SCCWRP is working with the State Water Resources Control Board and the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, in cooperation with local municipalities (including City of LA Bureau of Sanitation, City of LA Department of Water and Power, LA County Department of Public Works, and LA County Sanitation Districts), to conduct the Los Angeles River Environmental Flows Project (Project). The goals of the project are to develop a process for establishing flow criteria, to apply the process to provide recommendations for flow criteria in the LA River, and to produce tools and approaches to evaluate management scenarios necessary to achieve recommended flow criteria. The project also serves as an important pilot application of the California Environmental Flows Framework (CEFF) by demonstrating how CEFF can be applied in a highly urbanized watershed where flow alteration is primarily caused by wastewater and stormwater discharges. The outcomes of this project may also serve as a model for assessing similar situations in other river systems.
For more information about this project, go to the Background and History of the Los Angeles River Flows Project on the State Water Board’s website.
To find LA River Environmental Flows data and analysis tool, visit our data portal here.
Technical Study Progress Reports
- January 12, 2021 Progress Report
- November 4, 2020 Progress Report
- July 8, 2020 Progress Report
- April 8, 2020 Progress Report
- January 23, 2020 Progress Report
- October 7, 2019 Progress Report
- July 5, 2019 Progress Report
Outreach Materials
- Overview Presentation (PowerPoint slides)
- Frequently Asked Questions
Reports
- Recreational Use Survey Results
- Aquatic Life Use Methods and Baseline Conditions Report
- Process and Decision Support Tools for Evaluating Flow Management Targets to Support Aquatic Life and Recreational Beneficial Uses of the Los Angeles River
Journal Publications
- Balancing water reuse and ecological support goals in an effluent dominated river — Journal of Hydrology X
- Thermal Suitability of the Los Angeles River for Cold Water Resident and Migrating Fish Under Physical Restoration Alternatives — Frontiers in Environmental Science
- Simulating the thermal impact of substrate temperature on ecological restoration in shallow urban rivers — Journal of Environmental Management
- Dilution and pollution: assessing the impacts of water reuse and flow reduction on water quality in the Los Angeles River Basin — Environmental Science and Technology
Stakeholder Meetings
| Date | Event | Supporting Documents |
|---|---|---|
| March 25, 2021 | Stakeholder Working Group meeting 4 | • Agenda • Presentation • Meeting Notes |
| March 26, 2020 | Stakeholder Working Group meeting 3 | • Agenda • Presentation • Meeting Notes |
| October 18, 2019 | Stakeholder Working Group meeting 2 | • Agenda • Presentation • Meeting Notes |
| March 22, 2019 | Stakeholder Working Group meeting 1 | • Agenda • Draft Charter • Presentation • Meeting Notes |
Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Meetings
Presentations to the TAC represent interim work products for input and comment. All material is subject to change over the course of the project.
| Date | Event | Supporting Documents |
|---|---|---|
| March 11, 2022 | Technical Advisory Committee meeting 7 | • Agenda • Presentation • Meeting Notes |
| December 18, 2020 | Technical Advisory Committee meeting 6 | • Agenda • Presentation • Meeting Notes |
| May 12, 2020 | Technical Advisory Committee meeting 5 | • Agenda • Presentation • Meeting Notes |
| March 11, 2020 | Technical Advisory Committee meeting 4 | • Agenda • Presentation • Summary of TAC Recommendations • Meeting Notes |
| September 16, 2019 | Technical Advisory Committee meeting 3 | • Agenda • Presentation • Meeting Notes |
| May 15, 2019 | Technical Advisory Committee meeting 2 | • Agenda • Presentation: Overview and Ecology • Presentation: Physical Modeling • Meeting Notes |
| January 28, 2019 | Technical Advisory Committee meeting 1 | • Agenda • Presentation: Overview • Presentation: Physical Modeling • Literature Review Summary • Meeting Notes |
Contact
For additional information on the LA River Flows Project, please contact Eric Stein (erics@sccwrp.org) or Lori Webber (Lori.Webber@waterboards.ca.gov).
Partner Organizations
