Los Angeles River

Some say that I am pretty degraded, but, I tell you, I am making a big comeback! It's so hard to tell about myself... but here's how my friends describe me: . . . "A good sized, full flowing river ... with very good water, pure and fresh ... [with] beds very well lined with large trees, sycamores, willows, cottonwoods, and very large live oaks ... a very lush and pleasing spot, in every respect" - Father Juan Crespí, 1769 . . . "The city's greatest attraction"--"A beautiful...stream with willows on its banks...It at once became something about which my whole scheme of life was woven, I loved it so much" - William Mulholland, 1877 . . . "A way to unify the city, a way to connect the communities" - L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa . . . "A diamond in the rough, a resource just begging to be restored to improve our environment, provide greater flood protection, and enhance the quality of life for residents throughout the region" - U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer