Los Angeles River Watershed Monitoring Program
Background
The Los Angeles River Watershed Monitoring Program (LARWMP) was developed in 2007 by a group of stakeholders representing major permittees, regulatory and management agencies, and conservation groups. At the time, the majority of monitoring efforts were focused on compliance monitoring, presenting an opportunity to better coordinate ongoing monitoring efforts and promote collaboration between stakeholders of the Los Angeles River.
Prior to the establishment of the LARWMP, little was known about the baseline condition of streams throughout the Los Angeles River watershed. The LARWMP was conceived as a watershed-scale effort to improve the cost effectiveness, standardization, and coordination of various monitoring efforts in the Los Angeles region. This collaborative approach provides a framework for comprehensive, periodic assessments of watershed health, and creates opportunities to align monitoring efforts with management and public priorities.
Program
The Los Angeles River watershed is a complex system that fulfills the Los Angeles region's need for flood management, recreation, and natural habitat. We envision the Los Angeles River watershed as a more sustainable system that better ties ecological health to community
well-being. To provide a better understanding of the health of Los Angeles River watershed as an integrated system and how it is changing, the LARWMP generates annual monitoring data. Yearly monitoring efforts culminate in an annual report. Every five years, annual data is synthesized into a State of the Watershed Report. Have questions or comments on the LARWMP? Submit to our team here.
For a summary of the findings from the most recent LARWMP annual report, click here.
For data on bacteria at swim and kayak sites from the most recent monitoring season, visit LA Sanitation and Environment's website for more information.
For tips on how to recreate safely in the LA River watershed, click here.
River Resources
2023 State of the LA River Watershed Report
2023 State of the LA River Watershed Executive Summary
2018 State of the LA River Watershed Report
2015 LARWMP Data (file download)
2017 Swim Site Bacteria Data (file download)
2012 to 2014 Los Angeles River Report
2012 to 2016 Los Angeles River Data
Indicators of Watershed Health for the Los Angeles River Watershed
The MRCA operates to Recreation Zones for kayaking and fishing:
Discover some of the L.A. River Watershed monitoring recreation sites
These participants contributed staff time, laboratory analyses, and funding in a collaborative effort that included representatives from regulated, regulatory, environmental, and research organizations. A majority of the funding was provided by the Cities of Los Angeles and Burbank and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.
Sponsoring Agencies and Organizations
City of Burbank
City of Los Angeles
Los Angeles County Flood Control District
Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board
Southern California Coastal Water Research Project U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
U.S. Forest Service