The kayaks are set to ship out Saturday as the city opens up the Los Angeles River to the public in the “Paddle the LA River” program.

Kayakers paddled down the LA River for the first time in years on Monday as part of the “Paddle the L.A. River” pilot program. (photo courtesy of the LA Conservation Corps)

“This effort marks a significant point in our river’s history because we are witnessing the image of the Los Angeles River change,” said City Councilmember Ed Reyes, 1st District, chair of the City Ad Hoc River Committee.

In a special pilot program, led by the LA Conservation Corps, the public can kayak – in tandem or in larger groups – down the river in a 1.5-mile tour that takes about 2.5 hours, beginning at Balboa Boulevard and ending at Burbank Boulevard. Guides will highlight ecosystems and wildlife in and beside the water as they drift through the calmest section of the L.A. River.

According to Irene Lopez-Muro, senior director of conservation programs for the LA Conservation Corps, attendees will enjoy a guided tour, led by corps staff, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority and the L.A. River Expedition, who are all trained in CPR and swift water rescue. Participation costs $50 and a total of 280 tickets are available during the almost two-month program, which runs from Aug. 13 to Sept. 25.

Lopez-Muro added that “Paddle the LA River” will raise awareness of illegal dumping and litter, along with the various forms of life that can’t survive unless Angelenos learn more about their aquatic existence.

“We’re doing this so people can see how we’re affecting our river,” Lopez-Muro said. “You’re going to see some trash and litter. You’ll see some unnatural things. The really important thing is education about recycling and making sure we’re being civically and environmentally minded.”

Almost a year ago, the river was deemed navigable, thus protected as a river rather than a waterway. For several years, Reyes and Councilmember Tom LaBonge, 4th District, have been involved in major efforts to make the river more sustainable.

“People are realizing that this is not exclusively an encased flood water channel, but rather a living, breathing life source of our city,” Reyes said. “We are making believers out of Angelenos.”

The Army Corps of Engineers gave permission for the seven-week pilot program with public tours running on Saturdays and youth events on Fridays. If the program is successful, the next phase would see similar ones in the Glendale Narrows and the Long Beach sections of the L.A. River.

While Reyes and other officials commemorated the event with a special ceremony on Monday, LaBonge and Lewis McAdams, president of Friends of the Los Angeles River (FoLAR), were finishing a trip to Berlin, L.A.’s sister city, focusing on urban river renewal. They participated in the annual ‘be Berlin’ event and observed the dramatic changes to the Isar River, which shares many similarities with the L.A. River. In 2008, representatives from Germany examined plans for the L.A. River, and LaBonge’s trip closes the loop, he said.

“There is a new beginning to the L.A. River and it was inspiring to see what they did,” LaBonge said. “While the Isar is much bigger than the L.A. River, it’s a very urban watershed river that’s still a transferable model.”

The L.A. River and the Isar are considered watershed rivers, which, according to Karen Flores, outreach director of FoLAR, is like “a sink leading to a drain,” meaning the river, along with the substantial amounts of concrete in Los Angeles, trap rain and force it towards the ocean.

“Even if you don’t live near the river, you’re in the watershed,” Flores said. “Tar and oil on the streets all eventually get dumped into the ocean. L.A. has an issue with wasting its rainwater because it’s over paved.”

LaBonge added that the Glendale Narrows section of the river — the section near Griffith Park in his district — is the most beautiful part since it’s the only area with a natural bottom, no concrete underwater.

LaBonge said he can see “Paddle the LA River” expanding to the Glendale Narrows, but he also wants more: riverside park development, more bikeways and his latest motion made on July 29, “duck tour” boats, amphibious vehicles that can transport people to the river and move across it as well. He is currently waiting for the Ad Hoc River Committee to review the motion.

“The river is where the city was founded two hundred years ago and that’s where it’s going to continue to grow,” LaBonge said.

For registration information, visit www.paddlethelariver.org.