Orange County Branch Newsletter

June 2021

ASCE OC YMF x EWRI

LA River Master Plan Update

By Camille Le | YMF-EWRI Liaison

On May 4^th, ASCE OC YMF and EWRI Committee welcomed Genevieve Osmeña, Senior Engineer and Mark Beltran, Associate Civil Engineer from Los Angeles County Public Works, Stormwater Planning Division, to speak on the Los Angeles River Master Plan (LARMP) Update. Ms. Osmeña is the watershed manager for the Upper Los Angeles River Watershed area, in which she oversees long-term multi-benefit planning for the Los Angeles County Flood Control District. Mr. Beltran is the project manager overseeing the development of the Los Angeles River Master Plan.

Mr. Beltran began the presentation with an overview of the 2020 Plan, which is an update based on the original Los Angeles River Master Plan in 1996. The vision of the LARMP is to transform the river from a single-use flood risk reduction channel to a place that connects all people, environment and celebrates urban art and culture. To reimagine the river, the 2020 LARMP is broken down into nine goals that not only include principles from the 1996 plan, but also acknowledge the concerns of climate change issues, homelessness, and social justice. Each goal is built around a robust data-based methodology to assess community needs along the river. The LARMP uses over 200 “river rulers” – a vertical straight-line diagram that represents and takes measure of the entire 51 miles of the LA River – to compare how conditions change from one river mile to the next. With this methodology, a large amount of data is able to be analyzed and compared to address the issues for community needs. Mr. Beltran closed off the presentation with the website link (LA River Master Plan) to access the public draft, design guideline, and technical data documents behind the master plan.

Ms. Osmeña discussed the questions posed by attendees during the Q&A session, including maintenance for bike path and homelessness, funding sources, and specific parameters used to determine community needs, such as air pollution, traffic densities, and population characteristics.

The event ended with raffle prizes given away to four winners from the audience.

ASCE OC YMF and the EWRI Committee would like to thank Genevieve Osmeña and Mark Beltran for an informative and visually engaging presentation that was very well received by all attendees.

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