Los Angeles River Declared "Navigable"

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today designated the concrete-clad Los Angeles River as a "Traditional Navigable Water." The designation is a boon to local officials who have been seeking to restore the Los Angeles River and its environs. While the river is not truly navigable by anything larger than a kayak (see a great YouTube video), the designation provides for environmental protection for the Los Angeles River along its 51-mile route from the San Fernando Valley to Long Beach. The designation of the Los Angeles River as a "Traditional Navigable Water" reminds this author of the conversion of Lake Champlain into the sixth Great Lake in 1998.