
The Los Angeles "Engineered Earth-bottom Flood Control Channel." Photo: L.A. Times
Does Los Angeles County really have rivers?
Based on Thursday’s debacle of a Regional Water Board hearing, I’m not sure its staff believe that there is an L.A. River, Compton Creek, Santa Clara River, or San Gabriel River. Flood control channels, yes. Living, breathing rivers, no.
The item before the Board was Los Angeles County’s Section 401 certification application on the “Maintenance Clearing of Engineered Earth Bottom Flood Control Channels” for about 100 water body segments. (The application falls under a Clean Water Act section regarding dredging and filling of waters of the United States).
Unfortunately, the hearing on the item was cancelled due to a major faux pas by Board staff. They inadvertently provided a pocket approval of the county’s application by not rendering a decision within one year of its submission. The county’s application was submitted and deemed complete for review by Board staff last August.
The end result? The county’s flawed five-year 401 certification is bound for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approval with no changes and there’s nothing we can do about it. Continue reading →
Filed under: Compton Creek, Environmental Governance, L.A. River, Legislation | Tagged: Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental Governance, L.A. River | 3 Comments »