So... let me get this straight: The Army Corps is essentially hired by the public to do work-for-hire i.e. create levees in New Orleans. Why don't they tell the people of New Orleans that they can't be on the Mississippi river? And the Corps was also were hired by the public to fix the problem of flooding on the LA River. Why then do the people of Los Angeles need the Corps' permission to be on the LA River?

In the 50's the river was sand bottomed not concrete, You didn't any permission to explore it's many wonders, like pollywogs.
We road horses in the soft sand and never considered that the sand would be replaced with concrete.

I saw the Weekly article, and thought it was a great overview of the legalities in this case. But what I still don't get is that this group acted "illegally," but what law did they break? I saw that the group claims that the Corps and County may be acting "illegally" too, by charging fees of more than $2000+ for permits, "monitors", etc. -- in order to buy access to the river, and that the public has a right to the river via "public trust laws." So... who's right? Somebody please clarify this -- am I the only one driven crazy by all these legal terms for something that seems so simple: going on a river.

Tibby Rothman at the LA Weekly has written a wonderful article about this little event and it might answer many of the community's questions about the issues surrounding the L.A. River. You can read it at http://www.laweekly.com/news/news/la-river-really-floats-their-boats/19347/

No Jozilee, the sewer system has its own separate infrastructure. The LA River is an actual river (and the main reason the pueblo was founded here) and was the city's primary water source until Mulholland's aqueduct started sucking Owens Valley dry and the Corps of Engineers turned a beautiful resource into a means to throw every drop of rainwater AWAY rather than maintain it here for drinking supply. A move that's starting to look pretty retarded as climate change and drought set in and the courts have begun restricting our ability to import water from NorCal and Colo.

just noticed the previous comment above. actually, depending on where you are on the river, the water quality varies widely -- from "near drinking water" coming out of the Tillman Treatment Plant in the Valley to horribly skanky near Willow Street in Long Beach. Generally speaking though, where there's nature, there's better water quality. big surprise?

i agree. we still need the flood control, but why can't we at least boat on the Glendale Narrows, which is a nice stretch w/ actual rapids that's part concrete (for flood safety) and part natural (for recreational purposes)? what's wrong with that as a compromise?

Eric, please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the "LA River" part of the sewer system? I'm not trying to sink your boat but maybe the city doesn't issue a permit because they know what's floating in the water's depths.

The mouth of the river opens to the ocean near CSULB campus. I used to watch that beautiful river often and while birds swim unimpeded during certain times of the year, I never saw kayaks, canoes or paddle boats, which you'd readily find blocks away off 2nd Street.