Resources

List of Plans

Common Ground, from the Mountains to the Sea – subtitled Watershed and Open Space Plan for the San Gabriel and Los Angeles Rivers, was created as a requirement of the statute which created the RMC.
Lower Los Angeles River Revitalization Plan – As mandated by California State Assembly Bill 530, the Plan is intended to revitalize the Lower Los Angeles River encompassing one mile on each side of the 19-mile river from the City of Vernon to the City of Long Beach. The plan was developed through a watershed-based, equitable, community-driven process and it identified 155 potential multi-benefit projects that would improve community economics, health and equity; the public realm; and water and the environment along and in the vicinity of the river. The Plan is incorporated into the Los Angeles River Master Plan Update.
Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Feasibility Study – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Los Angeles County Department of Public Works have collected Geographic Information Systems data on the watersheds. The goal of the study is to be able to identify potential opportunities related to improving recreation, land use and habitat management, water conservation, flood quality and flood management and to development a framework for a future integrated basin management plan for the Los Angeles and San Gabriel River watersheds.
San Gabriel River Master Plan – In 1999, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works began developing a master plan for the San Gabriel River, from the County-controlled dams and reservoirs in the San Gabriel Mountains to the river’s outlet at aintethe Pacific Ocean. The consensus-driven master plan process identified over 130 independently-sponsored enhancement projects that integrate recreation, open space, habitat enhancements, flood protection, preservation of natural resources, maintenance of existing water rights, and economic development. The plan was completed in 2006.
Forest Plan Update – Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres, and San Bernardino National Forests – The U.S. Forest Service updated its land management plan for the Southern California National Forests including the Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres, and San Bernardino National Forests in 2005. The elements of the plan are wilderness areas, timber management, range allotments, recreational options, and land acquisition. The Forest Plan Update includes vision and design criteria that apply to all four of the forests and a separate strategy plan for each individual forest to facilitate the development of management activities that will contribute toward the realization of the national forests’ desired conditions.
San Gabriel River and Rio Hondo Coastal Spreading Grounds Enhancements – The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works is working with the City of Pico Rivera to provide public access, create recreation opportunities, and improve the appearance of the existing spreading grounds (used to recharge groundwater) along the San Gabriel and Rio Hondo Rivers. This plan is intended as a prototype for multi-objective projects in the region.
Sun Valley Watershed Management Plan – The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works developed a plan to address chronic flooding in the Sun Valley subwatershed in May 2004. The plan developed multi-objective solutions to control flooding, increase groundwater recharge, reduce stormwater pollution, and provide recreational opportunities, resulting in one project and four final sample alternatives that incorporate infiltration basins, constructed wetlands, tree planting, storm drains, water conservation measures, recreational opportunities, water quality improvements, and habitat enhancements. The project is intended to attract multiple funding partners, educate and motivate the local community to embrace these solutions, and provide a model for future watershed management projects throughout Los Angeles County.
Compton Creek Watershed Management Plan –
Rio Hondo Watershed Management Plan – In October 2004, a project management team consisting of four public agencies and a private consulting firm completed the Rio Hondo Watershed Management Plan. The plan provides an organizing framework for municipalities, conservation organizations, and the public to cooperatively manage the Rio Hondo River Watershed, a subwatershed of the Los Angeles River watershed. The plan outlines nine goals to guide watershed management, including improving water quality, protecting and acquiring open space, enhancing habitat values, providing recreational opportunities, ensuring public health, maintaining and improving flood protection, developing priority projects, creating an effective institutional framework, and establishing public awareness and stewardship campaigns to promote long-term watershed health. Incorporated into the plan are over 60 preliminary project proposals that would achieve one or more of the plan’s nine goals.
Upper San Gabriel River Watershed Management Plan/Watershed Management Plan for the San Gabriel River above Whittier Narrows –
Arroyo Seco Watershed Restoration Feasibility Study – The Arroyo Seco Foundation and North East Trees, a non-profit organization, completed the final report for the Arroyo Seco Watershed Restoration Feasibility Study in 2002. The Study developed a comprehensive, long-term restoration and enhancement plan for the Arroyo Seco Watershed located between the San Gabriel Mountains and Los Angeles River, including the cities and communities of Pasadena, South Pasadena, and Northeast Los Angeles. The study focused on four goals, including restoring the natural hydrology of the watershed, managing water resources to improve water quality, protecting and restoring habitat, and improving recreational opportunities. The study’s final report recommended over 75 projects and studies aimed at achieving the four goals.
Upper Los Angeles River & Tributaries Revitalization Plan – Authorized in September 2017 by Assembly Bill 466 and finalized in April 2020, the Upper Los Angeles River and Tributaries Revitalization Plan recommends over 300 project opportunities to revitalize the Upper Los Angeles River and its tributaries, including Aliso Canyon Wash, Pacoima Wash, Tujunga Wash, Burbank Western Channel, Verdugo Wash, and Arroyo Seco, and adjacent lands. Through watershed-based planning methods and community engagement, the Upper Los Angeles River and Tributaries Working Group identified and prioritized small-scale project opportunities that incorporate the following components: nature-based watershed management, multiple benefits, open space, safe access, alignment with community needs and feedback, alignment with funding sources, reduction and management of flood risk to communities, culture, arts, and education, and reconciliation with previous planning efforts. The Plan will be incorporated into the Los Angeles River Master Plan Update.
LA River Master Plan Update – The County of Los Angeles is preparing the update to the original 1996 Los Angeles River Master Plan. The Update will build on the original Master Plan, synthesizing recent ideas for managing portions of the river and creating a comprehensive vision to guide the transformation of the river. The Master Plan Update will include nine objectives related to flood protection; equitable parks, open space, and trails; connected ecosystems; equitable access to the river corridor; arts and culture opportunities; housing affordability and homelessness; community engagement and education; water supply reliability; and safe, clean water. The Update will provide a “Kit of Parts” with design options for six types of projects that may be implemented at any potential location along the river and propose implementable projects to achieve the nine Master Plan Update objectives.
Emerald Necklace Vision Plan – The non-profit organization Amigos de Los Rios developed the Emerald Necklace Forest to Ocean Vision Plan in 2005 to outline a strategy for creating a 17-mile loop of multi-benefit parks and greenways along the watershed areas of the Rio Hondo, San Gabriel, and lower Los Angeles Rivers in east Los Angeles County. In 2014, the plan was expanded to incorporate an additional 1,500 acres of parks and open space into the proposed interconnected greenway design. The Expanded Vision Plan includes eight regional goals focused on promoting active transportation, balancing natural and built lands, improving recreational opportunities, treating water as a multi-benefit amenity, building resilient communities, enhancing regional natural areas, increasing community education and engagement, and fostering a green economy. The Expanded Vision Plan also lays out collaborative strategies and existing and in-progress projects necessary to achieve each of the eight goals.
Green Visions Plan – The Green Visions Plan is a joint venture between the University of Southern California and the southern California region’s land conservancies. Completed in 2004, the Green Visions Plan acts as a guide and toolkit for needs-based, long-range habitat conservation, watershed health, and recreational open space plans for the larger Los Angeles metropolitan region. The long-term goals of the Plan include protecting and restoring natural areas, restoring natural function to the hydrological cycle, increasing equitable access to open space, and proposing multiple-use facilities to maximize the political and financial support for the Plan. The Plan consists of a comprehensive white paper report, technical publications on the Plan’s goal areas, online planning tools, and geospatial datasets and modeling on vegetation, habitat suitability, species connectivity, hydrologic functions, watershed characteristics, open space resources, and recreational open space needs.
Historical Ecology and Landscape Change of the San Gabriel River and Floodplain – In 2007, the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP) in collaboration with several technical partners developed a report containing a framework for understanding the historical extent and function of the San Gabriel River and floodplain. The technical report analyzed historical land grant sketches, maps, surveys, field notes, essays, and aerial and ground photographs to document the historical acreage and distribution of wetland and riparian habitat, the historical extent and spatial distribution of the floodplain, the composition and spatial distribution of riparian vegetation community types and species, and the factors associated with landscape changes in the San Gabriel River watershed. The SCCWRP and partners then produced technical resources, including maps and plant lists, intended to provide planners with ecological restoration and conservation management options and templates based in historical ecosystem functions.
Los Angeles Countywide Comprehensive Parks and Recreation Needs Assessment (2016) – The 2016 Los Angeles Countywide Comprehensive Parks and Recreation Needs Assessment was completed to assist local decision-makers and the public understand the steps necessary to ensure LA County residents have adequate access to parks and recreational facilities. The Needs Assessment incorporated seven objectives to achieve the goal of quantifying the needs for parks and recreational resources and the potential costs of meeting those needs. The Needs Assessment split the County into 188 Study Areas, inventoried the Study Areas’ existing parks and recreational amenities, and analyzed the inventory results using five park metrics to determine level of park need in each Study Area.
One Water 2040 LA Plan Volume 4, Los Angeles River Flow Study – The City of Los Angeles’s One Water LA 2020 Plan identifies multi-departmental and multi-agency integration opportunities to manage the City’s water resources, including surface water, groundwater, potable water, wastewater, recycled water, dry-weather runoff, and storm water. The Plan will help guide strategic decisions for integrated water projects, programs, and policies in the City. Volume 4 of the Plan, the Los Angeles (LA) River Flow Study, was developed in December 2017 to identify considerations, assumptions, and areas of future study necessary to determine optimal flow conditions in the LA River. The Study establishes an adaptive management approach to guide decision-makers in managing LA River flows to balance the City’s water supply needs with the LA River’s water-dependent uses and regulatory requirements.
San Gabriel Mountains National Monument Management Plan – The U.S. Forest Service developed the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument Management Plan in 2018 to provide strategic direction and guidance for management of the 346,177-acre San Gabriel Mountains National Monument (Monument). Designated in 2014, the Monument consists of all National Forest System (NFS) lands in the northern and southeastern portions of the San Gabriel Mountain Range, including 342,175 acres of the Angeles National Forest and 4,002 acres of land formerly administered by the San Bernardino National Forest. The Monument Plan is an adaptive, high-level document that provides a framework for informed decision-making and guidance for resource management, uses, and project development. In 2019, the Monument Plan amended the current Angeles National Forest Land Management Plan (see Forest Plan Update – Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres, and San Bernardino National Forests) to provide consistency with the Proclamation that designated the Monument.
I-710 Livability Initiative: Complete Streets and Active Transportation Plan – The I-710 Livability Initiative Complete Streets and Active Transportation Plan developed by the Gateway Cities Council of Governments (GCCOG) in 2019 focuses on improving infrastructure and streetscapes for driving, walking, biking, and taking the bus on local streets that cross or will cross 1-710 between SR-60 and Ocean Boulevard in Long Beach. The Plan consists of four components intended to help Metro (the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation System), GCCOG, and local cities improve quality of life through mobility improvements: a compilation of summaries of adopted transportation planning documents, the results of the Plan’s community engagement process, a toolbox of transportation infrastructure improvement options, including green infrastructure options, and an existing conditions analysis of the 30 corridors traversing 1-710. The Plan developed conceptual plans for capital improvement projects that would likely impact the physical setting of the Lower Los Angeles River along I-710
Gateway COG Strategic Transportation Plan – The GCCOG’s Strategic Transportation Plan (STP), completed in 2016, is a multimodal assessment of proposed surface transportation improvement projects in the Gateway Cities Subregion, including 27 cities and County of Los Angeles unincorporated areas, in southeast Los Angeles. The STP is intended to assist the Gateway Cities in understanding the travel market of the Subregion, building upon existing regional transportation system analyses, understanding the interconnectivity of transportation infrastructure projects, thinking strategically about multimodal transportation investments, and financing multimodal transportation investments. The STP incorporates projects that may impact any of four watersheds (and their waterbodies) located in the Gateway Cities Subregion, including the Los Cerritos Channel Watershed, the Lower Los Angeles River Watershed, the Lower Los Angeles River Upper Reach 2 Watershed, and the Lower San Gabriel River Watershed. The STP also identifies strategies for the GCCOG member agencies to implement stormwater quality protection measures and green streets applications to avoid and mitigate adverse watershed impacts.
San Gabriel Watershed and Mountains Special Resource Study and Environmental Assessment – The National Park Service’s (NPS) 2013 San Gabriel Watershed and Mountains Special Resource Study was developed to determine the eligibility of a study area consisting of the San Gabriel River and its tributaries north of Santa Fe Springs and the San Gabriel Mountains within the territory of the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy for designation as a unit of the national park system. Through engagement with the public, stakeholders, and resource experts and an evaluation of the study area and its resources, the NPS selected portions of the study area to recommend for designation as the San Gabriel unit of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. As part of the resource study, the NPS developed four alternative strategies to manage, protect, and restore the study area’s resources and provide or enhance recreational opportunities.
Water LA 2018 Report – Developed by the River Project, a non-profit organization, the Water LA 2018 Report explores opportunities for making distributed changes to the urban landscape of the City of Los Angeles to promote resilient and sustainable management of the City’s water supplies. The report incorporates the findings of a case study in which residential properties in the San Fernando Valley were retrofitted into spaces of water capture, conservation, and reuse using rain tanks, rain gardens, parkway retrofits, permeable paving, greywater systems, and infiltration trenches. Following an assessment of the implemented retrofits, the River Project made recommendations for modifying building, planning, and landscaping codes; facilitating localized support for adopting and maintaining retrofits; fostering career paths in nature-based climate adaptation; and improving urban greening incentives and rebates for residents.
LA Basin Stormwater Conservation Study: Task 5,Infrastructure & Operations Concepts Report – The Los Angeles County Flood Control District (LACFCD) and the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) developed the Los Angeles Basin Stormwater Conservation Study (LA Basin Study) in 2015 to investigate long-term water supply conservation and flood risk management impacts anticipated from projected changes in climate and population in the Los Angeles region. Task 5 of the multi-task study identified and evaluated project concepts to manage stormwater in the Los Angeles Basin watershed, including the Los Angeles River, San Gabriel River, South Santa Monica Bay, North Santa Monica Bay, Ballona Creek, Malibu Creek, and Dominguez Channel/Los Angeles Harbor watersheds. LACFCD and Reclamation identified 126 concepts for stormwater capture through a collaborative stakeholder input process and concept evaluation, conducted a technical analysis of the 126 concepts, and evaluated the most promising concepts for reliability and effectiveness. Ultimately, LACFCD and Reclamation recommended 12 concept project groups encompassing local, regional, storage and management solutions for implementation to maximize stormwater conservation benefits in the LA Basin watershed.
West Santa Ana Branch Technical Refinement Study– In 2015, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) conducted a Technical Refinement Study (Study) for its West Santa Ana Branch (WSAB) Transit Corridor project at the recommendation of the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). The Study built upon a prior Alternative Analysis (AA) Study concerning future transit connections and modes of transport for the WSAB corridor, which spans a 34-mile corridor from Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles to the City of Santa Ana. The Study focuses on key issues from the AA Study, including alignment alternatives, station locations, travel forecast, and preliminary cost estimates of the alternatives. Implementation of the WSAB corridor project may impact the existing conditions of the Upper and Lower Los Angeles River and vicinity as the project proposes new corridor alignments and alternatives either within one mile of or crossing the Upper LA River in Downtown Los Angeles and a combination of new at-grade and aerial corridor alignments and alternatives at and near the confluence of the Rio Hondo Channel and the Lower LA River.
LA River Path Conceptual Design Report – In 2019, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) completed a conceptual design report for the LA River Path project, an approximately 8-mile proposed pedestrian and cycling path along the Los Angeles River from Elysian Valley to the City of Maywood to close the longest remaining gap in the existing LA River Path. The goal of the report was to recommend path alignments and features that complement the overall path corridor and support community needs, including user safety, access to and from local neighborhoods and community centers, sustainable mobility, equity of access for historically under-invested communities, user experience, and user health. Through a path alignment evaluation process, existing conditions assessment, community engagement process, and concepts screening exercise, Metro selected the three top-performing alternatives to be advanced to the environmental review process in the near future. The three selected alternatives each include a unique combination of access points and path types, the construction of which would alter the existing conditions of the LA River channel.
Coyote Creek Plan –
City of Avalon Recycled Water/ Energy Sustainability Sub-Plan Study –
Conservation Strategy for Catalina Island, CA –
City of Avalon 2030 General Plan / Local Coastal Plan EIR –
Ecosystem Restoration on Santa Catalina Island: A Review of Potential Approaches and the Promise of Bottom-Up Invader Management –
Dominguez Watershed Management Master Plan – The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works completed the Dominguez Watershed Management Master Plan (WMMP) in 2004. The WMMP intends to assist stakeholders in the protection, enhancement, and restoration of the environment and beneficial use of the Dominguez Watershed by providing an overview of existing conditions and watershed issues, an action plan with recommended solutions to the watershed issues, and potential implementation funding opportunities. The goals that guided the Department of Public Works’ approach to the WMMP include protecting and enhancing water quality; conserving, reusing, and recharging local water supplies; protecting and restoring native habitat and biological resources; promoting public involvement in watershed management; and implementing stewardship programs. The WMMP’s action plan recommends 35 actions, including measures and projects, that tie into each of the stated goals.
Los Angeles River Master Plan Landscaping Guidelines and Plant Palettes– The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works’ Los Angeles River Master Plan Landscaping Guidelines and Plant Palettes resource was completed in 2004 to supplement the 1996 Los Angeles River Master Plan. The document provides County-prescribed guidelines and procedures for implementing projects that incorporate best management practices (BMPs) for watershed protection and lists accepted amenities and plants for public use. The document is intended to be a resource and reference document to aid agencies, planners, landscape architects, and other groups in the design and development (e.g., revegetation) of public open space areas along the ROW adjacent to the Los Angeles River. The guide may also be used as a resource for development of other waterways within the Los Angeles River watershed.
Active Transportation Strategic Plan – In 2016, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) developed the Active Transportation Strategic Plan (Plan) to enhance access to transit stations and create a regional active (i.e., nonmotorized) transportation network for people who walk and bike in Los Angeles County. The Plan’s six goals focus on improving access to transit, establishing active transportation modes, enhancing user safety, promoting clean transportation options, improving public health, and fostering equitable and economically vibrant communities with greater transportation choices and access. The Plan provides guidance and examples to local agencies and stakeholders for the implementation of successful transportation projects and recommends a Countywide Active Transportation Network with over 2,000 miles of active transportation facilities throughout the County.
LLARRP 2017 Community Stabilization Toolkit – The 2017 Lower Los Angeles River Revitalization Plan’s Community Stabilization Toolkit identified methods to protect existing river-adjacent communities throughout the process of revitalizing the Lower LA River. The Toolkit highlights policies and programs that work to prevent displacement and gentrification through improving community-developer relationships, ensuring financial transparency during project implementation, maintaining community-generated investment in the community, creating a stable inventory of affordable housing, promoting new local businesses, and providing workforce training. Recommended stabilization methods include community benefits agreements, inclusionary housing programs, locally owned business support programs and services, no net loss housing regulations, rent control ordinances, workforce development programs, and community land trusts.
LADPW Stormwater Capture Master Plan – The City of Los Angeles Department of Public Work’s (LADPW) 2015 Stormwater Capture Master Plan (SCMP) outlines LADPW’s strategies for implementing stormwater capture projects and programs to ensure a safe and reliable local City water supply less dependent upon imported water. The SCMP evaluated existing stormwater capture facilities, quantified potential conservative and aggressive stormwater capture volumes, developed feasible stormwater capture alternatives, and evaluated the multiple benefits of stormwater capture for groundwater recharge, water conservation, open space alternatives, downstream water quality, and peak flow attenuation in local waterbodies. The SCMP’s actionable product includes recommendations for stormwater capture projects, programs, policies, and ordinances.
Los Angeles River Ecosystem Restoration Integrated Feasibility Report – In 2015, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and City of Los Angeles completed the Los Angeles River Ecosystem Restoration Integrated Feasibility Report, which evaluated alternatives to restore 11 miles of the Los Angeles River from Griffith Park to downtown Los Angeles. The study looked at a no action alternative and five action alternatives. Ultimately, the report recommended the locally preferred plan (LPP), Alternative 20, which includes restoration of habitat in 719 acres of the study area through a combination of riparian corridor habitat restoration, removal of channel concrete and riverbed restoration, freshwater marsh restoration, floodplain restoration, habitat reconnection, tributary restoration, establishment of side channels, river widening, and removal of invasive vegetation all while maintaining existing levels of flood risk management and providing compatible recreation features. The study, including the recommended plan under Alternative 20, was adopted by the City of Los Angeles in 2016.
Los Angeles Sustainable Water Project: Los Angeles River Watershed – The 2017 Los Angeles Sustainable Water Project: Los Angeles River Watershed is a product of the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, the UCLA Sustainable LA Grand Challenge, and the Colorado School of Mines. The Project researched the potential to improve water quality and increase local water supplies for the City of Los Angeles through integrated watershed management. The Project report includes modeling analyses of stormwater quality and flow BMPs (best management practices), assessment of LID (low impact development) ordinances, and a review of proposed groundwater recharge and stormwater capture projects in the City and surrounding urban lands. Its recommendations include future research needs, best management practices, and ordinances for the multi-benefit management of stormwater, flows, and water supplies.
Metro Green Places Toolkit – Metro’s Green Places Toolkit is a resource for implementing urban greening and placemaking projects across the Los Angeles region. The Toolkit provides best practice guidance for City and County agencies, community groups, and private institutions to use in improving public and private spaces in the vicinity of transit stations. Each tool, such as graywater reuse, green alleys, and bio infiltration techniques, in the Toolkit includes guiding actions, potential partnerships and funding sources, relevant plans and regulations, and case studies highlighting the effectiveness of the tool in achieving environmental and community-oriented goals.

Compiled June 2020