GRIFFITH PARK— Members of Los Angeles Congress drafted a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Monday, June 22 asking for a bigger budget for the upcoming river restoration project in the works.
The Los Angeles River Ecosystem Restoration project revolves around restoring the 11 miles of river from Griffith Park to Downtown LA and maintaining already existing flood management.
The plan outlines, “restoration includes the reintroduction of ecological and physical processes, such as a more natural hydrologic and hydraulic regime that reconnects the river to historic floodplains and tributaries, reduced flow velocities, increased infiltration, improved natural sediment processes, and improved water quality.”
In March, the Army Corps officially adopted the project into their public-private partnership program (P3) with the projective cost of $1.4 million.
The letter was drafted by four Democratic Representatives: Adam Schiff, Grace Napolitano, Lucille Roybal-Allard, and Jimmy Gomez. They proposed a budget of $3 million for the 2020-21 fiscal year:
“We respectfully request you include $3 million for pre-construction engineering and design work for the LA River project and $50 million for the P3 Pilot Program as part of the Revolutionize USACE Civil Works initiative.”
The original budget the Corps drafted was set for $1.84 million to allot for pre-construction and engineering.
