Los Angeles River

Alex Hausman and his four-year-old son, Theo, were walking across a shallow area of the Los Angeles River on Saturday morning when they spotted a child-sized mattress floating near the edge. When a few nearby volunteers saw the find, they lifted the dirty mattress out of the water and onto the pavement next to the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk. Later, it was hauled into a truck bed on top of a few other objects: a shopping cart, a suitcase and several bags of trash. Hausman was one of more than 100 volunteers who spent Saturday morning cleaning out a portion of the Los Angeles River that runs alongside the newly-completed riverwalk in Glendale.

The Glendale City Council this week unanimously approved spending $800,000 on two bridges, one of which will connect the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk to the other side of the Los Angeles River and an expanse of parkland there. The riverwalk has been discussed for more than a decade and is part of a larger effort to beautify and restore the Los Angeles River for recreational use. Its components range from equestrian amenities to bike and pedestrian paths. About $1.7 million in construction work for the first phase of the project, from Bette Davis Park on Paula Avenue to the edge of DreamWorks Animation near Flower Street, is already underway.

Gary Moskowitz NORTHWEST GLENDALE -- Bette Davis Park in Glendale will be the meeting spot for those interested in helping to clean up the Los Angeles River Saturday. Friends of the Los Angeles River will host its 13th annual Great Los Angeles River Cleanup or "La Gran Limpieza." at 9 a.m. Saturday at Bette Davis Park, at the intersection of Victory Boulevard and Riverside Drive. Volunteers will haul trash from the river while enjoying free music, refreshments and raffle prizes.

How tragic that it takes the recent hit-and-run accident involving cyclist Damian Kevitt to bring to light the poorly planned “connection” between Phase One of the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk and the existing Los Angeles River bike path. This river/freeway overpass where Riverside Drive and Zoo Drive intersect was an accident waiting to happen, as Kevitt's tragic incident shows. The recently opened Narrows Riverwalk is a welcome addition for cyclists along the north side of the Los Angeles River, but with just a half mile of trail on this side of the river, the river's overpass on Riverside Drive beckons cyclists to connect to the more extensive Los Angeles River bike path.

Claudia Peschiutta GLENDALE -- Rep. Adam Schiff and other members of the California Congressional delegation are asking for an answers about chromium 6 and its effects. Schiff (D-Glendale) and 10 fellow legislators sent a letter Tuesday urging the National Toxicology Program to conduct a study to determine the carcinogenicity of chromium 6 in drinking water. Low levels of chromium 6 have been discovered in drinking water available to Glendale.

City's wastewater treatment plant meets deadline from state water board. BURBANK -- The city has completed $11.5 million in improvements to its wastewater treatment plant to meet a state board requirement to keep ammonia from getting into the Los Angeles River. In 2003, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board required Burbank, Glendale and Los Angeles to significantly reduce the amount of ammonia released into the Los Angeles River from its wastewater treatment plants.

By the time BJ Kincler got her horse, Dusty Roads, the city of Glendale had closed off the horse pen behind her apartment along the Los Angeles River, leaving the buckskin equine with nowhere nearby to kick up her heels. But on Wednesday, Dusty Roads played around in new equestrian facilities open to the public for the first time after city officials unveiled Phase 1 of the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk. “She's really happy,” Kincler said as the horse ran in circles, stopping to lick a few apple treats from Kincler's palm.

Amber Willard GLENDALE -- Glendale Fire officials are reminding residents to stay away from flood channels, which run throughout the city. Flood channels carry water from tributaries to the Los Angeles River and into the ocean. November is Flood Channel Safety Month, with officials stressing the danger of the areas, which includes being swept away in the water and drowning. Only a few inches is enough to knock a person off his or her feet and carry them away, Glendale Fire Battalion Chief Don Wright said.

City officials are pressing for nearly $1 million more in state funding for the second phase of the long-awaited Glendale Narrows Riverwalk, which has moved forward slowly in recent years due to roadblocks involving property access and funding. The project is part of a much larger effort to beautify and restore the Los Angeles River for recreational use. Its components range from equestrian amenities to bike and pedestrian paths. But the state financial crisis, coupled with hang-ups over property easements, has extended the timeline for Glendale's portion.

It took 10 years and $2.1 million, but this week, Glendale finally got the first of a three-phase project that - when it's all said and done - could become a huge community asset. We're talking, of course, about the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk, which debuted to the public on Thursday to a throng of crowing officials and eager dog walkers, horse riders, cyclists and park lovers. It's been a long time, but big dreams sometimes take time to realize, especially when scant government funding is involved.

Alex Hausman and his four-year-old son, Theo, were walking across a shallow area of the Los Angeles River on Saturday morning when they spotted a child-sized mattress floating near the edge. When a few nearby volunteers saw the find, they lifted the dirty mattress out of the water and onto the pavement next to the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk. Later, it was hauled into a truck bed on top of a few other objects: a shopping cart, a suitcase and several bags of trash. Hausman was one of more than 100 volunteers who spent Saturday morning cleaning out a portion of the Los Angeles River that runs alongside the newly-completed riverwalk in Glendale.

How tragic that it takes the recent hit-and-run accident involving cyclist Damian Kevitt to bring to light the poorly planned “connection” between Phase One of the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk and the existing Los Angeles River bike path. This river/freeway overpass where Riverside Drive and Zoo Drive intersect was an accident waiting to happen, as Kevitt's tragic incident shows. The recently opened Narrows Riverwalk is a welcome addition for cyclists along the north side of the Los Angeles River, but with just a half mile of trail on this side of the river, the river's overpass on Riverside Drive beckons cyclists to connect to the more extensive Los Angeles River bike path.

Sporting yellow T-shirts, members of the city's new Trail Safety Patrol hiked and biked through Glendale's trails on Saturday for the first time. And even as the program kicks off, city officials are already devising a plan to expand the patrol's reach via a new river unit. The river patrol would be an option for those who may not be able to handle the rigor associated with the mountainous landscapes of the trail unit. The skills test for the branch required hikers to climb six miles of trails along the Verdugo Mountains and back in less than 2 1/2 hours, but some couldn't meet the rigorous qualifications, said Marc Stirdivant, senior administrative analyst.

It took 10 years and $2.1 million, but this week, Glendale finally got the first of a three-phase project that - when it's all said and done - could become a huge community asset. We're talking, of course, about the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk, which debuted to the public on Thursday to a throng of crowing officials and eager dog walkers, horse riders, cyclists and park lovers. It's been a long time, but big dreams sometimes take time to realize, especially when scant government funding is involved.

By the time BJ Kincler got her horse, Dusty Roads, the city of Glendale had closed off the horse pen behind her apartment along the Los Angeles River, leaving the buckskin equine with nowhere nearby to kick up her heels. But on Wednesday, Dusty Roads played around in new equestrian facilities open to the public for the first time after city officials unveiled Phase 1 of the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk. “She's really happy,” Kincler said as the horse ran in circles, stopping to lick a few apple treats from Kincler's palm.

It's official. The first phase of the long-awaited Glendale Narrows Riverwalk, which has been beset by delays, is set to open to the public on Dec. 12. Discussed for the past decade, the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk has been hit by a number of roadblocks, including a state funding freeze, construction delays and coordination of approvals with other public agencies that have jurisdiction within the project area. The first of what is slated to be three phases, the $1.7-million project includes trails, a park area and an art display featuring sandblasted images of wildlife for the walk that starts near Bette Davis Park and runs along the Glendale side of the Los Angeles River for about a half-mile.

Officials expect to approve a set of guidelines for kayaking along a stretch of the Los Angeles River that flows near the Los Angeles-Glendale border by next summer. The guidelines would be welcomed with open arms by groups aiming to expand riverway expeditions that have been growing in popularity. After launching paid kayaking tours last summer near the Sepulveda Basin, the L.A. Conservation Corps and L.A. River Expeditions had hoped to bring their tours to a stretch called the Glendale Narrows this year.

The Glendale City Council this week unanimously approved spending $800,000 on two bridges, one of which will connect the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk to the other side of the Los Angeles River and an expanse of parkland there. The riverwalk has been discussed for more than a decade and is part of a larger effort to beautify and restore the Los Angeles River for recreational use. Its components range from equestrian amenities to bike and pedestrian paths. About $1.7 million in construction work for the first phase of the project, from Bette Davis Park on Paula Avenue to the edge of DreamWorks Animation near Flower Street, is already underway.

City officials are pressing for nearly $1 million more in state funding for the second phase of the long-awaited Glendale Narrows Riverwalk, which has moved forward slowly in recent years due to roadblocks involving property access and funding. The project is part of a much larger effort to beautify and restore the Los Angeles River for recreational use. Its components range from equestrian amenities to bike and pedestrian paths. But the state financial crisis, coupled with hang-ups over property easements, has extended the timeline for Glendale's portion.

The long-awaited Paddle the Los Angeles River pilot program got off to a wobbly start Monday as two dozen civic leaders in hard hats and bulging life vests stepped into kayaks and pushed out through murky ripples in the Sepulveda Basin. The group of flood control officials and City Councilmen Tony Cardenas and Ed Reyes was chaperoned by experienced kayakers and naturalists on hand to make sure no one tipped over into the treated urban runoff or entangled themselves in the heavy brush laden with shredded clothing and plastic bags that lines the 70-foot-wide channel.