Los Angeles River

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/los-angeles-river

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How long is the Los Angeles River?Approximately 51 miles (82 kilometers)
2. What is the Los Angeles River known for?Minor, supplemented by water reclamation plants
3. What is the location?Los Angeles County, California
4. What is the headwaters?Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains
5. What does the Los Angeles River look like now?It runs in a long concrete channel that keeps the water from flooding the city.
6. Why was the river put in a concrete channel?After many big floods, engineers built the channel to stop the river from flooding homes and streets.

Alluvial Floodplain: A flat area of land alongside a river that is built up by sediment deposited by the river.
Channelization: The process of straightening and deepening a river's channel, often with concrete, to control its flow.
Urban Runoff: Water that flows over impervious surfaces in urban areas, carrying pollutants into waterways.
Water Reclamation: The process of treating wastewater to a quality suitable for reuse in various applications.