Trash flows from river
By Tom Harshbarger
Daily Forty-Niner
It might just be the world's largest trash
receptacle.
 |
|
Cristian Vera
Aleman/Daily Forty-Niner
This debris may have come from
as far away as the San Fernando Valley. |
Stretching more than 50 miles in length
and containing almost every type of refuse imaginable -- paper, cans, bottles,
even tires and shopping carts -- the Los Angeles River no longer supplies
drinking water to the city for which it's named. Today the river is a watershed,
a mostly concrete flood channel that in many places is a "river" in name
only.
Nevertheless, many believe it continues
to be an important natural resource.
"It does have its own ecological value,"
said Joan Greenwood, a member of the board of directors of Friends of the
Los Angeles River. "But those entities who want to violate the Clean Water
Act would have us believe it has no value and can't be restored or improved."
Most of the river's pollution, about 94
percent, comes from what environmentalists call "non-point" sources, Greenwood
said. Non-point source pollution is anything, such as trash and irrigation
runoff, that cannot be traced to a single source.
"That has been the most difficult source
of pollution to abate, because nobody wants to do anything about it," said
Greenwood, an analytical chemist in Long Beach and former director of an
environmental testing lab.
Some pollution comes from the area's myriad
oil-related companies. The large number of oil wells in Long Beach and
along the Los Angeles River prompts concern about the potential for spills
into the river's waters. Oil contains chemicals like benzene and toluene,
which can cause cancer in humans and animals, Greenwood said.
A September survey conducted in Long Beach
and Paramount by the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History Foundation
found nearly 10,000 individual birds living along the river. This population
covers 19 different species that feed on insects and invertebrates that
dwell there, Greenwood said.
Other animals such as toads, raccoons and
rabbits inhabit the river basin, and in fact appear to be thriving, especially
in the three soft-bottom stretches of the river. However, any increase
in oil and other pollution sources could threaten what is a delicate ecosystem.
One of these soft-bottom areas is in Long
Beach near Willow Street.
Pollution affects more than the river.
Trash floating on the water eventually finds its way into the ocean via
the river's mouth in San Pedro Bay, where the Aquarium of the Pacific and
Shoreline Village are located.
A net operated by Los Angeles County stretches
across the river's mouth and blocks some of the trash, said Rose Collins,
clean water program officer for the Long Beach Department of Public Works.
Collins, who is responsible for ensuring the city obeys environmental laws,
describes the net as a "temporary quick fix."
Because much of the riverâs trash
is windblown from other areas, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control
Board requires cities to perform monthly street sweeping, Collins said.
Long Beach streets are swept once a week, but more help from others is
needed.
"The main thing is getting everyone involved,ä
Collins said. "It's not just a Long Beach problem, but a regional problem.
Everyone needs to get on board." |
