History

The first settlement of the region known as Los Angeles occurred more than 8000 years ago, where the Tongva-Gabrieliño trace their origins. For millennia, the Tongva lived a semi-nomadic lifestyle in villages of about 100-150 people which were designed in reciprocity with the various beings and features of the land. The Los Angeles basin is a floodplain, and throughout most of its ecological history, the Los Angeles River, San Gabriel River and thousands of smaller creeks were allowed to meander freely across the landscape. Wetland marshes, riparian forests and tributaries would normally absorb excess water to recharge local aquifers, reducing the severity of both floods and droughts. Though the region naturally experienced periods of drought, the Tongva developed an extensive network of TEK which allowed them to flourish within this dynamic climate and facilitate the reproduction of the entire socioecological system.

This largely changed in 1769, when Spanish settlers constructed the first missionaries. Though this story is marked by enslavement, erasure and profound loss, it is also characterized by the immense resilience of the Tongva people to this day.

As the missionaries expanded, the Spanish brought European systems of ranching and intensive monoculture to the Los Angeles region. Being a floodplain, the land was not suited for this type of cultivation. This became economically obvious in 1862, when three major rivers merged and completely inundated the vast majority of the land, resulting in widespread crop failure and the loss of thousands of cattle. After this, immigrants and city planners relinquished agricultural produciton to central Califronia, and Los Angeles turned toward urbanization.

History (continued)

The mid-to late-1800s was a period of rapid growth and development for Los Angeles. As urbanization intensified in the early 20th century, the demand for new buildings and roads caused the natural floodplains and tributary systems to be replaced with asphalt and concrete. Because these materials prevent water absorption into the soil, they compromise groundwater infiltration and make the city even more vulnerable to violent flooding.

This culiminated in March of 1938, where L.A. experienced its most disastrous flood yet. After receiving a year’s worth of rainfall in a few days, the Los Angeles River overflowed. Because nearly all of the hydric soils had been buried, vegetation cleared and rivers paved over, there was nothing to slow down or absorb the water. This resulted in the deaths of over one hundred people and the destruction of over 5,600 buildings.

As a response, the US Army Corps of Engineers channelized the LA River with concrete­—so that stormwater would more rapidly flow into the ocean—and created an extensive network of dams in the Santa Monica and San Gabriel Mountains. While these measures saved lives in the short-term, the lack of groundwater recharge has led to chronic drought conditions in LA today.

Today, the city faces a host of interconnected problems: flooding, drought, extreme temperatures, and wildfires. While these issues may seem separate, they are all symptomatic of our underlying relationship to water.

What’s more: 70% of LA’s fresh water is discharged into the Pacific Ocean.