LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to spend $3.6 million for flood protection along the Los Angeles River as El Niño storms continue to roll in.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors sent a letter on Jan. 5 to Congress and the Corps of Engineers requesting the additional funds.
Downtown Los Angeles received more than 2.5 inches of rain last week, according to the National Weather Service. The rainfall caused flash flooding in some areas.
The Corps of Engineers planned to begin installing barriers this week in a three-mile stretch along the river in Central Los Angeles from Griffith Park to the Elysian Valley. The work is anticipated to take several weeks, with the installations expected to remain in place through the spring.
"Our river is unique — most of the year it runs nearly dry, and then during the rainy season it runs in powerful torrents as we've seen this week," Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement. "My top priority during El Niño is to ensure the safety of everyone in our city."
The L.A. District of the Corps sent an emergency declaration request to its headquarters last week after it determined the area needed increased capacity to keep the river in its banks, according to the mayor's office.
The temporary barriers, known as HESCO Bastion, raise the sides of the river channel, temporarily increasing its capacity to prevent flooding. The city received $3.1 million for the barriers, and another $500,000 to remove vegetation in a high risk area near the Los Angeles Zoo in Griffith Park.
The effects of El Niño are expected to last for months with the next storm expected the middle of next week, according to the NWS.
"The flood fighting has just begun for this winter," L.A. Corps of Engineers District Commander Col. Kirk Gibbs said in the release.
The work will provide flood protection for Los Angeles and Glendale residents who live in neighborhoods near Griffith Park when El Niño produces the heavier rains expected later in the season, L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis said.
The Los Angeles City Council has to pass a motion allowing the Corps of Engineers right-of-way entry to the river levees.
