Los Angeles River

Alex Coolman GLENDALE -- The city began its program of using water containing low levels of chromium 6 Monday, pulling as much as 660,000 gallons of water up from an underground aquifer. The water was blended with water from the Metropolitan Water District before being delivered to customers, city spokesman Ritch Wells said. The final product is expected to contain about 1 part per billion of the chemical, a level below all federal and state safety standards for total chromium.

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.

KATHERINE YAMADA Roger W. Jessup turned 23 acres along the Los Angeles River into one of the largest individually owned dairy farms in the United States, and, by the 1960s, had 1,200 cows producing milk that was sold from Santa Barbara to San Diego. The dairy was certified, which meant the cows were disease-free and that the milk was not heated or pasteurized; instead it was chilled to kill any bacteria. "Chilling the milk allowed it to retain more healthy properties than pasteurizing it did," said Roger's grandson, Rich Jessup of Montrose.

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.

CITY HALL ? With construction on the first phase of Glendale?s portion of the long-awaited walkway along the Los Angeles River set for this summer, parks officials Thursday gathered input from residents on future extensions. More than 30 residents filled the Pacific Park Community Room on Thursday evening to learn more about the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk project. Many residents said they were surprised to hear that the project, discussed for more than a decade, was moving forward, while others said they knew nothing about it. ?

CITY HALL ? The City Council on Tuesday will consider allocating grant funds to create more plans for the long-awaited walkway along the Los Angeles River, even as ongoing negotiations with DreamWorks hold up the first phase of the project. Project officials hope to break ground on the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk project this summer, but protracted negotiations on a 15-foot strip of land on the DreamWorks Animation campus necessary for the river walkway remain ongoing. The two sides reached an agreement more than six months ago, and city officials have maintained for months that the negotiations would soon end. But the proposed easement has been in a holding pattern as attorneys continue to review the agreement.

CITY HALL — Six months after city officials said a deal with DreamWorks Animation on a 15-foot strip of land for a walkway along the Los Angeles River was nearly complete, the project remains in a holding pattern as attorneys continue to review the agreement. The long-awaited Glendale Narrows Riverwalk project first received concept design approval from the City Council in 2006, but has hit a number of roadblocks along the way. The walkway was first put on hold in February when the state froze a $1.1-million grant because of the budget crisis.

Two Girl Scouts will have the best seats in the house when this year’s Tournament of Roses parade heads down Colorado Boulevard on New Year’s Day. Anna Stapelseldt, 17, of La Crescenta, and Kaitlyn Ross, 17, of Burbank, will be carrying the banners for the trophy-winning floats. “This is really exciting to represent my community,” said Anna, who is a senior at Westridge School for Girls in Pasadena. Kaitlyn had always watched the parade on TV, but she’ll get an even closer look, she said.

GLENDALE — State funds for the long-awaited redevelopment of Glendale’s walkway along the Los Angeles River may have been unfrozen, but the project is still awaiting the outcome of negotiations between the city and DreamWorks Animation LLC over an easement. The Glendale Narrows Riverwalk project was put on hold in February when the state froze a $1.1-million grant because of the budget crisis. The funds have now been released, but there is no guarantee they will remain, said Dave Ahern, capital projects manager for the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department.