, 1967’s “Point Blank” with Lee Marvin and Angie Dickinson, has a great scene involving the L.A. river.

[@Leychen]

Nice video! I like the idea of bringing a little nature back to the river and creating recreational space around that. I mean that's how rivers in most cities are used.

[@cadillacblue3412]

As a child of Los Angeles and the Owens Valley I can say firsthand as always human management of natural resources is a total disaster. One day the rivers will return, and people will no longer remain. Nothing lasts forever but the Earth and Sky.

[@swimspud]

I think the message of this video makes people think the aquaduct drinking water project (taking water from the owns valley 200 miles north) and the LA River food control project. These are two separate products with two separate objectives. As an aside, the LA river could be beneficial to the areas water supply with many retention basins. I toured one in 2008 that was basically a soccer field with a 5 foot berm around it to retain storm water from that area.

[@chormiclestan]

If you've EVER seen the water in those riverbeds, you DEFINITELY wouldn't even want to think of drinking it. It is algae polluted and dirty!

[@GeneralDragon64]

how did you forget to mention gone in 60 seconds for films that used it. that iconic scene of Eleanore out running the helicopter

[@harrisonthorburn7415]

Flooding: Nature's way of saying "Yeah, don't build here."

[@1babysag]

Another classic, “Chinatown,” used the river extensively in its filming.

[@2studmuffin]

I live less than 1000 ft from the LA river and they should restore the river to look like a river again. Keep flood measures in place but line the river with rocks, vegetation and trees like how it looks like when it cuts through Glendale. That is the only time it looks like a river.

[@AriessunvirgomoonlightLibraise]

I grew up in long beach an still a resident. U can ride the bike trail on the LA river straight to shoreline or Queen Mary

[@chalupacabra1727]

Milton Burley? WTF? LOL, maybe research how to say peoples names right. I still love your content though.

[@SoonGone]

Its so bizarre how different LA was just 100 years ago. Just in one lifetime.

[@petterbirgersson4489]

Couldn't you build a canopy of solar panels over the channel/river to diminish the evaporation and at the same time produce electricity?

[@mohammedcohen]

...first saw this in "Them"!!!

[@keeblah1111]

This system saved their asses a month or two ago

[@katherinea5011]

I fervently wish for the day when Southern California stops robbing water from neighboring communities and states. 😢

[@athos1974]

Just the opposite. As the planet gets warmer and warmer, California politicians will become greedier and greedier. Eventuality they will want more water than any neighboring states can give.

[@oceanhome2023]

WISKEY IS FOR DRINKING ….WATER IS FOR FIGHTING ! !

[@TamagoHead]

I’m cutting you off as your bartender.

[@icedwidow]

My grandpa was born in 1929 and spoke of swimming in the LA river as a boy.

[@ilovephotography1254]

About 2 minutes in you mention Griffin Park. Actually it is Griffith Park.

[@ecamp6360]

Thank you for highlighting the Friends of the L.A. River. Far too often the work of citizen groups gets ignored or, worse, co-opted by government or politicians. In NYC, Friends groups have restored the Bronx River and are working to "daylight" a stream in Van Cortlandt Park.