In 1938, the Los Angeles River overflowed its banks causing such loss of life and property damage that the Red Cross called it the fifth largest flood in history. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was brought in to create flood control and protect the city, which resulted in the pouring of 3 million barrels of concrete to tame the river. Environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity were upshots of the project, but 77 years later, the US Army Corps Civil Works Review Board unanimously adopted Alternative 20 – a $1.35 billion plan to break up the concrete and restore 11 miles of LA River ha
|