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The L.A. River in the San Fernando Valley (see more photos here, here and here | Photo by Tom Andrews/LAist
Now that the L.A. River is deemed navigable, meaning it is subject to the 1972 Clean Water Act, by the federal government, it should in theory be accessible by the public. But that's not exactly the case right now. Cautious government agencies are trying to figure it out and one Los Angeles city councilmember, Ed Reyes, is pushing for answers. And now the public is also speaking up.
"At the heart of improving the Los Angeles River's plight is the public's acknowledgement that it has an inalienable right to access the river. Unfortunately, this is not the current situation," explains an online petition. "This right to public access is written into the California state constitution and is in keeping with time-honored, common sense "public trust" laws dating back to the Romans."
The petition is spearheaded by a group on Facebook that is ready to offer boating tours of the river.
