River's future in hands of residents.

In a series of 18 public meetings, Los Angeles residents will have the power to help make the Los Angeles Rivera massive clean-up project that will result in new parks and habitat restoration. "When we begin to show people drawings and ideas and what other cities have done, I think people will be open for the river to be something other than a drainage channel," said Deborah Weintraub, a deputy engineer in the city's bureau of engineering, in a recent article published by the Los Angeles Times. Areas of discussion include removing portions of the river's concrete lining, which was installed to keep low-lying areas from being flooded; creating a "confluence park," much like the Truckee River area in Reno, Nev.; and finding the tens of millions of dollars necessary to complete these objectives. The meetings will stretch over 18 months, whereupon the city will issue a 20-year blueprint to guide the river restoration effort, if one is agreed upon by residents.