Urban Rivers and (Yuck) Sewers Are Cool Again

Los Angeles River

As we contemplate the wrath of Sandy, I thought I'd share with you all two important short films recently profiled on Grist that discuss the rediscovery of urban rivers and underground sewers.  Lost River discusses the exploits of "drainers" who explore and photograph some ancient and quite beautiful underground sewers (formerly waterways) in places like Brescia, Italy.  It also looks at the latest trend of unearthing urban rivers and details the succesful effort of Seoul to unearth, restore and revitalize the area around its Cheonggyecheon River--a stream that had traversed the city but, that had disappered under concrete when a major freeway had been built over it in the 1970s.  Closer to home, Rock the Boat, follows the efforts of local residents, paddlers, fishermen and environmentalists to thwart the Corps of Engineers and developers who in the early 2000s undertook to redesignate the Los Angeles River (yes, there is a river there!) as a non-river--and therefore, not have it abide by those pesky Clean Water Act restrictions.  Score one for the river as Los Angeles has recently developed a master plan for restoring the river.  http://grist.org/cities/sewer-discretion-is-advised-explorers-find-hidden-wonders-in-urban-waterways/.  Since the controversy, Friends of the Los Angeles River has sprung up to advocate on behalf of access, cleanup, and restoration of this much despoiled urban waterway.