Barriers Will Go Up to Ward Off Flooding from El Nino Swollen LA River

Armed with $3.1 million in federal funds, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will install temporary barriers along a nearly three- mile stretch of the Los Angeles River near Griffith Park to ensure it won’t overflow during El Nino storms, officials announced today.

The local district of the Corps of Engineers will also begin removing vegetation that could impede the flow of storm water in the river near Riverside Drive and the Zoo Bridge.

The county Board of Supervisors sent a letter to Congress and the Corps of Engineers earlier this week to request the funding for storm preparation.

“Not only will the work by the Army Corps of Engineers allow the Los Angeles River to better manage the larger volumes of storm flows expected from future El Nino rains this season, it will also provide residents from the cities of Los Angeles and Glendale the protection they deserve from flooding,” Supervisor Hilda Solis said.

Installation of the barriers -- effectively raising the side walls of the river to increase its capacity -- will begin next week in an area between Griffith Park and Elysian Valley.

“My top priority during El Nino is to ensure the safety of everyone in our city, and I thank the Army Corps of Engineers for taking action now to enhance the river’s flood management functions,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said.

The normally dry river sprang to life this week when the first round of El Nino storms pounded the Southland.

City News Service; Wikimedia Commons